UnderDeep 101 guest mix - Lana G: A Journey of Soul, Sound and Connection
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For Lana G, music was never just background noise—it was a lifeline. Born and raised in Croatia, her earliest memories are steeped in rhythm!
From dancing with her parents to Michael Jackson, blues riffs from Eric Clapton, and the spiritual resonance of Santana. That soulful grounding would later form the emotional heartbeat of her DJ sets, but the journey took time—20 years in the making.
“I just wanted to share my joy,”
She says, reflecting on why she started selecting music in the first place. “If a song brings me something—happiness, healing, emotion—I want others to feel that too.” That spirit of emotional generosity underpins every track she spins. Whether behind the decks or hosting her first radio show, The Soulful Side on Zagreb’s Radio 808, Lana G’s driving force has always been a human connection.
A Journey Through Sound…
Long before she called herself a DJ, Lana was a selectress, curating sets rooted in reggae and dancehall. Her relationship with music was physical, expressed through dance, rhythm, and embodiment. As she delved deeper into Drum & Bass and Jungle, her body became the vessel for interpreting sound. But life, as it does, introduced a pause.
Lana stepped away from nightlife to study psychotherapy, dedicating herself to the healing of others. Yet even in this detour, music whispered quietly in the background, waiting for its cue.
Artwork by Toyan Creative Studios
Continued:
Defected Croatia
That cue came in 2019 at Croatia’s Defected Festival, where a sudden immersion into pure house music changed everything. “It was the first time in a long time that I was in the music,” she recalls. “I was just… taken by it.” A year later, the global pandemic reconnected her to the decks—first as a way to share healing thoughts and tracks through her radio show, then eventually as a performing DJ. “I wasn’t planning on DJing. I just wanted to connect. Then one thing led to another.”
Her defining moment came in 2021 when she discovered the Afro House sound in the Olive Grove (which later became a space for Sondela), where she witnessed Themba live and the artists who would shape her next chapter: Sef Kombo, Kitty Amor, Black Motion, and DJEFF.
Prior to that moment, Lana G reflected on her SuncèBeat experience in Croatia earlier that summer, where live performances from two legends, BlackCoffee and Manoo, also inspired her!
The sounds of South Africa, Angola, and the African diaspora ignited something profound.
“Africa is my biggest influence—my inspiration. Afro House, Amapiano, Soulful House… It all speaks to me in a way that nothing else ever has.”
Lana’s musical evolution is inseparable from her emotional and spiritual journey. DJing is more than a career—it's her second language. A way of saying: I see you, I feel you, let’s feel this together.
As she puts it, “I’m not here to heal through music—that’s what therapy is for. But music helps me connect. And maybe it can do that for someone else, too.”
Lana G’s guest mix for Vinyl Vandals is a hypnotic blend of Afro rhythms, deep grooves, and soulful resonance. It’s a sonic diary from a woman who DJs with her heart on her sleeve and her roots deep in the dancefloor.
Tune in. Feel deeply. Share the moment.
Featuring
Mthunzi| Shakes & Les and Young Stunna | Kelvin Momo | Mpho.Wav | Miza | Aubs | Kabomo | Malumz on Decks | Most Lenyora | Ndawoyam | Prince Kaybee | Heavy-K,ilovelethu | Jey Charles | Don De Guitarist | Ezra, Jnr SA | Darque | Disciples of House | Umthakathi Kush | Nandipha808 | Kaytee NA | Citizen Deep | Atmos Blaq | Major League Djs
Track List…
Buya - Mthunzi, Shakes & Les
Thando Awpheli - Shakes & Les and Young Stunna, feat. LeeMcKrazy
Heart & Soul - Kelvin Momo
Be Yours - Sbu YDU, Miči, Mdoovar
Rain Down - Mpho.Wav feat. Fatso 98 & Malumz On Decks
Magic - Miza, Aubs, Kabomo
Ma'afrika - Malumz on Decks, Most Lenyora, feat. Tee-R
Teejay Omar - Ndawoyam feat. Prince Kaybee
Hamba Nathi - Heavy-K,ilovelethu, Jey Charles, Don De Guitarist
Abafana Base Ntabeni - Ezra, Jnr SA, Darque, Disciples of House, Umthakathi Kush
Love feat. Azana - Mpho.Wav
Healing - Nandipha808, Kaytee NA
Thandi Mali - Citizen Deep & Mpho.Wav, feat. Atmomo
MIA - Atmos Blaq & Major League Djz
Vv INTO
This is a salute to House Music lovers all around the world. Connecting with like-minded people across dancefloors, radio waves, and streaming platforms through the power of MUSIC.
Constructed with 100% Organic Ring-Spun Combed Cotton.
Vv&Out
