MAVERICK LIFE TABLOID
Amapiano music forms part of a selection of hypnotic South African sounds that captivate fans in incomparable ways.
The magnetic beat of Amapiano
The South African music scene comprises unique strands of electronic genres that are not only able to capture local cultural identities but lend themselves to creating and contributing to unexpected pop culture shifts that sometimes even make a global impact.
Stemming from the unmistakable sound of Bacardi house music, which is derived from Shangaan electro music, subgenres such as gqom, sgubhu, sjokojoko and amapiano carry the essence of township groove culture and create contexts with a strong resonance through clever sampling of kwaito, disco, house and myriad retro pop culture references. Despite the number of influences that may be present at any given time, the beats essentially trigger a visceral reaction to the call of low drum basslines that have varying degrees of riffs and distortions.
More specifically, amapiano is characterised by synth leads, wide basslines, airy pads and lush keys among the many elements that make it an intricate hybrid of jazz, deep house and lounge music. Music is powerful when it appeals to the listener’s imagination through nostalgic references that are linked to memories; it’s even more intoxicating when it evokes an instinctive response in the subconscious.
Musician and YouTuber Ngasiirwe Katushabe, who unpacks the power of South African music on his channel and is also writing a thesis on the impact of gqom, says he thinks amapiano is doing well because of its many influences. “It’s punctuated with parts of culture we can identify with – whether it’s kwaito or traditional drums – and it is snowballing into success because authenticity is at the centre of its DNA.”
Its origins are still highly debated, with many citing it as having made waves in Pretoria from as early as 2012; at the same time, townships in Soweto and Alexandra, and on the East Rand pride themselves on their own variations of the genre.
SHAYA! – a documentary chronicling the music, lifestyle and culture of amapiano, opens with self-proclaimed King of Amapiano Kabza De Small’s artist manager David Ngoma saying amapiano belongs to the people. By its nature it’s always been a sound that comes from the township and goes out to everywhere else, he explains.
“The genealogy is quite multifaceted, from Bacardi in Pretorian townships like Soshanguve, Atteridgeville, Mabopane and even Ga-Rankuwa. But amapiano in 2020 has sonically evolved per various kasis [townships] in Gauteng reviving and reinventing its genesis. It wouldn’t be fair for a specific geography to authoritatively claim it,” adds Amogelang Maledu, a lecturer, researcher and curator whose art practice looks into black sonic popular cultures.
It’s worth noting that the version more popular in Pretoria is more upbeat than its more melodic counterpart from Johannesburg. But all the other components are relatively similar, including how vocals originate from popular slangs from each township, such as DBN Gogo’s hit – featuring producer and vocalist Jobe London – Mayonice, a township slang word that refers to money.
And even that’s a multiplex experience in the context of the local dance music scene, where fans are split into dancer and chanter, and both play a crucial role in whether a track becomes a monumental part of a cultural moment or not.
In SHAYA!, artist and MC Mark Khoza is quoted as saying that dancing and using a bottle or glass as a prop, as well as the popular pouncing cat dance move, were first seen being done by the late hitmaker Papers 707. The chant “Dance like Paper” became popular after footage of him went viral and defined how amapiano dancing videos would be shared at the beginning of the genre’s mainstream takeover. Many of these were characterised by the pouncing cat, which is the easier one of the two to finesse: it’s a sharp and calculated walk with a sway from side to side where the dancer steps on beat and alternates their pace to match the riffs and loops on the track. The aim is to mimic a cat deliberating a leap during the slower parts of the track and then to embody the chaos of when it jumps, at the points where the song peaks. The artistry in the moves are apparent when there is an embodiment of the inspiration, but you see the dancer’s flair in their motion and precision.
What’s even more interesting is how amapiano has tipped the traditional trajectory of popular culture consumption where artists rely on the media, on its head.
The collaborative nature of how it’s taken off has opened up the music industry to even more talents who are shaping the genre’s narrative in a captivating way. Most notable is DJ and producer DBN Gogo, who not only takes you on a curated journey through the genre’s development when she plays, she also popularised the other viral dance move in which the movement progresses from using the glass or bottle as a prop in your hand to balancing it in your mouth.
“I play songs that I like. Even if it’s a song that is said to be a hit, I won’t know how to mix it unless I feel it,” she says. And beyond her own musicality, perhaps that emotional connection to the sound is the magic that propels her.
On its own, amapiano has never needed an extra push to take over nationally, but social media is making it easier for dance challenges to go viral around the world while staying true to the origin of the cultural production.
“Every musical genre South Africans have invented has always been accompanied by effortless dance cultures that increase the viral appeal of the music. And mostly it’s just folks playing around, following the groove – the embodiment. And people are not going to dance studios to rehearse a “I’m-ASavage routine’’, it’s off the cuff, and I think that’s our cutting edge because it’s like movement just comes naturally for South Africans. Especially considering our historical cultures and their relationship with music, dance, spirituality and transcendence,” says Maledu.