Sho Mag Afro House Magazine
History will remember Dj LAG as a pioneer who propelled the quintessentially Durban Gqom sound beyond the confines of the coastal city, straight into the capitals of the international electronic music industry. At first listen, it might not appear that Gqom’s minimalist, bass-heavy sound would take Lwazi Asanda Gwala from Clermont township in Durban to commanding dancefloors in Europe and Asia. But DJ Lag’s superb production skills have played a big part in transforming a sub-genre of house – one that began by soundtracking taxi trips around Durban – to an enviably innovative participant in the global scene.
Since he first surfaced several years ago, DJ Lag has played several major South African events, including the 2015 Johannesburg leg of Boiler Room, and the 2016 Cape Town Electronic Music Festival. He also shared a platform with electronic music heavyweights Skrillex and Euphonik at the Bridges For Music knowledge-sharing workshop held in Kliptown, Soweto, in February 2016. “I believe gqom will be way bigger than deep house,” DJ Lag says of the genre that he’s leading. Following his set at the G-Star Raw x Boiler Room Sessions in Johannesburg in 2015, New York-based The Fader wrote: “DJ LAG stepped up to the decks to show exactly why everyone’s going crazy for Gqom. The minimal house genre born from the coastal city of Durban is dark, heated, and easy to lose yourself in.” Felix a.k.a producer Moleskin, a co-founder of London label Goon Club Allstars – which has released DJ Lag’s self-titled EP – told Dazed & Confused: “When I first heard Gqom it felt like music that I’d been waiting to hear.” “Gqom music makes you think of fun, nothing else but fun,” DJ Lag told The Wire in January 2017.
And the fun of Gqom is evident in the video for Ice Drop, one of four tracks off DJ Lag’s acclaimed self-titled EP, issued in November 2016 by Goon Club Allstars. The video features several stunning overhead shots of DJ Lag’s local neighbourhoods in KwaDabeka and Clermont, intercut with shots of the artist’s immediate environment – both providing a glimpse into the context in which his hypnotic, infectious Gqom tunes are created.
At 21 he made his live global debut in the closing months of 2016, starting at the Unsound Festival in Poland and finishing up at Seoul’s Cake Shop nearly a month later. To date, he’s racked up healthy ratings at platforms such as MixMag, The Fader and IDM with his 2018 EP Stampit, of which Beyonce and Jay Z featured during their performance at Global Citizen Festival 2018. He’s performed at Afropunk NYC, Unsound Festivals in Adelaide and Krakow, remixed for Kelela, recorded a music video in London with immensely talented Moses Boyd and secured a residency at RinseFM. He has most importantly embarked on his #GqomIsThePresent Tour, consisting of four parts that circled the globe twice over.
The latest in a string of accolades comes a set on the prestigious BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix hosted by tatemaker Pete Tong, with previous guests including game changers such as Skrillex, Four Tet, Daft Punk, AIR, Tiesto, Flying Lotus, Massive Attack and the most recent HAAi , all pioneering sounds of their generation, going on to take over the world, one set at a time.
It’s a stunning rise for an artist just in his 20s. But, DJ Lag is ready to put in the work required to make sure Gqom is remembered forever.
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