Amapiano

Amapiano (Zulu for "the pianos".[1]) is a style of house music that emerged in South Africa in 2012. Amapiano is a hybrid of deep house, jazz and lounge music characterized by synths, airy pads and wide and percussive basslines.[2] It is distinguished by high pitched piano melodies, Kwaito basslines, low tempo 90s South African house rhythms and percussions from another local subgenre of house known as Bacardi.[3]

Amapiano
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsMid-2010s Gauteng, South Africa
Typical instruments
Local scenes

Origins

Although the genre gained popularity in Gauteng, there's a lot of ambiguity concerning its origins. It originates with various accounts of the musical styles in the Johannesburg townships - Soweto, Alexandra, Vosloorus and Katlehong. Because of the genre's similarities with Barcadi, some people assert the genre began in the Pretoria area with DJ Mujava which was made popular by Pretoria taxi drivers and has been an on going debate about the origin of Amapiano.[4][5][6]

Various accounts as to who formed the popular genre make it impossible to accurately pinpoint its origins.[7]

Popularity

In 2020 the genre experienced increased popularity across the African continent with noted increases in digital streams and chart successes in countries far from its South African origin.[8]

References
  1. "Amapiano - what it's all about?". musicinafrica.net. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  2. "The 10 Best Amapiano Songs of 2019". OkayAfrica. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
  3. Prspct (2018-11-21). "New age house music: the rise of "amapiano"". Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  4. "Amapiano: a township sound with staying power". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  5. Joyce, Liam Karabo (23 October 2019). "Meet the vocalist featured on the biggest amapiano tracks". Independent Online. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  6. "Amapiano a new movement... Period". SowetanLIVE. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  7. "Charting the Meteoric Rise of South Africa's AmaPiano". Spotify. 2019-10-02. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  8. Machaieie, Mario (2019-10-21). "2019 The Year Of The Yanos, How Amapiano Blow up". Online Youth Magazine | Zkhiphani.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
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