Amapiano

Amapiano is a South African dance music that emerged from the townships of Gauteng in the mid-2010s, slowing house music down and rebuilding it around jazzy piano chords, airy synth pads and the rolling, percussive log drum bassline that became its signature. Developed by producers such as *Kabza De Small*, *DJ Maphorisa* and *MFR Souls* from deep house, kwaito and gqom, it pairs long, hypnotic instrumental stretches with soulful or chanted vocals in Zulu, Sotho and English. By the early 2020s it was South Africa's dominant popular music and a global club export.