Durban gqom pioneer, Lwaza Gwala aka DJ Lag has recently partnered with Three Ships Whisky to create a first of its kind distillery inspired gqom track.
Speaking about his collaboration with Three Ships Whisky, Gwala said he was invited to the distillery tour, and they asked him to record some sounds. He said it's not something he had done before so he agreed to check it out.
“We walked around the distillery and they showed me a lot of different rooms and objects which made interesting sounds. They were mostly things like big wooden barrels, iron machines, and glass bottles. It was cool to make music from so many different objects, but not that strange. I went through each recorded sound and chose which sounds I thought would work.
"I used the recorded sounds as effects to the type of sounds that I already use. It was a different experience because it was all new but I figured it out which was very rewarding. That’s what producers do. It’s not about where the sound comes from but how you use the sounds available to you to create something unique and interesting,” said Gwala.
Lwazi Gwala aka DJ lag. Picture: Supplied
He said the most enjoyable part of the journey was listening to the final product.
“I normally just use samples from Fruity Loops Studio which is a digital audio workstation, so I am thinking that I should try to make my sounds in the future as I have learned to experiment more with natural sounds and tones. I love keeping my music as organic sounding as possible and this project has helped me move closer to that. I also really enjoyed watching how excited the dancers and production team were when I played the final version. That is also very rewarding and it will always be special,” added Gwala.
Asked how this campaign resonates with him, he said the campaign is all about embracing South African talent and working with people of different disciplines who do things well. Gwala said he was happy to be next to other people who were considered exceptional.
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A post shared by DJ LAG(@realdjlag) on Oct 15, 2019 at 9:07am PDT
Three Ships Whisky Marketing Manager, Meryll Stocks Roos, said it was exciting to have DJ Lag at the home of South African whisky, the James Sedgwick Distillery, and to witness the creation of the new track composed from harvesting everyday sounds sourced at the distillery.
“DJ Lag is an exceptional South African who shares the same passion, dedication and ingenuity in music as we do in creating whisky. I really hope this track resonates with South Africans, from those packing out a dancefloor to those enjoying it in the comfort of their homes. We are proud to partner with him as part of our visual collaboration series,” said Roos.