World Treasures Music alert! One listen and you’re blown away by this – DJ Kampire selects a treasure trove of African dance music from the 1980s and 1990s for masters of compilations, Strut.

A Dancefloor In Ndola – being curated by the revered East African DJ is a new direction for Strut – with the label highlighting this as “an evolution in approach to compilations, showcasing emerging DJ talent from across the world and embracing an innovative approach to musical discovery from the next wave of selectors”.

It is indeed a diggers delight and expert selection that reflects music of Kampire’s upbringing and is inspired by the songs, absorbed via her father’s record collection, from Eastern and Southern Africa, from soukous to township bubblegum. There is also a focus on female singers, including Congolese heroes Pembey Sheiro and Feza Shamamba, alongside South Africa’s V-Mash and Di Groovy Girls.

Forging her reputation through memorable sets for the Nyege Nyege Festival in Uganda over the last decade, Kampire now tours worldwide and is celebrated for her brilliantly curated sets spanning the full range of African music styles.

It’s all present on the compilation and it’s all killer, no filler.

Although born in Kenya to Ugandan parents, Kampire spent her formative years in Ndola, Zambia: “It is important for me to continually reference Africa’s own musical history,” she explains.

“At 17, I didn’t pick up on my Dad’s music but now I love and collect those records. I’m constantly referencing them in my music sets today. I love that feeling of shared nostalgia where people recognise a song they haven’t heard in a long time. It is a touchstone for me when I’m playing.”

Congolese rumba and soukous selections highlight sometimes neglected styles from Africa, present on the comp’, but sometimes overlooked by outside perspectives. “There are styles of music on the compilation which are often considered unsophisticated from rural areas,” Kampire explains.

“I and other contemporary African artists and DJs draw inspiration from them; it is part of what makes us ourselves.”

Kampire has also been instrumental in creating safer spaces in her homeland.

A Dancefloor In Ndola is released on 2LP and CD and features an exclusive new edit by Kampire alongside personal liner notes tracing her links to the music. Cover artwork montage is by Canon Rumanzi and vinyl restoration/mastering by The Carvery.