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Nothing prepared me for what was to await upon my arrival in South Africa. Nothing. Exposure to Amapiano through the Ubunifu Space was insufficient. Pouncing Cats, Vosho’s and ‘Yebos!’ awaited, and I wasn’t ready.
Amapiano (nicknamed ‘The Yanos’) is a genre of music that gained popularity within townships in Gauteng during the Mid-2010s. It is electronic in nature with aspects of House and Kwaito (also native and unique to South Africa). The talented duo MFR Souls are credited with both creating and christening the sound. It features strong basslines, piano/keyboard usage (hence Amapiano) particularly in the higher notes, varying beat combinations presumably birthed from sample machines/synthesizers creating a genre that can be likened to mathematical equation equaling one thing; dancing. It is the energy of Amapiano that perplexed, it is contagious and smiling is inevitable. Vibes are inevitable. The Yanos expertly portrays where South Africa is culturally at present, as art is supposed to reflect the times, Amapiano does that in ways colourful and vibrant. To not be whisked away by the spirit of the Yanos takes some doing. Sunday Roast, an event the Great Dane in Johannesburg was the pinnacle. However, Amapiano has the ethos of street partying, thus you find it playing in every corner. Landing in Johannesburg is to be placed into an alternate reality where sentience is heightened without inhibition. The Yanos is infectious, an unstoppable force thundering down a hillside as you lie in wait at the bottom of the valley — impossible to avoid.
Typically Amapiano tracks are on average between 6 and 7 minutes long, designed to get you off your feet and keep you there. Littered with troughs and grooves, and in particular, drops in stages following an exit from the drum solo. Amapiano tracks tend to begin with a drum solo lasting on average between 15–30 seconds. As these solos all sound similar, it can be difficult to decipher what song is actually playing until it drops. That is the element of surprise that is usually greeted with cheers by an audience, particularly if it is a tune that is a crowd favourite. Regardless, wherever you are in the song, you are off your feet and your vibing. Amapiano reiterates the notion that music universal, and though lyrics are in Zulu, I am still able to connect with the genre in ways beyond…
