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.

At just 21 he made his European performance debuts in 2016 and since then has and continued to tour the world, racking up healthy ratings at festivals such as Glastonbury, Draaimolen, Dekmantel, Ultra, Unsound, Afropunk and European venues such as DC10, Berghain, Drumsheds, Razzmatazz and more. North America and Asia tours remain a constant.

His 2018 EP ‘Stampit’, was used by Beyonce and Jay Z during their Global Citizen Festival performance 2018 and just 1 year later DJ Lag had produced a track on her ‘Lion King: The Gift album’. 2022 saw the release of his debut album ‘Meeting With The King’ which received rave reviews and in 2024 his follow up album ‘The Rebellion’ dropped, with huge singles such as Hade Boss gaining millions of streams.

It’s a stunning rise and DJ Lag is ready to put in the work required to make sure Gqom is remembered forever.