Meeting With The King

Gqom pioneer DJ Lag has always been a forward-thinking producer, and his 2022 release sees him move the genre forward by incorporating fresh flavours into the sound that’s defined Durban’s dance music scene since the 2010s. “There are a few tracks that are slower than my usual tempo,” DJ Lag tells Apple Music. “I am seeing it as a shift of gqom; I like to call it ‘gqom 2.0’. We started at 124 BPM, slowing down with ‘Samba Ngolayini’, which went viral and still bangs in the clubs, and now I am taking it all the way to 116 BPM.” For Meeting With the King, DJ Lag employs a broader palette consisting of amapiano, Afro-house and Afro-tech. The best example of this marriage of different styles is “Khavhude”, a collaboration with trailblazing amapiano producer Mr JazziQ. Amapiano’s defining kick roll and log drum are mashed up with high-pitch synths and hissing pads, further decorated by the vocals of Vic_typhoon and late yanos icon Mpura. “I can make gqom that sounds exactly like it did back in 2014, when we started making it, but I am no longer there. I have grown,” Lag explains. But with all the experimentation, DJ Lag’s sound remains uncompromisingly gqom, with the genre’s trademark thwacking drums, automated digital chants and hypnotic synths and pads. Here, Lag (Lwazi Asanda Gwala) breaks down key tracks from the album. “Khavhude” (feat. Vic_typhoon & Mpura) [DJ Lag & Mr JazziQ] “This is an extremely important track, as it features the late Mpura. I sent the beat to JazziQ, who got Mpura and Vic_typhoon on it. When we listened to their vocals, everyone was convinced that we wouldn’t touch it further. It was just so raw and honest that everyone felt it strongly, and we knew immediately it would make the album. Mpura was one of those artists that just delivered like that. When the news came out about the accident and his passing [in 2021], listening to this song was very intense. Gone too soon and a big loss to the industry.” “DJ Lag” [DJ Lag, Babes Wodumo & Mampint