More than 30 years after its original release, Denztraxxx Volume 1 is making its return on Wicked Records.
Originally released on the Scottish label Poosh Records, this well-known work by William Jordens featured the tracks Go Go Go, Killer on the Run, and The Lost Denz. The EP appeared on several popular compilations, including Ravers Paradise, Masters of Hardcore, and Earthquake. For this new edition, all original tracks have been carefully remastered, and DJ Taa has created a brand new remix of Go Go Go.
The re-release of Denztraxxx Volume 1 brings back memories of a special period in gabber history. But there is another story behind the name Denztraxxx. A story about a record that was created, disappeared, and was never officially released.
Before you continue reading, make sure to check out the new edition of Denztraxxx Volume 1 on Wicked Records. And now, let me take you back to 1995 and tell you the story of the lost Denztraxxx record.
One thing you should know about Denztraxxx is that I actually produced three records, but you'll only ever find two of them. The first one I created disappeared before it was ever released. So what happened to the lost Denztraxxx?
Back in 1995, after Point 44 Records entered into a distribution partnership with ID&T, everything changed for me. I wasn't just producing records for my own label anymore. Suddenly, there was a much bigger machine behind me, hungry for new music. During the week, I spent countless hours in the studio. The weekends were all about DJ gigs and trying to get more bookings. It was a great time. I was living the gabber DJ and producer life.
In the spring of 1995, I finished what was meant to become the first Denztraxxx EP. It featured four tracks that were very different from the happy hardcore sound people would later associate with the project. The music was darker and harder, somewhere in the direction of Knight Phantom's What's the Situation Now, only faster. I had a Roland Juno-106 at the time, and that synthesizer played a major role in shaping the sound of the record.
Just before the summer holidays, I handed the DAT master over to ID&T for review. I honestly can't remember whether I gave it to DJ Weirdo or someone else. Back then, the music business more or less came to a standstill during the summer. Hardly any records were released, so I knew I'd have to wait several weeks before hearing their opinion.
When the holidays were over, I couldn't wait to hear the feedback and hopefully discuss a release date. But there was one problem. Nobody had listened to the tape yet. After asking about it several times over the following weeks, I finally got the answer I didn't want to hear: the DAT tape had most likely been lost.
I was devastated. Not because they had lost the tape, as these things happen, but because I hadn't made a backup. When I got home, I searched everywhere for the original Cubase project, hoping I could recreate the record. It had disappeared as well. The music was simply gone forever.
Rather than dwell on it, I locked myself back in the studio and started over from scratch. In less than a week, I completed a brand new Denztraxxx EP. This one sounded completely different, featuring three faster happy hardcore tracks instead of the darker style of the lost record.
As a tribute to the music that nobody would ever hear, I named the strongest track on that EP The Lost Denz. Every now and then, I still hear that Flamman used to play it in his happy hardcore sets, and that always makes me smile.
Some records become classics. Others become legends simply because they were never heard.