Gqom emerged from Durban townships in early 2010s South Africa, breaking from traditional four-on-the-floor house music rhythms. The minimal electronic genre features raw, repetitive sounds with heavy basslines, dark atmospheres, and syncopated rhythms creating intense underground club energy. Born from young producers experimenting with basic music software, Gqom has become a defining sound of South African youth culture, gaining international recognition and influencing electronic music globally.