Courtesy DJ Lag / Black Major — official press kit
Gqom DJ and producer
DJ Lag is Lwazi Asanda Gwala from Clermont, the Durban township where gqom took shape, and he is recognised as one of the genre's pioneers. A cousin in Durban's hip-hop scene introduced him to FL Studio; he taught himself production, played his first club gig while still in grade 10, and distributed an early EP to fans over WhatsApp. His style is gqom at its most functional — raw drums and sub-bass pressure, engineered for the dancefloor.
He made his international debut at Poland's Unsound Festival in 2016, toured under the banner #GqomIsThePresent, and co-produced 'My Power' on Beyoncé's The Lion King: The Gift in 2019. His 2022 debut album Meeting With The King, DJ Mag's Album of the Month, was received as gqom's first landmark artist album. Late 2025 brought Southside, a 12-track mixtape threading gqom through amapiano, Afrotech and 3-step alongside Zee Nxumalo, Thobeka and DJ Maphorisa.
SAMA32’s shortlist shows a South African music industry no longer defined by one centre. From Durban Gqom to Maskandi, Amapiano, Jazz, Gospel and regional scenes, the country’s sound is spreading power across many hubs.
DJ Lag is named on the official Making Time ∞ 2026 lineup. The festival runs 18–20 September 2026 at the historic Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, with Bicep, Kim Gordon, Daphni and Theo Parrish among 120-plus acts. Passes are sold through Resident Advisor.
