mahraganat / club · 128 BPM

Electronic music in Cairo, Egypt

Cairo, Egypt, is one of 37 African cities on Pulse, the Sonic Paths map and radio of African electronic music. Its signature sound is mahraganat / club, which we place at 128 BPM (our editorial estimate; the usual range is about 120 to 135). 21 artists and collectives from Cairo are on Pulse, and 10 of their sets play in this page.

On the 3D map

heat 7/1021 artists and collectives10 sets play here1 dated events

Pulse
A Cairo rooftop at dusk above the Nile, festoon bulbs, two speakers and a DJ table at the parapet, the towers of the far bank reflected in the river.

Cairo has few clubs and a lot of parties. The electronic nights happen in warehouses, gardens, rooftops, boats and restaurants that turn after midnight, often at an address shared only after booking. Cairo Jazz Club on the 26th of July Corridor in Agouza is one of the few small rooms open to underground nights; A post-2011 generation, ZULI, 3Phaz, MOSHTRQ, folded shaabi and mahraganat into bass, jungle and techno, and a 2025 wave followed. Every performer needs a licence from the Musicians Syndicate, which can cancel a show. The season runs September to June; in July and August the big nights go to the North Coast. The Pyramids are 12 kilometres away and in the atlas.

Written from the sources on this page, not from a visit. The facts, with their dates and sources, follow.

The pulse of Cairo

Pulse gives every city one tempo: the typical tempo of its signature sound. For Cairo that is 128 BPM, mahraganat / club. The usual range of about 120 to 135 is our editorial estimate, not a measured figure.

electro-shaabi / mahraganat-influenced clubbass / dub / jungle / breaksdrum & basshouse & discotechno / electroexperimental
128BPM · mahraganat / club
usual range, our estimate 120 to 135

Sounds of Cairo

Each sound has its own page: what it is, its tempo where a source gives one, where it comes from and who carried it.

SoundMahraganattempo not published · signature sound

The scene

Cairo has the region's deepest left-field scene: a post-2011 generation (ZULI, 3Phaz, MOSHTRQ, Irsh, JellyZone, Dhamma) fusing shaabi/mahraganat with bass, jungle, breaks and techno, now joined by a 2025-26 wave (Jana, Azzouni, El Kontessa, Rozer, El Mokh) profiled in Crack's April 2026 feature. Venues are scarce: Cairo Jazz Club is one of few small rooms open to underground nights and most events happen in improvised rooftops, gardens, hotels and wedding halls; the state Musicians' Syndicate restricts mahraganat. Many leading names are based abroad (ZULI in Germany, ABADIR in Germany, Nadah El Shazly in Montreal).

Unicorn Garden, a Cairo venue for deeper sounds, was described as closed in May 2025 (https://sandytimes.ae/articles/2542/where-to-party-in-cairo-here-is-what-locals-say). It is not in the current Pulse data.

Why it sits at heat 7
Crack (22-24 Apr 2026) documents a new generation and a mix series; scenes remain constrained by few venues and regulation, and top names mostly perform abroad.

Sets to play

One tap plays here, through the artist's own player. When a set ends, the next Cairo set follows, then Pulse Radio carries on across the continent.

Set page
Set page
Set page
Set page
Set page
Set page
Set page
Set page

2 more sets from Cairo are in the radio pool; press play on any artist below.

Keys: space play or pause · n next

Artists and collectives

21 on Pulse from Cairo, 10 with a set that plays here. On the map they sit in a ring around the city, never at an address.

Venues and nights

Only places a source names. "Unclear" means we found the venue but no 2026 event; "last confirmed" is the date of the newest evidence.

  • Cairo Jazz Club unclear · not rechecked

    One of few smaller venues open to underground/alternative nights; MOSHTRQ residency; sound system by Nazli Reda.

  • Thorium Studio / Afaq Theatre (Ramses) unclear · last confirmed February 2025

    Grassroots studio and venue used by Sudanese artists in Cairo.

    Thorium is a small Sudanese-run production studio (location not given) and Afaq Theatre in Ramses hosted a Sudanese showcase; latest evidence Feb 2025, and neither is an electronic venue.[1]

  • Cairo Jazz Club 610club · seen May 2025

    Sheikh Zayed, Giza

    The younger CJC branch, with live bands, guest DJs and themed nights; hosted SceneNoise's NoiseSessions all-nighters.[2][3]

  • Cairo Capital Clubclub · seen May 2025 · one source

    Garden City

    Club nights with local and international DJs.[2]

  • Yellow Taperecord shop · seen September 2024

    Maadi

    Record shop that also hosts parties, such as the Lazuli x Yellow Tape 'Dafunk' afternoon-to-night sessions.[4][2]

  • Geeza Recordsparty · seen September 2024

    Secret location, shared after booking

    Limited-capacity house, techno and progressive parties at locations revealed once reservations are confirmed.[4]

  • Backspinparty · seen May 2025 · one source

    Often secret spots

    House and techno parties that move between unannounced locations.[2]

  • Lazuliparty · seen May 2025

    Venue varies

    Electronic, house and techno series with live music; runs 'Dafunk' with Yellow Tape.[2]

The rooms
Cairo has few clubs: most electronic nights happen in warehouses, clubhouses, gardens, rooftops, boats, islands and restaurants that turn into parties after midnight, often at locations shared only after booking.[5][4]

Some nights here run at locations the organisers share with their own crowd. We never publish them; follow the organiser's own channels.

Neighbourhoods

  • Agouza (Giza)

    Cairo Jazz Club's original room on the 26th of July Corridor.[6]

  • Maadi

    Yellow Tape record shop and the speakeasy The Rec Room.[2]

  • Downtown and Zamalek

    Downtown has the vinyl shops and the old bars (Carlton Roof, Greek Club, Odeon); Zamalek has Aperitivo and Pub 28.[2][5]

  • Sheikh Zayed

    West Cairo suburb with the CJC 610 branch.[2]

When to go

September to June in the city: Cairo's club season opens in September, while in July and August the big nights move to the North Coast (P+US brought Adriatique, Solomun and Black Coffee there in summer 2026).[4]

Getting there

Airport
Cairo International Airport (CAI)[7]
Getting around at night
Uber and inDrive both list Cairo.[8][9]

Listen local

Labels, radio shows and archives from Cairo that keep playing after you leave this page.

Collectives and labels

  • MOSHTRQ ↗

    Audiovisual collective and net label founded by Azzouni; bass/dub/jungle/hip-hop nights; launched Ashrar, Postdrone and others.

  • Irsh ↗

    Label/party run by ZULI and Rama.

  • JellyZone ↗

    Longest-running Cairo party project (Donia Shohdy); RA lists a JellyZone x C0D3X Cairo date on 10 Sep 2027 (venue TBA).

  • Dhamma ↗

    All-female, community-based bass music nights (AEMC list).

  • C0D3X ↗

    Collective run by Jana.

  • Nacelle ↗

    Collective behind House Sessions and Sandbox Festival (CEO Tito El Khachab).

  • Nashazphone / 100Copies ↗

    Cairo experimental labels (This Is Cairo Not The Screamers, 30 Nov 2020; 100Copies released Islam Chipsy and 3Phaz).

  • Yellow Tape Records Culture (YTRC) ↗

    Label/party with residents such as Mira.

Coming up

Dates only as the organiser or the trade press published them. All dated festivals on Pulse.

  1. 5 Nov to 7 November 2026Cairo Jazz FestivalCairo, Egypt · confirmed

Before you go

Every performer in Egypt must be licensed by the Musicians Syndicate, which can cancel shows, and same-sex relations are prosecuted under debauchery laws. Underground nights often share their location late.

Rooms nearby on Sonic Paths

The atlas rooms, dated signals and expeditions closest to Cairo.

RoomCairo Opera HouseCairoRoomCairo Jazz ClubAgouza, GizaRoomPyramids of GizaGizaAtlasEgypt in the atlas

Questions about Cairo

What electronic music is Cairo known for?

Mahraganat / club, at about 128 BPM. The styles in our data are electro-shaabi / mahraganat-influenced club, bass / dub / jungle / breaks, drum & bass, house & disco, techno / electro. Cairo has the region's deepest left-field scene: a post-2011 generation (ZULI, 3Phaz, MOSHTRQ, Irsh, JellyZone, Dhamma) fusing shaabi/mahraganat with bass, jungle, breaks and techno, now joined by a 2025-26 wave (Jana, Azzouni, El Kontessa, Rozer, El Mokh) profiled in Crack's April 2026 feature.

What tempo is Cairo's signature sound?

128 BPM. The usual range of about 120 to 135 is our editorial estimate, not a measured figure.

Where can I hear electronic music in Cairo?

The places a source names are Cairo Jazz Club, Thorium Studio / Afaq Theatre (Ramses), Cairo Jazz Club 610, Cairo Capital Club, Yellow Tape. Check each one's status above and the organiser's own channels before you go; some nights share their location late.

What electronic music events are coming up in Cairo?

Cairo Jazz Festival, 5 Nov to 7 November 2026. Dates come from the organisers or the trade press.

Which Cairo artists are on Pulse?

Ali Youssef, Azzouni (Yaseen el Azzouni), El Mokh (Ahmed Mokhles), Joumana, Mira, 3Phaz (Three Phase), Nadah El Shazly, ZULI (Ahmed Elghazoly) and 13 more. 10 of them have a set that plays in the page.

What is Mahraganat?

Mahraganat is Egyptian street music from the working-class districts of Cairo, which fuses wedding shaabi with electronic beats and Auto-Tuned rap, and took shape in the mid to late 2000s. More on Mahraganat, with sources.

Sources and nearby scenes

Last checked 20 October 2026 · Send a correction or a tip

Nearby on Pulse

All 37 cities on the Pulse hub