Captivating Cape Town sounds fine

I made my first ever visit to South Africa last week and it was an amazing experience. My trip to the African continent included a gig just outside Cape Town, and it was a wonderful opportunity to soak up the music scene in a country which has spawned some of the best music of the last few years.

The Amapiano sound is slowly but surely hitting the mainstream in Europe and America and, recently, Tyla has had a global smash with ‘Water’. Lots of big crossover tunes have featured the Amapiano sound, most notably the ‘Ameno’ remix by Goya Major and Nektunez, ‘Champion Sound’ by Davido and Focalistic, ‘Mona Lisa’ by Lojay, ‘Mnike’ by Tyler ICU and Tumelo_za, and ‘Paris’ by Q Mark, TpZee and Afriikan Papi.

These are only a few of the tracks which have blown up internationally and it’s interesting that most of the best afrobeats artists from western Africa have adopted this South African sound too. Kizz Daniel, Tekno, Davido, Yemi Alade, Lojay, Asake, Shallipopi, Olamide, CKay and many more have taken this sound and blended it into their own style. 

The afrobeats sound has gone global in a big way over recent years, and Amapiano is now following in a big way. I’m part of a music scene in Cork city which regularly plays this music at various nights and DJs such as Cheddar, Gwada Mike, Swill, Safari, Billy GRC, Grillz, myself, Muscle and many more are spinning this music alongside other related genres.

It remains a largely underground scene, attended by many from the African diaspora, but we’ve already seen in the last few years how the Western African sound has penetrated the masses, and Amapiano is going the same way. In many ways it’s even more suitable for crossover here, as it has deep roots in the house music sound that is popular in Cork and Ireland. Most of the Amapiano tracks which are popular outside South Africa still retain a lot of the integrity from where they are spawned and are generally not novelty jams.

The various DJs and producers have dug deep into the rich heritage of South African underground dance music culture and created a sound that has developed from house, Kwaito, and many other local styles. Kabza de Small, DJ Maphorisa, Mr JazziQ, Kelvin Momo, DJ Stokie, DNB Congo, Uncle Waffles, Sha Sha, Junior de Rocka, Lady Du, Mellow and Sleazy, Major League DJz, Focalistic, Musa Keys, MFR Souls, Gabba Canal and Josiah De Disciple are just a few of the names involved, but this is only the tip of the iceberg in a blossoming music scene.

From a personal perspective, the emphasis on slower grooves makes this sound particularly interesting. As a DJ who has often tried to find the sweet spot between hip-hop and house tempos, that golden bridge between 110 and 120 bpm is rich for exploration. Amapiano forms a perfect bridge between afrobeats, house, r&b, soul and other genres, and my visit to South Africa was a great opportunity to immerse myself in the music and the culture.

The music is everywhere. From traditional groups singing on the street corners, to the DJs and dancers in the clubs and the bars, the love for music was evident everywhere I looked. Traditional western pop and dance and rap was here too, as are the now ubiquitous afrobeats.

Nigeria and South Africa faced off in the Afcon semi-final the night I arrived, and both countries continue to influence each other musically too. The mainstream radio stations weren’t too far from what we have here, but even a cursory deeper dive was rewarded with some of the best music I’ve ever heard anywhere!

The playlists in local restaurants and shops were far superior than any you would hear here and, accompanied by local friends from Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg, I was soon immersed in the best South Africa had to offer.

South Africans have lived through a tumultuous few decades and, as always, music provides the soundtrack to the joy and pain of everyday life. Tourist-friendly Cape Town was a wonderful place to hang out and absorb everything, but living conditions weren’t luxurious for everyone, and you could see the gap between wealthy and poor quite clearly once you veered off the beaten tracks. The V&A Waterfront remains a working port and thriving commercial area, but Cape Town’s colonial history is still evident everywhere too.

My visit to South Africa underlined to me that the Amapiano sound continues to take over, and this is only the beginning!