Words by Justin Turford
Nowhere on Earth can claim to love the quiet storm of deep house music as much as South Africa. This isn’t the house of ready-mix drops and EDM style drum rolls to grab that social media hype moment, we are talking deep grooves, endless grooves, soul music with a 4/4 kick. Kid Fonque is one of the great SA producer / DJ / label bosses that is a mainstay in the scene, his fantastic Stay True Sounds imprint was awarded DJ Mag Best Compilation of the Year in 2021 and 2022 for Vol.3 and Vol.4, and here we are with Vol.5 released in association with Defected Records (Kid Fonque is relocating to London as the new head of A&R at Defected).
The label has had an outrageously successful year with sublime releases by El Payo, Kid Fonque himself and the crowd-killing remixes of beatsbyhands’ ‘Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) ft Kali Mija’ amongst many and this compilation is stacked high with soulful, bass heavy dancefloor gold for the discerning movers. The compilation is released this Friday and we are super-pleased to be able to premiere Thabo Tonick’s 'Mama' on the eve of its release.
As subtle as it gets, ‘Mama’ is a dreamy ride of filtered emotional shine at the slower end of the house tempo scale. Think Pépé Bradock’s ‘Deep Burnt’ with added romance, glorious sunrises, new and old friends in rhythmic harmony. A tune of deep emotion to soundtrack the special moment at the dance.
Stay True Sounds Vol 5 is released 24 March 2023
Buy here! https://staytruesounds.bandcamp.com/album/compiled-by-kid-fonque-2