THE COMPILATION

The Peng label and the music of The Rurals have been dancefloor staples in South Africa for a long time, already the focal point of a sublimely successful House Afrika compilation called ‘Sunday Sessions’.

Now they are the subject of a 4-CD mega-package of jazzy arpeggios, dubby sub-bass, disco glitter and house music low-end from the same experts in collecting the best house sounds around, and mixed up by some of SA’s best DJs, titled ‘House Afrika Grooves’.
 
Not bad for the work of what is essentially a single-man operation based in the picturesque pastures of the Devonshire countryside of the UK!
 
THE INSPIRATION

That man is Andy Compton, one of the most prolific and respected figures in the global house music scene. By the age of 16, Compton was already an accomplished musician playing guitar in various groups.

But in the early 90s he caught the deeep house music bug and connected with vocalist Marie Tweek to create the “band” The Rurals in 1994 as an outlet for the jazzy and soulful strains he was coaxing out of the 4/4 mantra of house music.
 
A unique brew of live elements melded with thumping electronic music became Compton’s very own district of deep, and his output since then has been nothing short of prolific: over 80 EPs, appearances on over 200 compilations; collaborations with artists from the esteemed Motown label; a bona fide anthem in the track “Lush” (which became a staple at New York’s The Shelter); a DJ Magazine cover in 2008 when The Rurals released their tenth long-player…
 
Compton’s been so prolific that he created his own label, Peng, in the early 90s, to account for all his sumptuous creations, and nearly 20 years later it’s regarded as a sure-fire purchase for any DJ or listener eager for a deeper strain of dancefloor goodness - converts to the cause include Larry Heard, Louie Vega and Osunlade, all bona fide purveyors of soulful excellence in dance. Compton has labeled his unique sound “Afrodevon Deep Soul Music”, and it has an appeal that’s spread far and wide.
 
THE INFLUENCE

Most notably to South Africa, where a cross-section of DJs have found something to savour in Compton’s catalogue, among them the Pretoria-based Deep Xpressions duo of K-So and BK (who recently strung together one of the mixes on the Platinum-selling ‘House Afrika Sessions’ compilation).

Their selection on 'House Afrika Grooves', which sandwiches cuts from BRS, Deejaykul and Green belt between a slew of cuts from Compton and The Rurals, is easy like Sunday morning.
 
Next up on deck duty in this five hour-marathon of fathom-deep funk is the mack daddy of deep (and House Afrika main man), Tim White, whose selection takes in tracks and remixes from D3, Harvey & Muscle and Marc Cotterell and is perfect for kicking back on a slow Sunday.
 
Also charmed by Peng’s output and responsible for mixing the third and fourth installments in this bumper package are DJ Strat3gy and DJ Pierre, both renowned for teasing tech-ier repetitiveness out of traditional deep house (ever since their back-to-back sets at Rosebank’s legendary The Foundation and all the way through to Vuzu TV show Hit Refresh).
 
Their mixes are suitably banging Saturday night excursions that take in efforts from many of the like-minded collaborators that have turned Peng into one of the most essential house labels on the planet, including Ralf Gum, Richard Earnshaw, Dubtribe, Lars Behrenroth and Ananda Project.
 
WHY YOU NEED TO GET IT

It all adds up to a varied ride through an indispensable label’s country-reared harvest of house, a lengthy and excellently-priced trawl through the coolest crop of deep house there is. Certainly a compilation to savour…