DJ Lag Pays Homage to His Roots on New Mixtape (Review)

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The king of gqom, DJ Lag, recently returned with his mixtape, ‘Southside‘. Fresh off the back of his 2024 album, ‘THE REBELLION‘, which was packed with dancefloor fillers, this project goes in a new direction. Not only does the record pay respect to the music and influence that have shaped him, but it also blends other genres like 3-step, Afro-tech, amapiano, and more.

This Grammy-award nominee is fast becoming a household name in all corners of the globe. The South African DJ is one of many rising stars from his nation, with this project showcasing many of the country and the African continent’s best sounds. At a length of 12 songs and 1 hour, 11 minutes long, this is a stacked project, so let us focus on my favourites.

NgyaSindelwa FT. Zee Nxumalo and K.C Driller

This opener really sets the tempo and comes in hard from the get-go. Alongside K.C Driller, DJ Lag provides a wavey production courtesy of the kick drums and bassy synths. Zee Nxumalo is an excellently utilised guest, floating well with her autotuned delivery and bringing the energy and charisma. When that tinny drum pattern comes in around 2 minutes, it gives the track a real energy. This is further emphasised by the echoing of the distorted vocals, with this track using instruments and tools to keep you hooked. This is truly a club banger!

GQTECH FT. Ape Drums

A prior release that I’m sure is still popping in the clubs, this track truly brings the life to the party. Those echoey chants, the metallic noises, and the bass are the backbone of this one, and will be playing on loop in my head. Collaborating with Ape Drums from Major Lazer, this blends that Miami sound with gqom in an exciting and fresh way. Mixtapes are all about taking your sound to new places, and this number certainly does that. It is no surprise this is one of the project’s most popular tracks.

Yey’Wena FT. Virgo Deep and K.C Driller

This one has a much more measured sound at first before that blaring bass and danceable synths come in. This blending of gqom, amapiano, and Afro-tech is done perfectly here as all three producers show what they are worth. The halfway point introduces this melody and erratic synths as the song keeps building layer after layer. ‘Southside‘ is at its best when creating moments that keep you on your toes, and ‘Yey’Wena‘ is absolutely one of those moments.

Detroit Rave FT. NovaBoy

Starting off with plenty of metallic noises, you feel like you’re in the remains of an industrial factory. These two were clearly inspired by the home of techno on this one, bringing a bit of that flavour to gqom. This track feels perfect for a sweaty underground rave and would have you swaying for the almost 5-minute runtime. The echoey drum pattern almost sounds like heavy panting, which is what you will be doing once this comes to an end.

Summary

This mixtape has plenty more highlights that I could talk about. ‘WaWaWa‘ with Djknator and Thobeka, which I highlighted on First Listen Fridays, and ‘Shona Malanga‘ with Argento Dust, NATASHA MD, and K.C Driller, where NATASHA sounds glorious over this house-influenced production. Further to this, ‘WTF‘ and ‘Beast‘ are examples that this producer is just as capable on his own. And the conclusion of ‘NgyaGowa‘, with DJ Maphorisa, Xduppy, SjavasDaDeejay, 2woshort, Stompiiey, and K.C Driller, makes for a calming, but still funky ending. For the most part, this is a very enjoyable listen.

There are points where I could see improvements. Maybe adding a vocalist to ‘Native Sound‘ or trimming down some of the longer cuts that don’t alter the sound too much throughout. The less experimental tracks here, while solid, don’t grab my attention as much as the ones that go to different places. However, for the most part, this is a great listen and just the start of more varied types of gqom.

Another body of work that will have the club full of dancing, the king has retained his title for the foreseeable future.

Rating: 8/10

DJ Lag is on Instagram, X, Threads, and TikTok. You can stream the mixtape below or buy it here. Read more of our reviews, as well.

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