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Emily Dust visits Durban, South Africa, home of the sparse, dark, hypnotic genre 'gqom'.

Gqom, pronounced with a Zulu click at the beginning, roughly translates as the sound of a kick drum being struck. It’s also the name of a sparse, dark, hypnotic genre of electronic music. Made in the townships of Durban, South Africa, on basic software and distributed via taxi drivers, over the last few years gqom has caught the ears of DJs and ravers in some of the coolest clubs in Berlin, New York and London.

Emily Dust, a London-based DJ who fell in love with gqom at first listen, travels to Durban to meet the artists who created it and who are taking it forward, including Naked Boys, DJ Lag, Griffit Vigo and Distruction Boyz.

Initially dismissed by some of South Africa’s musical gatekeepers, today gqom artists have toured the world and conquered the airwaves at home. Gqom’s global success is inspiring the next generation of Durban producers to push the sound in new directions, both commercially and at the cutting edge of underground music.

(Photo: Gqom artists TLC Fam with Emily Dust.)

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53 minutes

Last on

Sun 17 Feb 2019 20:06GMT
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service

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Music Played

  • DJ Lag

    Ice Drop

  • Ghost on the Loose

  • 3 Step Culo

  • Patoranking

    Available

  • Naked Boyz

    Hunters Gold

  • Gqomlectro

  • TLC Fam

    Izulu Iama

  • Wrong Floor

  • Distruction Boyz

    Omunye (feat. Benny Maverick & Dladla Mshunqisi)

  • Babes Wodumo

    Wololo (feat. Mampintsha)

  • Space Network

    Jam Blaster

  • Emo Kid

    Futuristic Gqom

  • Ground Shaker

  • Silver Dust

    Gqom Master (feat. Star Soul)

  • Citizen Boy

    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔtown Glory (remake of Adele track)

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  • Sat 20 Oct 2018 13:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
  • Sun 21 Oct 2018 19:06GMT
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  • Sun 21 Oct 2018 21:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Sat 16 Feb 2019 12:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Sun 17 Feb 2019 20:06GMT
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service

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