When we interviewed DJ Lag about a mix he’d put together for us last year, he said he believed there was something “ominous, enigmatic and dangerous that comes through” in his sound. And he’s not wrong. Out today, his long-awaited Meeting With The King album plunges the listener into the best sounds coming from Durban, fusing the style he pioneered; gqom, with amapiano, Afro tech, Afro house and more. 

In a bid to fuse the two styles of gqom and amapiano, Lag has nudged down the tempo slightly, while maintaining the rawness that has taken him to the forefront of electronic production. With this, he does away with any preconcieved notions of what his debut album might sound like, a raw blend of his archetypal zero-gravity sound while introducing log drum hits that whirr enticingly before dropping you down into the beat.

Elsewhere, there’s bouncy Bradford bassline from the Bad Boy Chiller Crew boys, a ‘soul spa’ from Aj simons, and a Pa Salieu-featuring EP from rising star Teezee.

AJ SIMONS – SOUL SPA

BAD BOY CHILLER CREW – DISRESPECTFUL

BLUE HAWAII – MY BESTFRIEND’s HOUSE

DJ LAG – MEETING WITH THE KING

FOREST DRIVE WEST – RECURSION EP

SIPHO. – SHE MIGHT BLEED

TEEZEE – ARRESTED BY LOVE