It’s the house sensation sweeping the world alongside Afrobeats, but what is amapiano music? The genre’s lower tempos, groovy percussion ensembles, and signature basslines make amapiano a great fit for the dancefloor and more chilled settings alike. Since its inception in South Africa a few years ago, amapiano music quickly grew into a nationwide and then global phenomenon, with artists like Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa pushing it into the mainstream.
In this guide to the laid-back musical style, we’ll examine what amapiano means, where it comes from, and look at what instruments are used to make it.
Jump to these sections:
In this guide on how to make amapiano music we’ll use Native Instruments’ Komplete Kontrol, Global Shake, Massive X, Electric Keys – Diamond and iZotope Ozone 11 – all included Komplete, the essential music production bundle that has everything you need to make the music that matters to you.