Amapiano Plus

Amapiano Plus comes from the musical genre Amapiano (A Little brother to Amapiano FM), 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 percussive basslines. 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.

In 2019, 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.
The early amapiano compositions and mixes were experimental and represented a spirit of freedom, devoid of any specific style but drawing influence from many.

The frequency of amapiano posts on social media confirms the genre’s massive popularity. In September, the hashtag #amapiano reached more than 100 million views on TikTok, with new and established musicians sharing their music with the global community. Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa led the pack, amassing over 13 million views for their hit ‘Phoyisa’. The genre also commands a strong presence on music streaming platforms. Last year, Kabza De Small was the most streamed local artist on Spotify SA followed by DJ Maphorisa. Deezer recently reported that its amapiano playlist is the most streamed thus far in 2020. This widespread growth has spawned more music production with idiosyncratic compositions.
Founder - Sammy Ngwazi (Deejay Ngwazi)