✨ World Music #13 – Every week, I select a different country from around the globe, featuring an artist + track that I love ✨ Next up: 🇸🇿 ESWATINI 🇸🇿 This is the sultry, amapiano dance incantation of Uncle Waffles open.spotify.com/track/5z6oqX6l6kTSPB9gSRnLzE?si=aba24fb738c84377

Swaziland-born Uncle Waffles, aka Lungelihle Zwane, has been a key figure in amapiano's rise over the last two years. 'Tanzania' is the first single from her debut EP, Red Dragon – a hypnotic celebration of the genre in four tracks.

Amapiano – which is the Zulu word for 'the pianos' – is a style of dance music that originated in South Africa during the 2010s, before its recent ascent to global recognition.

As its name suggests, the house-influenced sub-genre leans heavily on piano riffs to shape its slow-grooving sounds – woven amongst jazz-inspired rhythms and looping percussive flourishes to capture your emotions.

"I think 'piano is a sound with no gatekeeping – it’s rooted in a genuine love and appreciation of music that invites everybody in," Zwane shares. "Amapiano is uniquely from South African youth culture that is rooted in collectivism, so everybody is welcome, as long as they bring a good vibe..."

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