MFR Souls and Gaba Cannal on the evolution of Amapiano
designed by Raymond Okwenda
Amapiano is now a globally recognised sound. It has singlehandedly brought into the consciousness South African culture to the masses. But what of its origins, and the artists that first began experimenting in the studio to produce the name famed genre?
Originating in the mid-2010s, Amapiano began in the townships of Gauteng in South Africa by virtue of producer duo Tumelo ‘Maero’ Nedondwe and Tumelo ‘Force’ Mabe of MFR Souls. The duo are best known for their hit song “Amanikiniki” that currently sits on 30 million views, and being one of the torch bearers of Amapiano. Gaba Cannal is credited for introducing soulful samples and melodies creating a new avenue for the sound, increasing both its complexity and diversity. Amapiano has since gone from strength to strength, and now is on the cusp of becoming a globally dominant sound and even entering the realm of Pop.
If you were to listen to Amapiano from around the mid-2010s, you’d notice how raw the sound is. “The sound has changed a lot! Back then Amapiano was all about instrumentals, with the bass and taking a classic song and putting the keys (Amapiano style chords), and turning it into an Amapiano song. It’s all about the keys, the chords and the bass. From back then (mid-2010s) to now, it has changed dramatically. It has changed in a good way because now people have added vocals to the sound. It has changed in a good way. If it wasn’t for the newer artists, Amapiano wouldn’t be where it is today besides us being the founders,” says Tumelo “Force” Mabe. We do coexist within a game of opinions, and Gaba Cannal is of a different opinion. “It (Amapiano) hasn’t really changed much, it is constantly evolving, it has grown and the fact that all the main producers have mastered the quality and are constantly striving to better the sound in each and every release song shows so much growth and consistency”. I think what definitely can be agreed is that the quality, artistry and depth of Amapiano has gone up significant levels across the years. So much so that it is palatable to many a people, who listen in wander and awe at the skillset of Amapiano producers.
In truth, our experiences of Amapiano in December 2019 was of pure joy. The sound carries with it an infectious spirit that meant we felt it had the power to move anyone across the globe, and so it now being a genre known across the globe is no surprise. Now we find differing interpretations of the sound from artists within the African continent and too the diaspora, showing just how dominant and influential the sound is. South Africa is now an extremely attractive destination for those living within the diaspora, seeking to prolong their summer in December.
As time has moved on, Amapiano has definitely evolved. You’d be hard tasked in to going to any Black music event in London these days without hearing Amapiano which has reached even more ears with the likes of Davido collaborating with Focalistic, and the rise of Asake. It was interesting to speak to MFR Souls and Gaba Cannal who come from the formative years of Amapiano about its evolution, and what the future may hold for the genre.
Did you envisage the sound becoming global phenomenon at the time?
Tumelo ‘Force’: No we didn’t! It was a sound that we wanted to grow in the hood. We wanted to replace Kwaito, and Amapiano came in to fill in the space of Kwaito. But when other artists came into the Amapiano scene, they took it to another level and now it’s all over the world.
Gaba: Not even, I honestly just enjoyed creating the sound without really having a clear view of what could go wrong or right. I suppose this was a collective experiment gone right.
How do you reconcile with what the sound has since become?
Tumelo ‘Force’: It’s a good feeling! We used to work hard back in the day, and now you see the sound is all over the world, and people are flocking to it. Serious and important people across the world are recognising the sound, and they even know the sound even though they’re not jumping to it (the sound is finding them). It’s a dream come true
Gaba: The whole point of his genre, for us, was to make different music in the hood to replace Kwaito and make a different a type taste of music besides Afrobeats, Deep House. We wanted ot make something different, and people fell in love with it back home (South Africa). It’s now actually then number one sound in Africa.
What were your thought processes behind introducing soulful vocals to a mainly instrumental-led Amapiano?
Gaba: I think we (producers) were all sceptical, we felt like we were running away or unloyal to the Piano roots but with time we kept on doing vocal remixes into piano (Mostly myself), which I referred to as Suit & Tie Mixes. They blended nicely and we realized that there’s more impact and response if the sound had vocals in order to ignite the soulful elements to be specific.
How much do you attribute your soulful take on Amapiano to its success and popularity today?
Gaba: To start with AmaPiano was Soulful and has been soulful , we’ve all went out and experimented on different touches of piano, which is why we’ve got sub genres under the main genre being amapiano . The fact that the composition boils down to soul in an amapiano song, just shows how the soulful element has and is playing a huge role in its success and popularity to date.
For a lot of people who are not from South Africa, Amapiano is their first introduction into South African culture. How do you feel about the way the sound has translated to the UK in regard to communicating the South African experience?
Tumelo ‘Force’: There are differences between partying in Johannesburg and the UK, I wouldn’t say it’s more vibey but it is different. Amapiano comes with dancers, most of these dancers are mostly from the hood
Gaba: The vibes are the same but the dance moves are different. Johannesburg will always be forward thinking when it comes to dance moves because they are the ones that come up with the dances but in terms of the verb, I personally feel and think, if you’re in South Africa or UK the vibe is still there because Amapiano is the lifestyle.
What do you make of new sound of Amapiano which includes artists like Asake putting their own spin on the sound?
Tumelo ‘Maero’ : For us personally no one can do it better than us, as a sound from South Africa. If other producers from different parts of the world are trying to sTeal the sound or make the same sound, it won’t sound the same as us because it’s originally from South Africa. There are a lot of producers from all over the world who are trying to do the Amapiano sound, it’s not a bad thing at all however there is just this *thing* (something special about South African producers) that means South Africans do it better than anyone else.
Gaba: When something is big everyone jumps on it, and that’s Amapiano right now. The genre and sound has eradicated a lot of poverty and changed lives in South Africa and on the African continent at large. So I’m just glad that it’s being done the right way.
Where do you see the sound going from now, is it headed towards Pop?
Tumelo “Maero”: Yes! It has covered a lot of places in the world. We just wish bigger artists from across the world like Chris Brown, Beyonce’s would jump on the sound. Amapiano is all over the world and everyone is vibing to the sound. The Afrobeats sound is big, but not as big as the Amapiano sound
Where do you see the sound going from now, is it headed towards Pop?
Tumelo ‘Maero’ : Yes! It has covered a lot of places in the world. We just wish bigger artists from across the world like Chris Brown, Beyonce’s would jump on the sound. Amapiano is all over the world and everyone is vibing to the sound. The Afrobeats sound is big, but not as big as the Amapiano sound
Gaba: It could definitely merge into being one of the sub genres under Amapiano like many other genres. I'm excited to see what the future holds for the sound and the collaborations to come out of the fusion of the different sounds.
If you were to work with a Chris Brown, what would that sound like to you?
Tumelo ‘Maero’: Obviously it would sound perfect! [laughs]. The rhythm that he has would fit into Amapiano. In order for him to properly fit into the genre, he has to do 4 or 5 songs and then he has to do research into the genre to understand how it works but I personally feel if he grasp the minor Amapiano points then he’s a gone man!
Special thanks to DJ Khanda Cool for facilitating an interview with MFR Souls.
Written by Ian Opolot