LwaziAsandaGwala, aka DJ Lag, will kickstart his four-city India tour (Mumbai, New Delhi and Goa) with a performance in Bengaluru on February 17. His performance, a part of Ultra Soulflyp, will also feature IAMDDB, a Manchester-based rapper, also known as the ‘jazz queen’.
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Ultra Soulflyp is a series of events that celebrates culture and community. Lag, from Durban, is a pioneer of the world-conquering South African dance music genre, gqom, known for its powerful sounds. It can be heard at festivals and is used in clubs all around the world. Lag, who started off making original music while he was still a high school student, is credited with original music tracks including ‘Ice Drop’ and ‘Umlilo’. He made his international live debut in 2016 at the Unsound Festival in Poland. That was the start of his international career and he has since gone on to perform at the RedBull SonarDome at Sonar Barcelona, MELT Festival in Germany, Afropunk Atlanta and London’s Jazz Café.
He has produced ‘My Power’ for Beyoncé’s 2019 Grammy-nominated albumThe Lion King: The Gift (the companion album to the live action remake of The Lion King).
Over a call from Dubai, Lag talks to MetroPlus about his DJing, gqom and more.
Edited excerpts
What inspired you to become a DJ?
I grew up in Clermont and was inspired by the works of DJ Msawawa. He was the best when he started in 2001 at the age of seven and was already a super star. He is the one who inspired me to become a DJ.
You are called the king of the gqom style of music. If there is a certain characteristic of this genre, what would it be?
It is a style similar to Bacardi, which was huge in 2001-2002. It was a kind of dance music that was popular with most dance groups those days. That is what I believe gqom started off as.
How much of your culture do you bring to your music?
I use a lot of drums in my music. The drums are the main instrument for the Zulus and I use them extensively in my music.
What are your thoughts on collaborations with other musicians and dJs?
I started off as an independent artiste, working on my own and creating music by myself. It was only later that collaborations happened. I love and enjoy the process of working with producers and artistes. Sometimes I have a hard time when a producer feels a certain part of the music has to be edited, and, I feel the cut will change the whole rhythm or beat of my music. So, yes, collaboration, can be fun and also a lifelong learning process. I am still learning when it comes to collaborations.
How was your experience working with Beyoncé for ‘My Power’?
It was amazing. She played one of my songs, at the Global Citizen Festival in South Africa. It was this collaboration that led to the making of ‘My Power’. Her agency contacted me and asked if I had some beats, I shared five options, and they liked two.
Could you share your thoughts on the Indian DJ scene..
I am hoping to meet some Indian Djs and producers here. I look forward to work here, hope everything goes well and we come up with some great collaborations.
What can Bengaluru audience look forward to at your show here?
I have something new for India and can’t wait to play it. It is unique and new music that I will be testing out here. So, Bengaluru get ready...
Dj Lag will perform at Gylt on February 17.