DJ Lag

Stage name of Lwazi Asanda Gwala, a South African producer and pioneer of gqom, a house style that evolved out of kwaito with a more minimal, raw character than its predecessor. Starting out in Durban's hip-hop scene, he taught himself the secrets of production and was already working as a DJ and mixer back in high school, before spreading his earliest productions via Whatsapp and gradually getting noticed on a wider scale, eventually reaching the ears of listeners worldwide.

The move to Gqom Oh! (which would go on to release the genre's first seminal compilation) and the subsequent run of festival dates across the globe cemented not only DJ Lag's standing within the genre, but also helped pull along numerous other figures from the scene, allowing South African dance music to break through at a global level.

His list of collaborations is extensive, including Beyoncé (who brought him in for the soundtrack of “Il re leone“), Okzharp, and Tierra Whack. Ten years after his first tracks began circulating, his debut album finally arrives, “Meeting With The King”, the true consolidation of a singular style, honed with great care.