RWANDAN DJS, producers, singers, and dancers have adopted the making of a merging South African house genre made up of distinct synths, airy pads, wide bass lines and percussions from another local subgenre of house called Bacardi. One can notice the increase in popularity of this genre by the way it’s played in cafes, pubs, fancy boutiques like Pili Pili, and other social events in Kigali. It is a light work that musicians such as DJ Marnaud, DJ k’ru, Davydenko, and Saxon are behind by making the soul genre played all over the country, through their mixes and live performances. According to Kevin Klein, a DJ and producer who is one of the pioneers of Amapiano in Rwanda, Amapiano is a groovy sound, which is why it is becoming a trend in the country. Having produced a song like Mundemere which became a trend in Rwanda, Kevin said that the motivation to bring the new style home came from the way it was winning popularity and taking over on a global scale. “Being a DJ, I get the chance to vibe to different styles and songs from all kinds of cultures. That’s how I started listening to Amapiano songs and mixes and it immediately won my attention,” he said. “I wish more people here could join and experience the beauty of this music genre,” he added. According to DJ Pyfo, the ‘Kantona hitmaker, the increase in popularity of this music genre can be traced through its beats that people vibe with even without vocals. “During the lockdown, people were able to discover new things through social Media platforms, such as TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram. Amapiano dances attracted a bigger audience including Rwandans,” he told The New Times . Pyfo believes that Amapiano is melodically lovable because most of its songs do not concentrate on lyrics but just create heavy beats that provide a good mood for its listeners. “The world needed a new wave with a new sound which is why many people appreciated its emergence. The dances are also a bit unique, which is something that a large number of music lovers love.” “It will even grow further than this I can assure you,” he added. One of the first producers of Amapiano in Rwanda, Christian Hirwa best known as Kavumbi Dust, explained more to The New Times about the making of this craze. “Amapiano extended its reach beyond South Africa and topped the charts in countries around the continent. The reason behind this is no other than the way it is becoming a trend on almost all streaming platforms,” said Kavumbi. “At first, people were not ereceptive of it but with time, I can tell that we are on good track, since different artistes are willing to record and produce it” he added. According to Kavumbi, who is also a member of team Kumbe, Rwandans should support and join Amapiano because of the way it fits in Rwandan culture. For Isra Holyrapper, a Kigali based singer, jumping on the new house genre came from consistently listening to some of the best Amapiano songs like John Vuli Gate and Ke Star by Focalistic, tracks that attracted many. “By playing this genre a lot of times, I came to find out that it had unique beats and dance moves which could attract music lovers,” he said. “From then, I approached Davydenko and Kevin Klein because I knew they could create it from the skills they have, and we came up with different projects” he added. Isra is set to release a new Amapiano track next month dubbed ‘Sawa’, featuring renowned artiste and DJ Marnaud. Teta Uwere an Amapiano fan and dancer said that by continuing to support such genres that originate from Africa, Rwanda might also come up with a unique style or sub-genre which can also be a national treasure like afro-beats of Nigeria or Amapiano of Southafrica. Some of the songs under this genre that are most played in Kigali include, ‘Feri’ by Saxon and ‘Mundemera’ by DJ Marnaud.
