The Durban artist is at the forefront of a new club sound emerging from South Africa.
Goon Club Allstars will release DJ Lag’s self-titled EP in November.
Lwazi Asanda Gwala is one of the most visible artists involved in a style called Gqom – a stripped-back variant of South African house. It’s grown out of a tight-knit scene in Durban, and the word is an onomatopoeia that roughly translates to “drum” in Zulu. One of the first releases to reach audiences outside of South Africa was Goon Club Allstars’ split EP from Rudeboyz and Menchess last year. (Following that, there were two compilations put out by Gqom Oh!, a label based in South Africa and Italy.)
Goon Club will follow up with an EP from DJ Lag, who was one of the first artists to popularize the term “Gqom” a few years ago. The release coincides with Lag’s tour of Europe and Asia in the next couple of months, where he’ll play alongside Nan Kolè, the Italian selector who co-founded the Gqom Oh! label.
