SA: Gqom and amapiano artists to 'battle it out' in Pretoria

The dance event, which will run under the theme All Stars, will feature such artists as DJ Tira, Naak Musiq, Distruction Boyz, Professor, Vigro Deep, DJ Sumbody, Sparks Bantwana and Lamiez Holworthy.

They will be joined by JazziDisciples, DJ Cndo, Team Mosha, DJ Dinho, Da Josh, Leehleza and Kaygee The Vibe. The event will be hosted by Mbaliyesizwe, Liquid Metsi and socialite and dancer Zodwa wa Bantu.

"We're joining the two homegrown genres together to have one big music concert," Quaver Events co-ordinator DJ Indiano told Music In Africa. "Its for people to have fun, enjoy the music, network and go crazy. Its not really a competition between the two but a lot of people are putting it that way."

About gqom and amapiano

Gqom and amapiano emerged from the townships of Durban and Pretoria respectively. The two genres are enjoying significant commercial success with gqom having been around for some time.

Gqom draws musical elements from house and kwaito with raw, heavy and repetitive bass beats. It first gained popularity in Durban and later spread to other regions in 2010. The genre has also received international attention from artists like Pharrell Williams who is currently working on a gqom song with Black Coffee. Durban locals suggest that gqom was taken from the zulu word ‘gqomba’ (loosely translates to a thump sound). Gqomba was used to describe taxis that shook as a result of the heavy beats played by drivers. 

Amapiano is a new genre which has fast become one of the popular sounds in the country. It is a fusion of deep house, jazz elements and piano chords.

Meanwhile, listen to some of the 2019 gqom and amapiano releases that are making waves in the country here and here. 

Tickets to the event can be obtained here.