Andy Compton (The Rurals, Peng Records) Interview

Since the very early days of untitledmusic, Andy Compton and his Peng Records have been supporters, much played and enjoyed names. His soulful viewpoint on deeper house sounds fuse jazzy influences, live musicians and a strong history of glorious vocals. His global appeal takes him worldwide, especially South Africa. Over the years he’s turned heads and twisted bodies with his thumping brew of electronic beats swathed in coolly-crafted melodies, with Peng becoming one of the premiere labels on the planet, garnering support from house big-hitters like Louie Vega, Larry Heard, Mark Farina and Osunlade.

Good to catch up Andy - it’s been a long time! We first met each other waaaay back in the early Peng Days when UM was just a printed fanzine - how about we start with you telling us how you got to starting the label?

Yes!!! long time :) - The first release was in feb’ 1999, 20 years ago! Peng was born so i could release our own music with 100% artistic control and rights.

What were your early influences for your music?

Deep House! I was an avid follower of the DiY Deep House movement in the UK, and they put me on to the good music that helped mould the early sound. Pete and Rick from DiY also opened my eyes to Jazz and Soul which was a huge influence in the Peng sound.

What’s your favourite release from back in the early days of your career?

I love them all! They were all lo-fi, due to lack of hi end gear, and the first few were recorded on a 8track tape recorder.

How did you find the business of running a label to start with?

Very hard! Distributors were always going bust on us, that was painful! We hung in there though, and luckily now the digital distributors are a lot more honest and together.

I’ve always wanted to know why the Peng name?

Peng was a Chinese religion about a fish that an early band member, Peter Gurner, was always talking about! it sounded great so went with it. Apparently now it means high grade weed?!!

Given the current business climate and streaming dominance of revenue can labels like yours keep going on sales alone or does live performance become essential?

To be honest a lot of my income comes from DJ gigs, theres a small amount of digital income, which always comes in handy!

You have a sub label called Peng Africa - can you explain how that fit into the Peng family?

Peng Africa was a launching ground for some great SA artists! It was nice to be able to expose them to an international audience. But… it started to consume too much time, so we put the label on hold a few years ago.

What do you prefer - production or DJ’ing? And why?

I love both! But…making music is my gift I guess! I’m just completing my 38th Album, and music flows through me! DJ’ing is ace, but the traveling sucks! also the environmental aspects of flying are starting to worry me.

Any tips for aspiring DJ’s given what you know now?

Stick to your sound, try and produce and play your own music, that will make your brand stand out.

Favourite place to DJ?

I’ve been blessed to play in many amazing places! But one that comes to mind is Cape Town, There’s an event there co-run by my friend Leighton Moody called ‘We House Sundays’ and the vibe is electric! MotorCity Wine in Detroit is another favourite!

Following your ‘Kholofelo’ album things really took off in South Africa for you - was that by design or just something that came along?

Things took off way before that LP, in 1999 we had a song on ‘Fresh House Flavours’ mixed by DJ Fresh which was a platinum seller that side! After that we released via the huge HOUSE AFRIKA label via EMI, SONY and WEA, releasing Peng compilations. HOUSE AFRIKA even released a SA remixed version of KHOLOFELO (meaning ‘HOPE’) via Sony in 2009. After that i did a distribution deal for Peng with Universal. Due to the fall of the CD market we only release digitally that side now.

You’ve DJ’d frequently over in South Africa, even been on TV! - what makes the scene there so good for you?

I’ve been very blessed with love that side! the HOUSE AFRIKA connection opened many doors, and The Rurals and my name are well known, so it’s always easy to get gigs there. The reason why it works is because they LOVE deep house!! the real stuff, musical and not so uptempo, basically the stuff we’ve always made! The South Africa live for the music and are so passionate about it.

What’s the craziest experience you’ve had over there?

So many crazy experiences! 9/10 gigs that side are in townships, so a completely different vibe than I’m used to in the EU or anywhere else. People sing along to all the songs and go crazy when i play the Rurals or Peng classics. It makes all the hard work worthwhile!

When you’re away touring, do you see yourself as a DJ or a producer playing tunes?

I’m a DJ playing mainly my own productions when playing in SA, but elsewhere i have to play a bit different, depending on the country and crowd/venue. I have 6 different projects I release as, from Soul to acid house, so i always squeeze my productions in when possible. But, don’t expect any mad dj tricks, scratching, over the top eq’ing or dance moves, etc, i like to keep it pure!

What’s your usual preparation for a set? Picks tracks, sleep…?

I just blag it 100%!!! and go with the flow.

How does (if at all) your DJ style differ from your production sound?

Again it depends on the venue or situation.

How do you feel production has changed over the years (good or bad) - do you still get as much pleasure from it?

I get a lot of pleasure from making music, it is ME! i never plan a sound, i just do what i feel! The sound has got a bit cleaner due to better / digital recording gear, but i’m not always sure if thats a good thing! My ‘Blue Dream’ project with friends Brad and Irantzu in LA focuses on the more analogue sound, as its made in an analogue synth museum!

What’s your production set up?

A few crusty analogue synths, fx, Fender Rhodes, some guitars and a load of percussion instruments! For recording i use Focusrite interfaces and a macbook pro.

You use a lot of live instruments rather than sample packs - do you just jam a session or have a structure for tracks before you get started?

Just jam! i’ve only pre written ideas a couple of times.

What’s the best advice you could give aspiring producers?

Find your own sound, and stick to it! try not to copy others, although inspiration is good!

Tell us about The Rurals project and how its evolved over the years?

It’s had many musicians and vocalists over the years, sometime a completely different band for an album! the 18th Rurals LP out this year is a Soul / Broken beat album.

Your son is into music too right? Think he’ll follow in the family footsteps?

Both of my sons are autistic, and they both love music!  My youngest (14) really loves soul music! I’m not going to push them into music, but will respect what ever they choose to do.

Any DJ’s or producers you’ve seen and think we should check out?

I’m mainly watching bands to be honest!I hardly listen to electronic music in my house, only really before i do gigs to get my set together. I’m living in Bristol, UK now and we get so many amazing artists pop through! Local wise for good DJ vibes we’re spoilt with the likes of Mike Shawe and Admin, and many others! When I DJ in Bristol I’m mainly playing Soul/ Funk / Jazz on wax, as the scene for the kind of music i make is nearly non existent here.

What’s on the cards for the next while - releases/gigs to watch out for?

My next release is with Bristol singer Celestine, and keys player Anders Olinder, it got a very Rurals soulful sound! I’m also wrapping my 3rd solo LPand new Ble Dream album. There’s also going to be an announcement soon for a very special gig soon in South Africa!

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Andy Compton (The Rurals, Peng Records) Interview

Since the very early days of untitledmusic, Andy Compton and his Peng Records have been supporters, much played and enjoyed names. His soulful viewpoint on deeper house sounds fuse jazzy influences, live musicians and a strong history of glorious vocals. His global appeal takes him worldwide, especially South Africa. Over the years he’s turned heads and twisted bodies with his thumping brew of electronic beats swathed in coolly-crafted melodies, with Peng becoming one of the premiere labels on the planet, garnering support from house big-hitters like Louie Vega, Larry Heard, Mark Farina and Osunlade.

Good to catch up Andy - it’s been a long time! We first met each other waaaay back in the early Peng Days when UM was just a printed fanzine - how about we start with you telling us how you got to starting the label?

Yes!!! long time :) - The first release was in feb’ 1999, 20 years ago! Peng was born so i could release our own music with 100% artistic control and rights.

What were your early influences for your music?

Deep House! I was an avid follower of the DiY Deep House movement in the UK, and they put me on to the good music that helped mould the early sound. Pete and Rick from DiY also opened my eyes to Jazz and Soul which was a huge influence in the Peng sound.

What’s your favourite release from back in the early days of your career?

I love them all! They were all lo-fi, due to lack of hi end gear, and the first few were recorded on a 8track tape recorder.

How did you find the business of running a label to start with?

Very hard! Distributors were always going bust on us, that was painful! We hung in there though, and luckily now the digital distributors are a lot more honest and together.

I’ve always wanted to know why the Peng name?

Peng was a Chinese religion about a fish that an early band member, Peter Gurner, was always talking about! it sounded great so went with it. Apparently now it means high grade weed?!!

Given the current business climate and streaming dominance of revenue can labels like yours keep going on sales alone or does live performance become essential?

To be honest a lot of my income comes from DJ gigs, theres a small amount of digital income, which always comes in handy!

You have a sub label called Peng Africa - can you explain how that fit into the Peng family?

Peng Africa was a launching ground for some great SA artists! It was nice to be able to expose them to an international audience. But… it started to consume too much time, so we put the label on hold a few years ago.

What do you prefer - production or DJ’ing? And why?

I love both! But…making music is my gift I guess! I’m just completing my 38th Album, and music flows through me! DJ’ing is ace, but the traveling sucks! also the environmental aspects of flying are starting to worry me.

Any tips for aspiring DJ’s given what you know now?

Stick to your sound, try and produce and play your own music, that will make your brand stand out.

Favourite place to DJ?

I’ve been blessed to play in many amazing places! But one that comes to mind is Cape Town, There’s an event there co-run by my friend Leighton Moody called ‘We House Sundays’ and the vibe is electric! MotorCity Wine in Detroit is another favourite!

Following your ‘Kholofelo’ album things really took off in South Africa for you - was that by design or just something that came along?

Things took off way before that LP, in 1999 we had a song on ‘Fresh House Flavours’ mixed by DJ Fresh which was a platinum seller that side! After that we released via the huge HOUSE AFRIKA label via EMI, SONY and WEA, releasing Peng compilations. HOUSE AFRIKA even released a SA remixed version of KHOLOFELO (meaning ‘HOPE’) via Sony in 2009. After that i did a distribution deal for Peng with Universal. Due to the fall of the CD market we only release digitally that side now.

You’ve DJ’d frequently over in South Africa, even been on TV! - what makes the scene there so good for you?

I’ve been very blessed with love that side! the HOUSE AFRIKA connection opened many doors, and The Rurals and my name are well known, so it’s always easy to get gigs there. The reason why it works is because they LOVE deep house!! the real stuff, musical and not so uptempo, basically the stuff we’ve always made! The South Africa live for the music and are so passionate about it.

What’s the craziest experience you’ve had over there?

So many crazy experiences! 9/10 gigs that side are in townships, so a completely different vibe than I’m used to in the EU or anywhere else. People sing along to all the songs and go crazy when i play the Rurals or Peng classics. It makes all the hard work worthwhile!

When you’re away touring, do you see yourself as a DJ or a producer playing tunes?

I’m a DJ playing mainly my own productions when playing in SA, but elsewhere i have to play a bit different, depending on the country and crowd/venue. I have 6 different projects I release as, from Soul to acid house, so i always squeeze my productions in when possible. But, don’t expect any mad dj tricks, scratching, over the top eq’ing or dance moves, etc, i like to keep it pure!

What’s your usual preparation for a set? Picks tracks, sleep…?

I just blag it 100%!!! and go with the flow.

How does (if at all) your DJ style differ from your production sound?

Again it depends on the venue or situation.

How do you feel production has changed over the years (good or bad) - do you still get as much pleasure from it?

I get a lot of pleasure from making music, it is ME! i never plan a sound, i just do what i feel! The sound has got a bit cleaner due to better / digital recording gear, but i’m not always sure if thats a good thing! My ‘Blue Dream’ project with friends Brad and Irantzu in LA focuses on the more analogue sound, as its made in an analogue synth museum!

What’s your production set up?

A few crusty analogue synths, fx, Fender Rhodes, some guitars and a load of percussion instruments! For recording i use Focusrite interfaces and a macbook pro.

You use a lot of live instruments rather than sample packs - do you just jam a session or have a structure for tracks before you get started?

Just jam! i’ve only pre written ideas a couple of times.

What’s the best advice you could give aspiring producers?

Find your own sound, and stick to it! try not to copy others, although inspiration is good!

Tell us about The Rurals project and how its evolved over the years?

It’s had many musicians and vocalists over the years, sometime a completely different band for an album! the 18th Rurals LP out this year is a Soul / Broken beat album.

Your son is into music too right? Think he’ll follow in the family footsteps?

Both of my sons are autistic, and they both love music!  My youngest (14) really loves soul music! I’m not going to push them into music, but will respect what ever they choose to do.

Any DJ’s or producers you’ve seen and think we should check out?

I’m mainly watching bands to be honest!I hardly listen to electronic music in my house, only really before i do gigs to get my set together. I’m living in Bristol, UK now and we get so many amazing artists pop through! Local wise for good DJ vibes we’re spoilt with the likes of Mike Shawe and Admin, and many others! When I DJ in Bristol I’m mainly playing Soul/ Funk / Jazz on wax, as the scene for the kind of music i make is nearly non existent here.

What’s on the cards for the next while - releases/gigs to watch out for?

My next release is with Bristol singer Celestine, and keys player Anders Olinder, it got a very Rurals soulful sound! I’m also wrapping my 3rd solo LPand new Ble Dream album. There’s also going to be an announcement soon for a very special gig soon in South Africa!

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Instagram

Youtube