Interview + Download: http://truantsblog.com/2017/truancy-volume-194-dj-lag/
Soundcloud: @djlaggqomking
Over the past two years, the coastal city of Durban in South Africa has spearheaded the sound of the rapidly growing gqom scene. Throughout Durban townships, the percussive mixture of hip-hop and house elements had primarily spread through a series of file-sharing sites, with Facebook groups and WhatsApp threads acting as hotspots for sharing artists' latest creations. In one of gqom's more fascinating ascents, local taxi companies – in an attempt to seem more attractive to rival departments – started playing gqom in their minivans, as wonderfully highlighted in the YouTube documentary Woza Taxi - Gqom Secret Stash Out Of The Locations. In the same way the internet and social sharing helped gqom reach new audiences throughout Durban, gqom soon found itself spreading across the globe, with labels and journalists in London and Rome quickly championing the sound. One of the genre's most prominent producers – a merit that's propelled his reputation as the 'King of Gqom' – is DJ Lag. Our 194nd Truancy Volume is a storming snapshot of the relentless dynamism of gqom and DJ Lag's masterful presentation of the sound. We're incredibly proud to have a true pioneer as part of the series and we had the pleasure of speaking to DJ Lag about the mix he has kindly provided us with.
