DBN Gogo has once again sparked an important conversation about amapiano’s place within the broader landscape of electronic music. In a recent interview, the DJ and producer emphasized the need to steer the genre into the right spaces, highlighting its deep connection with house music while pushing back against narrow perceptions that have begun to frame amapiano in oversimplified ways.
“Amapiano is layered, it’s not one-dimensional,” DBN Gogo said. “There are soulful elements, there are the heavy log drum sounds, and now there’s 3-step, which shows just how versatile the sound has become.”
Speaking on 3-step, she added, “When people talk about house, they sometimes forget that South Africa has been leading in this space for years. 3-step brings amapiano and house together in a way that keeps us rooted but also pushes us forward.”
At the same time, she raised concerns about how the genre is viewed outside South Africa. “People have a certain perception of piano,” she explained. “The responsibility is on us as artists, and on promoters too, to put the music in spaces where it can be appreciated for what it is.”
She also pointed to a wider issue of misclassification in global music. “Anything that isn’t African-American gets put under the ‘Afro’ umbrella. That takes away from the specific contributions we are making as South Africans.”
DBN Gogo further touched on the international rise of Afro house, noting how it ties back to South Africa’s long history with electronic music. “Afro tech, Afro house, it’s been here. The difference now is that it’s being reintroduced, sometimes by people outside of where it was created. But amapiano is adding new layers to it, and that’s important to acknowledge.”
Looking at the bigger picture, her message was clear, “Amapiano is not just a sound, it’s part of our story in house music. If we protect it and guide it properly, it will continue to grow the right way.”
