DJ Lag


DJ Lag is a South African DJ, producer and one of the pioneering creators of Gqom, a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2010s in Durban, South Africa. In 2019, DJ Lag notably collaborated with Tierra Whack, Beyoncé, Moonchild Sanelly, Nija, Yemi Alade, and Busiswa on a track called "My Power" on Beyoncé's record, .

Early life

With aspirations of becoming a soccer player growing up in Durban, Lag suffered an ankle injury which derailed his pursuits. His cousin, a rapper within the Durban hip hop scene at the time, then introduced him to FL Studio, on which he taught himself to produce. Following this, he began to explore DJing. He went on to play his first gig at Durban's club Uhuru during a high school graduation event while he was in 10th grade.

Career

Releasing his first EP on Whatsapp, DJ Lag began is career using methods unorthodox to Western distribution methods common in Gqom's formative years. Fans signed up on the DJ's website with the promise that an exclusive EP would be delivered to them via the mobile messaging app free of charge, with the help of Black Major, an artist management agency based in Cape Town. DJ Lag's specific style is known to be focused on what local producers dubbed "uthayela".
In 2019, he released a 6 track EP entitled UHURU under Diplo's American record label, Good Enuff Records, under the Mad Decent umbrella. This album payed homage to DJ Lag's hometown club of the same name, which acted as a monumental meeting place for Gqom producers such as Rudeboyz and Naked Boyz, to try out new techniques on larger audiences. In 2019, DJ Lag began to curate and host his own event, called Something For Clermont where new acts are encouraged to experiment with sounds contributing to the evolution of the genre, the first of which was held in partnership with music broadcaster Boiler Room.

Collaborations

My Power from Beyonce's The Lion King: The Gift

DJ Lag co-produced a track that was initially released as Drumming alongside percussionist Moses Boyd, which was later chosen by Beyonce to form part of the collaborative album,, which featured American rapper Tierra Whack, Busiswa, Yemi Alade and Moonchild Sanelly.

Anywhere We Go with Shekhinah

DJ Lag and Shekhinah collaborated on Anywhere We Go The accompanying visuals feature dancer Thami Njoko, and was directed by music video director Kyle Lewis.

Going Modd with Epic B

DJ Lag worked with New York pioneer on the track Going Modd on UK label

Switz Music Video with Choreographer Mette Towley

, who also appeared in the music video for N.E.R.D. and Rihanna’s Lemon, approached DJ Lag to work on Switz in 2019. Shot and directed in New York by Bon Duke, Towley’s interpretation of the track is "her response to the feeling that dance, and its ability to act as a mode of communication, needed a serious revisit."
Dancers included Orlando Zane, Hunter Jr., Emily Paige, Frankie Gordils “Francoth3artist”, Rudy Legros, Shari Clarke, Ros Hayes, Leal Zielinksa, Ekow Nunoo, Brown Kato, Watz Hunter and Valentine Nicholi White.

Steam Rooms with Okzharp

Steam Rooms, which takes its name from the local nickname for dance clubs in Durban, features South African rhythms with a blend of UK club styles brought on by producer Okzharp, creating a musical dialogue between the two regions' styles.

Selected discography

EPs and singles