Drum – 22 August 2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1

70 |^22 AUGUST^2019 http://www.drum.co.za


DJs StokieandJaivanearethemusicalmaestros who have brought


a new beatcombiningdeep houseandjazzto Mzansi dance floors
BYBONOLOSEKUDU PICTURES:ONKGOPOTSEKOLOTI

THE KINGS OF AMAPIANO


F


IRSTthere waskwaito,
then house and then
gqomwasthetalkofthe
town.NowSouthAfricans
arejammingtoa newkind
ofbeat.Amapianoisn’t
onlydominatingdance
floorsalloverthecountry,
it’s taken overeverythingfromtheair-
waves to townshipstreets.
It’s hard topindownexactlywhere


the genre fits in,butthesoundcombines
deep house musicwithanupbeatjazzy
piano feel. Andit’smadeDJStokie(36)
and DJ Jaivane(27)quitepopular.


These days thepairarealwaysonthe
line-up at partiesinPretoriaandJohan-
nesburg, and thenewsoundis sweeping


the nation.
“It took a whileforpeopletoloveit but
now they havenochoice,”Stokiesays.“It
would be weirdtohavea partywithout


a set or two ofamapianoplaying.”


“It showcases a unique mix of vocal
drum and tribal bass, which unearths a
progressive amapiano sound and other
smooth and soulful mixes. The music
on there just does the talking.”
He’s come a long way from creating
beats from his backroom in Mzimhlophe
in Soweto.
Stokie, born Setoki Mbatha, got his big
break in 2006 when he made a name
for himself as a finalist on the Mad Half
Hour, a feature on Joburg-based youth
station YFM.
Now he regularly shares the stage
with some of SA’s finest DJs.

B


EFORE finding fame as a disc
jockey, Jaivane was a cashier
at Pick n Pay.
“I didn’t like going to work
but had no choice because I
had to put food on the table
for my family,” he recalls.

It’s spreading like wildfire, yet some
critics feel the new genre has buried the
Durban gqom sound, which took over
a few years ago and became “the new
kwaito”.
Another bone of contention has been
who the originators of amapiano are.
Some think DJ Stokie, whose career
spans 20 years, is the one who pioneered
the sound – and he certainly believes so.
“I’ve been playing the piano for years
and years,” he tells us.
“I heard this unique sound from
these other DJs called MFR Souls from
the East Rand and I loved it. When I
started playing this sound, I somehow
introduced it to people.”
Stokie’s current single, AmaInterna-
tional, is proving to be a crowd favourite
among amapiano lovers. His debut
album, Amapiano Movement Volume 1
Mixed by DJ Stokie, will be released in
a few weeks.

NEWS

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