In the city of Durban, there’s a sound bubbling called Gqom, that represents the changing face of the South African electronic music scene. A heady blend of scattering rhythms, broken house beats and sliced up vocals, Gqom has taken over Durban and is spreading to international acclaim, thanks to labels like Gqom Oh! working with Rome’s Crudo Volta on compilations and international tours. Collaborating with London’s Goon Club Allstars crew and label, too, is DJ Lag, whose take on Gqom also brings in elements of Sgubhu: a Johannesburg-born style of afro house with stylistic similarities to Gqom, and that DJ Lag is becoming a proponent of in the homegrown scene. One of the more experimental, outward looking figures in the Gqom scene, DJ Lag knows how to create a heady rhythmic atmosphere.
