drowning in a blissful ocean of log drums and keys: 🎹🎹 amapiano a-z 🎹🎹 an ilm poll

I played Lerato La Bass by Teno Afrika at my little pub gig last night and was surprised to have someone come up and tell me it was their favourite tune. My co-DJ who wasn't familiar with amapiano was also interested and asked if it was UK funky

a lot of bangers from 2019 on Vol 1 of this compilation too ("Amapiano Is A Lifestyle") : more instrumentals & less loungey than 2022, maybe?

https://open.spotify.com/album/4kT9zRCiOmBRiZj8gFcuVx

Vol.2 2020

https://open.spotify.com/album/47MC1i2wbd9e5wmEmgyGcx

^ maybe this is indicative of the evolution towards today's sound?

I have to say, (and this is typical of me), I do love the ama tracks with fricking massive rolling bassy logdrum workouts like Lerato La Bass, John Vulli Gate and 9 Days

more instrumentals & less loungey than 2022, maybe? maybe this is indicative of the evolution towards today's sound?

Great, thank you for that.

so… has anyone discovered any new favourites yet?

Still making my way through all of these!

keep us posted if you like - would be nice!

I have to go to those two compilations I linked to every now and then because the multiple vocalist/loungey tracks in the poll get a bit much after a while for my tastes - maybe I'm just too cheap & more into the easy bangers :-)

great list, thanks breastcrawl
especially loved "paris" and "feeling" on first listen
will put it on repeat this weekend

Paris is such a banger.

Yep 'Paris' is a highlight for me as well ('Feeling' too), think I'm going to vote for 'Crush Yam' though.

So far leaning towards voting “Uzozisola” by Mas Musiq or “Risasekile” by Aymos, but really there are at least six others I'm really enjoying and playing a lot

great thread

looks like the Aymos (singer) and Mas Musiq (producer) combo is your thing, PP! they have done plenty more stuff together

Ah, cool! I'm gonna investigate further. I think I am gravitating, probably predictably, to the house-ier sounding stuff. I'm gonna check out Auti 'eSharp next.

good choice! last year’s Aymos album Yimi Lo is also very good

I feel fortunate to have stumbled upon this thread. This music is very exciting to me. Prior to this, my only exposure to even the word amapiano was that Teno Afrika LP, which I love, but it sounds like the style has evolved a lot since then. breastcrawl, would you say this is accurate?

I’m happy this thread is making you happy! it’s just the piano way.

short answer to your question: see my post of five days ago - but I intend to reply more extensively when I have more time

Ah, cool. Sorry, I thought I read this entire thread but somehow missed that bit about Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa and Scorpion Kings. There's so much to explore here.

deffo also more on the banger side of love for this genre but Crush Yam is SO GREAT. still got a ton more listening to do...

so.... who or what is GABOR ? it's being shouted in at least two songs ("Baby Are You Coming" by ZERO12FINEST feat. THAMAGNIFICENT2, from another thread) and Eningi from this list too

https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/Yhe4i6VYB_SIJRg1DW69ui8OzeQJNAKelKXuXqpEgFkvJkXCHk8yNJ_7vvCGwR4ZwOI

https://media.s-bol.com/x20wMMj1Vopr/G5z7XPr/1200x1187.jpg

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQf32nn9Yn-GBM4ouBSPkv21Thm1n6YO7Yljw&usqp=CAU

‘Yebo!’ is the isiZulu word for yesssss!

oooh! thank!

Paris is such a rip off from LiYoshona ! Haha. I guess it tells something about Amapiano that they're like two sides (one smooth, on raw) of the same collective-minded coin.

This is a cool exercise, you could easily redo it with another cool set of 27 songs. I'm not sure if breastcrawl set a specific timeframe for this, 2021-22 ? I think I knee-jerk voted for Mmapula whose long icy atmospheric layers stand out in any playlist (another pair here with Isphithiphithi), but I've also fallen behind quite badly. Recent Amapiano songs I've played a lot are Ngixolele (Busta 929), Kancane (Musa Keys), SETE (K.O), Sengizwile (Mas Musiq).

listened right through. lots of it is way too lounge/ soulful for me but i would buy / play these ones in a shot -

“Crush Yam” by T-Man
“Gijima (Vocal Mix)” by DJ Black Low - the only one I knew already.
Jozi Night” by GemValleyMusiQ
“Korobela” by DJ Sumbody
“Trigger” by DJ Karri
Xigubhu” by Welle SA
“Ziwa Ngale” by Kabza De Small

first thought still the best thought so gonna vote “Crush Yam” by T-Man.

thanks for this!

my father had some imported "learn zulu" tapes in the days prior to apartheid that he got to better understand some of the iscathamiya tracks he had on heavy repeat but they appeared to be entirely for afrikaners to communicate with the help more effectively. the main thing that stuck was "yebo mama"/"yebo baba" which became shorthand around the house.

Okay Paris is pretty incredible.

xp *"in the days prior to the end of apartheid"

im kind of fascinated by how dj black low seems to have such nominal streams vs his western profile. (and i like his stuff a lot too--but wonder how much of it is 'point missing' in terms of apprehending the genre)

same! he has 34 followers on soundcloud. now i'm fully aware soundcloud isn't what it once was, but 34!!

pretty obsessed with this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu8SZaVVa2M

yeah, this isn't easy

im kind of fascinated by how dj black low seems to have such nominal streams vs his western profile. (and i like his stuff a lot too--but wonder how much of it is 'point missing' in terms of apprehending the genre)

― xheugy eddy (D-40), Wednesday, September 21, 2022 9:18 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

same! he has 34 followers on soundcloud. now i'm fully aware soundcloud isn't what it once was, but 34!!

― stirmonster, Wednesday, September 21, 2022 11:41 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Not sure I understand? FWIW '9 Days' is maybe the most played ama tune I hear out in Bristol. I hear it played out in lots of multi-genre sets and people go apeshit to it

I really like "Qo Qo Qo" and the way the handclaps and delay work on the "one"

Not sure I understand? FWIW '9 Days' is maybe the most played ama tune I hear out in Bristol. I hear it played out in lots of multi-genre sets and people go apeshit to it

― Urbandn hope all ye who enter here (dog latin), Thursday, September 22, 2022 4:26 AM (thirty-two minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Perhaps “in Bristol” Is related to the answer

The other place I’ve seen it played was in a clip of someone’s IG stories when diplo played Katz’s deli

i've heard it played out in lots of places and it always goes off.

I mean, you can see why - it's definitely the ne plus ultra ama "banger", if such a thing exists, so it's going to have crossover appeal to people who aren't so fmailiar with the genre

meanwhile the video has 9.9k views and was released on Awesome Tapes From Africa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp-4A_-nwXU

Not a fan of 9 Days. It's too dnb-ey in all the wrong ways.

66 is a much better amabanger imo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWi_brnj-4g

66 is nice but maybe not quite as viscerally shock-and-awe as 9 Days (which you're not going to convince me isn't great).

While we're talking Felo Le Tee, I love this tune 'Dipatje Tsa Felo'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaWzf1WrQ1k

Abo mvelo still blows my fucking lid off. Couple tunes coming with that lower than low subterranean bassline now too

Did anyone reach major league djz at Brixton btw? May June time….felt sorry for sef kombo and kitty amor cos everyone was just waiting for the ama. And on that system…life-changing…

And on that system…life-changing…

i got to hear some of the above mentioned tracks tonight on a next level system. WOW! i also love the way most of these are arranged - they are a dream to mix.

not many things would get me out to a club but would deffo go if major league djz came to town.

got to hear some of the above mentioned tracks tonight on a next level system. WOW!

Where to man?

thanks for the effort in making this playlist and poll. I don't tend to seek out amapiano songs, so this playlist was a nice listen, everything new to me. probably need one more listen through before I vote

3310
Asijabule
Crush Yam
Isphithiphithi
Lwangempela
Madlamini
Nogxolo
Paris
Qo Qo Qo
Risasekile
Sika Bopha
Trigger
Xigubhu

that's ... 13 tracks still in the running here :-)

That's a good urban soundscape, could do with Focalistic but fine as it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXIqQq8sTxo
Shaunmusiq, Ftears, Xduppy (feat. Myztro, Mellow & Sleazy, Quayr Music, Matute Boy) - Bhebha

Punishing and enveloping bass, cool percussion, bonus points for it sounding like they're saying Bieber

So far, Sam Deep deserves every song of his posted and that means Impumelelo too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKjxbWMOS_w
Sam Deep & Emoh feat Da Muziqal Chef - Impumelelo

In Amapiano circles you win a game of chess when all other pieces than the king have been knocked down :D

this is nigerian but feels so ama informed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYC8Ru3v3pw

I've been noticing there's one line that keeps coming back in SO many amapiano songs and after a couple attempts at writing it down and googling... "Ase Trap Ke Pina Tsa Ko Kasi" - still not sure if it's at least every track with/by/feat. Focalistic and/or Busta 929 - and there's a story too https://www.timeslive.co.za/tshisa-live/tshisa-live/2021-03-25-listen--focalistic-reflects-on-how-saying-a-se-trap-ke-pina-tsa-ko-kasi-changed-his-life/

Reviving the thread, even though I am only now trying to catch up. Not a bad time to post Kilimanjaro after I hesitated to highlight it and in the meantime it has gained a lot of plays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NvTakC15GU
Pcee, Sgija'Disciples & Zan'Ten (feat. Justin99, Mema_percent, Mr Jazziq) - Kilimanjaro

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZKYu8myqQY
Mellow & Sleazy & TmanXpress (feat. Keynote) - Kwelinye

Chley + a guy saying yayaya =

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqSuJyey7gk
Uncle Waffles, Tony Duardo & Justin99 feat. Pcee, EeQue, Chley - Yahyuppiyah

Let's pretend breastcrawl is still around and posted this some months ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9wscBKc1GE
Lady Amar, JL SA, Cici & Murumba Pitch - Hamba Juba

Focalistic always bringing something fresh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4e3s0PKSFI
Focalistic, Eeque & Thama Tee - Khekheleza (Dlala Dlala)

^The transverse flute is so out of place, and there are other weird sounds, and yet I think it works

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF6yO71AAYg
Pcee feat. Mr JazziQ, Umthakathi Kush, Sizwe Alakine - Ngenza ngama bomu

Pcee is one of those pure builders, heavy on atmosphere like Busta 929. His discography is pretty flawless so far (ZoTata, Johnny Ke Johnny, Kilimanjaro, Yahyuppiyah, this). The more I hear Amapiano sung by men, the closer I see the relation with hip hop (the dark jazzy minimalism, the rap-speak-singing MCs), only Amapiano does this abstract soundscaping. We get more women taking part in this style too, instead of sticking closer to house. Well, we've always said there were two Amapianos.

Made a playlist with my 25 fave Amapiano tracks this year : https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3kHZeCc8BFVlh6pE53kIzu?si=4f4026a8fb41489c

Thank you lots

I'd love an amapiano EOY poll for 2023 in this style if breastcrawl or someone would be willing to run it?

Mnike is hard to best this year

https://davidbyrne.com/radio/david-byrne-radio-presents-south-africa-musical-powerhouse

Mnike is fine but in no way my favourite this year

«fine» he said