Simon Lewicki has been in the groove since the 1990s, a master at cranking-up the party and getting those hands high in the air.
As Groove Terminator, the Adelaide native is a scene-builder, a DJ and producer who helped guide Australia’s electronic music scene from underground raves into the big leagues.
Like so many artists before him, though, Lewicki’s creative ambitions took him outside of his corridor — and into a beautiful musical relationship with South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir, the story of which is the subject of an upcoming episode of ABC’s “Compass”.
Airing Sunday, March 30th, “The DJ and The Gospel Choir” isn’t your typical fish-out-of-water tale, but a wholesome exploration of collaborative magic, of art crossing borders.
“The choir is religious,” he explains in the documentary. “And I get that because the dance floor, that’s my church. Dance music is my religion. It’s the music that brings us together, that’s our common ground.”
Lewicki played a big hand in the first golden age of electronic music in these parts. He was the first Australian DJ signed to a major label in the late 1990s, was nominated for best new artist at the 1998 ARIAs, and again in 2000, crossing over into the category for best male artist.
“Every great opportunity in my life, workwise and creatively, has happened because of music”, explains Lewicki, who now lives in Byron Bay with his family.
With Soweto Gospel Choir, the magic happened — as it so often does — by accident. And with some luck. Lewicki had layered choral works over electronic music, and achieved near-perfection. Working live with a choir was the next, big step. The South African singers were in the country in 2019, playing at the Sydney Opera House.
Watching on, Lewicki was struck by how “these were songs of joy and hope, but also freedom. They’re super empowering. It was like great dance music.” Adding some uplifting chords and beats to that energy, “we just really focus on the positivity of dance music and how dance music brings people together. It’s really about community.”
A trip to Johannesburg in January 2020, just months prior to the pandemic, would seal the deal.
Coming together, Soweto Gospel Choir & Groove Terminator released “History of House” (via Xelon Entertainment), an album nominated for the 2024 ARIA Awards in the category for Best World Music Album.
Last Sunday, the “History of House” collab completed an 18-date residency at Adelaide Fringe. Performances are plotted-out for months, even years. “I’m coming up on nearly 40 years of DJing,” Lewicki says. “It’s kind of crazy to have this sort of thing happening at this time in my life, at such a late stage in my career. But I’m fully embracing it. I’m not stopping.”
“History of House” beams out Sunday, March 30th at 6.30pm on ABC TV and anytime on ABC iview.