amaFest - South African Music has a UK takeover

The genre that originated in East Rand/Pitori (Pretoria) is here to stay. It has been about 5 years since amaPiano broke into the South African scene, after the KZN Gqom genre dominated the charts for 2 consecutive years (2016 and 2017) with hits like John Cena by Sho Madjozi, Omunye by The Distruction Boyz.

Since then, many names have pushed the amaPiano Lifestyle which gave a break from the intense percussion of the Gqom sound and made way for a more Jazzy, Soulful approach reminiscent of the Soul Candy Era. The difference is that it wasn't controlled by labels, but rather the local buzz that was generated from local DJs and Producers in Township Shebeens and Taverns. People have known about the genre and derivatives for years, such as Broke Beat and Bacardi but the leaders of the genre Kabza de Small and Kwiish SA really brought the sound to prominence within South Africa, in 2018, with tracks like Umshove and Gong Gong.

By 2019, everyone in South Africa was familiar with the construction worker beats and notorious silences before the drops that told us the party will never end. At this point amaPiano no longer remained exclusive to the Kasi and was ready to hit the Clubs and Festivals. The missing ingredient to many of the tracks was strong vocalists to develop a style that would birth new dance moves and cement itself within the culture of the youth. What proceeded was that JHB-based artists began to make their songs in Zulu which was more universal as a vernacular language to everyone in South Africa. This move created a riff between the essence of "the aim is not sweat", Private School Piano (as they refer to it now) and the raw Log Drum hits we hear on the radio and in the amaPiano playlists.

There aren't too many gatekeepers of amaPiano as a genre and the Culture allows the artists to express themselves and the producers to bend the rules of how far the sound can stretch. As a fan, I just hope that all the Pioneers are given their roses and we appreciate how they have allowed the sound to evolve from Church Piano solos, to Saxophone chirps, to Log Drum Bass-lines, to Snare Drum-lines and Afro Spiritual Soul Vocals.

amaPiano has broken the international market during the pandemic through the assistance of Social Media challenges and some well placed International Collaborations with the likes of Paper Maker A-Star and Davido. The Dancers on Chop Daily which is London based have all embraced the amaPiano Dances and Music, to the extent that you can't hear an Afro-Beat Set in London without hearing some of your favourite amaPiano hits. Everyone wants to Zekhethe, Vosho and Jaiva to the vibe that amaPiano brings.

My favourite amaPiano Producer/DJs stem from my time in University in Johannesburg, 2017-2019 and names like The Squad, Loxion Deep, Vigro Deep, MFR Souls, Kelvin Momo to name a few, were the ones that would get me excited to go to an event so I can hear how they blend elements of Soul, R&B, Gospel, Funk and Deep House into their style. It seemed advanced for the time in terms of Musicianship and Complexity yet it would flow effortlessly on their tracks.

With the amaFest approaching, I felt like celebrating what the genre has achieved in its time and how the producers have moulded the sound. I combined 2 genres that are dear to me in my tribute, with a mashup of 90s R&B and amaPiano in my One More Chance Remix. The vocals by Faith Evans and Mary J Blige are timeless, and fit on the track whilst the Notorious BIG does his thing.

amaPiano is about expressing identity, whether it's through the beats, the mantras or the dance moves. It has combined the best aspects of South African Culture and presented itself to the world...amaPiano to the World.