Soweto Gospel Choir/Groove Terminator | “History of House”

Soweto Gospel Choir & Groove Terminator Release History of House Album this Friday, 8/2

Recorded in Zulu & English, a collaboration between GRAMMY-winning gospel choir and “Superstar DJ” spotlights dance music’s roots in Africa

Pre-save before Friday’s release HERE

The South Africa-based, 3x GRAMMY-winning Soweto Gospel Choir, and Australia’s first “Superstar DJ,” the electronic artist Groove Terminator, will release their joint album, History of House, this Friday, August 2nd, via Music is Fun (a division of Seeker Music), House of Latroit, and Gallo Records. Produced by GRAMMY-winning producer Dennis White, aka Latroit, the album is a truly global reimagination of the most iconic dance tracks of the last 50 years.

Dreamt up back in 2019, the project began as a live show series featuring the Choir and Groove Terminator performing dance music covers that showcased the evolution and “History of House” from the 70s through th 2000’s. When the pandemic put live shows on pause, the concept took on a recorded element and ultimately grew into a multi-pronged collaboration intended to honor the Black history of the genre, and bring opportunity to artists and creators across Africa.

When Groove Terminator (Simon Lewicki) first conceptualized History of House, his appreciation for the roots of dance music within Africa pointed him in the direction of Soweto Gospel Choir, which was founded in 2002 to celebrate African Gospel music, and has since collaborated with everyone from U2 to Beyonce. As the 16-member Choir put their own spin on the House staples, the decision was made to record, primarily in Zulu, and to incorporate more elements of South African culture in both the musical and visual aspects of the project. And to ensure the recordings kept that classic House vibe, Latroit was brought onto the project.

Some of the tracks on the album include Zulu versions of “Good Life” (originally written and recorded by Kevin Saunderson’s seminal Detroit Techno group Inner City in 1988, when Latroit was the group’s music director), “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good),” a cover of Zimbabwean artist Rozalla’s 1991 dance anthem, “World Hold On” by Parisian DJ Bob Sinclar & a stunning rework of “Ride Like The Wind” by Christopher Cross

Started specifically to create opportunities, discover, and promote emerging artists from within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, Orna Create ran contests for regional musicians and producers to work on several songs on the album. The resulting collaborations with some of Southern Africa’s most promising emerging artists, came together to even more effortlessly fuse the global beats, Afro house, Amapiano, and house music styles on History of House.

The new album is composed of predominantly live musical performances – a rarity for the genre. Check out the full track listing below, and catch Soweto Gospel Choir and Groove Terminator bringing History of House to life at the Sydney Fringe Festival this September if you’ll be in Australia.

Photo Credit: Helen Page

History of House tracklist:

Silence
Troubled
Good Life (Chantty Natural remix) [Inner City cover]
World, Hold On
Phumula
Everybody’s Free (Stakev Remix) [Rozalla cover]
Ride Like The Wind
Pride (A Deeper Love)
Free
Children
You Got The Love