Piano People In The Park: Yumbs on the Global Sound of Amapiano

Nothing hits me more in the summer than the feeling of afro-house and amapiano moving through you. 

As we count down the days to London’s biggest Amapiano festival, ‘Piano People in the Park’ for the second year in Southwark Park, The Floor Mag revisits a conversation had with some of the biggest Amapiano artists, producers & DJs in the world to cross the North & South Atlantic Ocean. 

Yumbs | @yumbs_sa (Intstagram)

Over the last few years, the landscape of Amapiano within the UK has grown massively. With artists like Tyla fusing the sounds of her culture with contemporary pop music and other African artists like Burna Boy paying homage to the soulful and percussive production, Amapiano and the other musical genres birthed from South Africa are widely appreciated by an entire new audience who may not have found the sound without this new global reach.

Last year, I had the pleasure to chat with Yumbs, 23 year old South-African born DJ, Producer and Musician, all about his journey and future plans. Piano People, globally bringing world class Amapiano & African Dance Music to some of the most renowned stages, had him headline at Ministry of Sound for his first show in London, during the summer of 2024. As a huge fan of ‘piano, 3-step, GCOM & private school piano, I was excited to get some time to talk to him about what it’s really like on the ground as a successful young artist that has recently found global success. Here are some of the highlights of our conversation.

Mary: What has been your musical journey?

Yumbs: I started in church, my mum was the choir leader. So I started playing drums, then learned how to read notation. Then after, I went to high school: National School of the Arts, I studied music, majoring in drums. I had to choose a second instrument, which was bass guitar. And now I know the keys. I started producing in grade 11, and that was in 2019.

M: That’s amazing for you to be up to so much at such a young age, as well - how did that come about?

Y: I produced my first hit when I was 18. I was staying at the major league house. When I was in my final year of high school, I was staying with the twins. I was producing for Major League. That's how I got the connections. I'm telling you, network is net worth. 

M: Staying in the major Leagues house, Is the amapiano scene in South Africa like a community? Is it quite tight knit? Is everyone happy to put other people on?

Y: In the beginning we didn't mind putting each other on but now you're very selective.Money ruins things. Money ruins good things. Once people realised that we can benefit from this thing, it started being like people only take care of their artists, like me, I’m an independent artist. And this is hard even for me. As an independent artist, to even be where I am is just crazy. But we stay united because we’re pushing the piano.

Piano People in the Park 2024 | @pianopeople (Instagram)

M: I saw you had your first headline in London, how did you find it, the crowd, and how was it being in London as well?

Y: I love London. It was my first time in London, actually. I had so much fun. I love being in London.

The show was so great, everybody came out.

It’s nice to see that, you know, that you actually have fans, because people come to you and tell you, I listen to this, this, this, like, Damn bro!

M: So your track, ‘DALI’ gained significant popularity. What was the creative process behind creating that song?

Y: We were actually from the club. I was in love. I felt inspired. I made the beat. They sang, it became a hit! It was about 3.30 in the morning, it was the second song we did that night. I make the best music when I'm in love. The music just comes to me.

M: Walk us through your typical production process when creating a new track.

Y: I like starting with the percussion, then probably the chord progression, the key of the song, then a few melodies, shakers, then the lock drum, then just arranging the song. I would describe my sound as nostalgic, very, very soft, very sweet, very melodic, you know

M: I think chord progression is a really important part of Amapiano music.

Y: It is the most important part, the chord progression tells you where the song is going.

M: Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

Y: DJ Mustard is one of my favourite producers. Mustard does it for me. He focuses on the chord progression too. Probably… Quincy Jones. SARS too.

M: Are there any dream projects or collaborations that you'd love to see yourself involved in in the future?

Y: I need a song with Central Cee! I don't like boxing myself. 

M: How do you see amapiano evolving in the coming years, and what role do you hope to play in that evolution of the music?

Y: I want to be one of the leaders in this thing in a few years in terms of bridging the international market to the South African market. I think the first person to do it was Tyla with ‘Water’. I think amapiano is going to be the biggest genre to ever surface in the world. I think where music is right now, it’s in decline. 

M: How do you balance staying true to your core sound, whilst also trying to be innovative and also still trying to, you know, push the genre forward as well?

Y: I take risks. Me, I’m just a risk taker. 

M: Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're particularly excited about?

Y: I’m working on a joint project with an artist called Zaytoven, it's a private school amapiano. It’s called ‘Soul Buddies’ 

M: What advice would you give to people that are aspiring piano artists and producers that are just starting out?

Y: Believe in yourself, you can do it. People find it hard to believe in themselves. Don’t rush into things, getting ripped off in the piano industry is so easy, don’t rush to the money. 

Some of Yumbs’ fellow artists and collaborators such as Kelvin Momo (who recently dropped his new project Thato Ya Modimo) will be part of the line up for the Piano People in the Park festival this year, on the 22nd August alongside other piano heavy hitters Kabza De Small and DBN Gogo headlining the day with a special 2 hour set. 

Take a listen to Yumbs’ project with Zaytoven Soul Buddies. And his most recent Yummy’s House Vol. 1. Tickets are still available here.