Three Johannesburg clubs share one industrial address: 39 Gwigwi Mrwebi Street, Newtown, where And Club runs phones-off, Carfax has been a warehouse venue since 1995 and Club A.M takes the techno and gqom nights. Amapiano is the export and the tempo, 113 on this page, from Piano People and Balcony Mix to Black Coffee's Zone 6 in Soweto, 4,000 capacity. Resident Advisor listed 12 upcoming nights on 8 October 2026. In Melville a house bar keeps its dance floor behind a bookshelf; in Braamfontein, Kitchener's closed in April 2024 and came back the following January. Festival season runs August to December and crowds into November. The rooms are mostly converted, not built. That is the point.
Written from the sources on this page, not from a visit. The facts, with their dates and sources, follow.
The pulse of Johannesburg
Pulse gives every city one tempo: the typical tempo of its signature sound. For Johannesburg that is 113 BPM, amapiano. The range 110 to 115 is published by a source for this sound.
published range 110 to 115
Sounds of Johannesburg
Each sound has its own page: what it is, its tempo where a source gives one, where it comes from and who carried it.
The scene
Johannesburg is the commercial and club capital of southern African electronic music: Afro house (Black Coffee's Zone 6 in Soweto, Shimza's Kunye), amapiano event brands (Piano People, Balcony Mix Africa), and a smaller techno/gqom underground at And Club, Club A.M and Smoking Kills. RA lists 12 upcoming Johannesburg events on 8 Oct 2026 (TOYTOY at And Club on 9 Oct; SUB SEQUENCE with Ey.rah on 10 Oct), and the Nov-Dec 2026 calendar is crowded.
Why it sits at heat 10
RA lists 12 upcoming Johannesburg events on 8 Oct 2026, a packed Oct-Dec 2026 festival calendar, and the city anchors the dance-music export scene of amapiano and Afro house (amapiano, Afro house).
Artists and collectives
20 on Pulse from Johannesburg, 4 with a set that plays here. On the map they sit in a ring around the city, never at an address.
Experimental, underground and dark; Vogue Nights Jozi's founder
Afro house on Innervisions from a producer who is also a sangoma
Afro house and Afro-tech, the first DJ Awards Afro House winner
Amapiano on Awesome Tapes From Africa, Where You Are
House, techno and gqom for Club A.M's Gqom x Techno
Afro-tech from Black Motion's Bongani Mohosana, fabric afterparties
Bongani Mohosana (alias Black Motion on RA); first RA event 2022, with a fabric afterparty in London on 28 Aug and an Africa Rising Music Conference appearance in Johannesburg.
fabric London afterparty (28 Aug 2026).
Follow
Sources
No full page yet: this record has no set that plays here and fewer than two official links. If this is you, send a set link and a photo.
Afro house from Umlazi to his own 4,000-capacity Zone 6
Private school piano: jazz-and-lounge-tinged amapiano from Soweto
Future ghetto funk: kwaito, electronic and amapiano, Durban to Johannesburg
Queer techno for Kitchener's, Smoking Kills and Carfax
Township Tech: the Soweto-born producer who coined it
Photo via Resident Advisor / spoekmathambo
Soweto-born producer who coined 'Township Tech' and lives in Johannesburg; subject of the documentary 'Future Sound of Mzansi' (2014) and a member of Batuk.
Sources
No full page yet: this record has no set that plays here and fewer than two official links. If this is you, send a set link and a photo.
Afro house fusion from Africa To The World
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.
- And Club open · last confirmed October 2026
Minimal electronic venue with a no-phones policy (Mixmag).
RA-sourced listings for TOYTOY Fridays (9, 16, 23 Oct 2026) and Sub Sequence (10 Oct 2026); In Your Pocket lists it at 39 Gwigwi Mrwebi St, Newtown, with ADDICTSHUN on Thursdays and a phones-off policy.[1]
- Club A.M (Newtown) open · last confirmed April 2026
Raving in Johannesburg host.
Listed by In Your Pocket (Apr 2026) as hosting recurring Movement is Medicine, Ebumnandini, Raving in Johannesburg and Love2Love nights; same address as And Club.[2]
- Smoking Kills, Carfax, Kitchener's Carvery Bar unclear · not rechecked
Where Rosie Parade plays most (RA); Kitchener's is described as having the 'best dance floor in South Africa' (Mixmag).
- Zone 6 (Soweto) open · last confirmed February 2026 · one source
4,000 capacity; bought by Black Coffee in 2017.
Computicket listing for Kwa'MKEYZ at Zone 6 Venue, Diepkloof, dated 28 Feb 2026 (page text also mentions 27-28 Dec 2025, so the date is inconsistent). Still on RA's Johannesburg club list.[3]
- Good Omens / Bad Manorsbar · seen April 2026
Melville (Good Omens); Newtown and Parkhurst (Bad Manors)
House-music bar with a dance floor behind a bookshelf, used as a starting point before its louder sister club Bad Manors.[2]
- Mamakashaka & Friendsspace · seen April 2026
Braamfontein (5 De Beer St)
Private courtyard that runs weekend vinyl sets, listening parties and sunset sessions.[2]
- Native Rebelsbar · seen April 2026
Jabavu, Soweto
Soweto venue with regular DJ line-ups and live performances by local artists.[2]
- Katzy'sbar · seen April 2026
Rosebank (The Firs)
Jazz and lounge bar that books local jazz and house DJs.[2]
- Kōhī Sessionsparty · seen September 2026 · one source
44 Stanley, Milpark
Every first and last Sunday, a coffee-bar session where people can DJ and play their own vinyl.[4]
- Old Park Stationspace · seen August 2025
Newtown
Large Newtown site used for the biggest touring dance shows, including Keinemusik (Nov 2025) and Piano People's Johannesburg debut (28 Nov 2026).[5][6]
The rooms
Mostly converted warehouse and bar rooms rather than purpose-built clubs: three Newtown venues share one industrial address, Carfax has been a warehouse venue since 1995, and And Club runs phones-off.[2]
Neighbourhoods
- Newtown
And Club, Carfax and Club A.M. all sit at 39 Gwigwi Mrwebi St, the city's main cluster for house, techno and drum & bass.[2]
- Braamfontein
Student and creative district with Kitchener's (guest DJs at weekends) and the Mamakashaka courtyard vinyl sessions.[2]
- Melville
Bar strip with Good Omens (house) and Smoking Kills (drum & bass, drag and DJ nights).[2]
- Soweto
Home of Zone 6 (bought by Black Coffee in 2017) and Native Rebels in Jabavu.[7]
When to go
Festival season runs from about August to December, with events every month until December; the big dated shows this year cluster in November and December (Kunye 7 Nov, Piano People and Oskido's Big Day Out 28 Nov, Balcony Mix 5 Dec).[5]
Listen local
Labels, radio shows and archives from Johannesburg that keep playing after you leave this page.
- Afrosynth Records ↗record shop and label
Johannesburg shop and reissue label focused on 1980s South African electronic music (kwaito, bubblegum). The shop's current address is not confirmed; it was in Maboneng in 2016.[11]
- Mr Vinyl ↗record shop
Record shop in Milpark that appears on RA's Johannesburg venue list.[12]
- Vinylifestyle Record Bar ↗record shop · one source
Record bar in Marshalltown listed as an RA venue.[12]
- And Club on RA ↗listings
The quickest way to see the week's TOYTOY, ADDICTSHUN and Sub Sequence nights.[1]
NTS guest show tagged Johannesburg, 13 Apr 2026, with young local producers.[13]
Collectives and labels
- Ebumnandini ↗
Founded 2018; worked with Boiler Room and programmed Kaytranada's 2025 afterparty (PAM).
- French For New ↗
Soundset Sunday, 70+ events (PAM).
- TOYTOY and ADDICTSHUN ↗
Weekly underground parties at And Club (Mixmag 2019); TOYTOY still listed on RA for 9 Oct 2026.
- SUB SEQUENCE / Raving in Johannesburg / Groove Biennale / Vogue Nights Jozi ↗
Techno-gqom nights (Raving in Johannesburg, Club A.M, 7 Nov 2025), Groove Biennale III (Apr 2026) and Lelowhatsgood's Vogue Nights Jozi.
Coming up
Dates only as the organiser or the trade press published them. All dated festivals on Pulse.
- 7 November 2026Kunye (Johannesburg)Johannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
- 28 November 2026Oskido's Big Day OutJohannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
- 28 November 2026Piano People Johannesburg 2026Johannesburg (Old Park Station), South Africa · confirmed
- 5 December 2026Balcony Mix AfricaJohannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
- 16 December 2026Best of Both WorldsPretoria, South Africa · confirmed
- 30 December 2026Revolution NYEMagaliesburg (Hornbill Lodge), South Africa · confirmed
- 16 Oct to 23 October 2026TOYTOY at And Club (weekly, Fridays)Johannesburg, South Africa · listed
Rooms nearby on Sonic Paths
The atlas rooms, dated signals and expeditions closest to Johannesburg.
Questions about Johannesburg
What electronic music is Johannesburg known for?
Amapiano, at about 113 BPM. The styles in our data are amapiano, Afro house, Afro-tech, private school amapiano, gqom. Johannesburg is the commercial and club capital of southern African electronic music: Afro house (Black Coffee's Zone 6 in Soweto, Shimza's Kunye), amapiano event brands (Piano People, Balcony Mix Africa), and a smaller techno/gqom underground at And Club, Club A.M and Smoking Kills.
What tempo is Johannesburg's signature sound?
113 BPM. The published range for amapiano is 110 to 115.
Where can I hear electronic music in Johannesburg?
The places a source names are And Club, Club A.M (Newtown), Smoking Kills, Carfax, Kitchener's Carvery Bar, Good Omens / Bad Manors, Mamakashaka & Friends. Check each one's status above and the organiser's own channels before you go.
What electronic music events are coming up in Johannesburg?
Kunye, 7 November 2026; Oskido's Big Day Out, 28 November 2026; Piano People Johannesburg 2026, 28 November 2026; Balcony Mix Africa, 5 December 2026; Best of Both Worlds, 16 December 2026. Dates come from the organisers or the trade press.
Which Johannesburg artists are on Pulse?
Lelowhatsgood, Culoe De Song, Da Capo, Shimza, Teno Afrika, Ekstra Emma, KMAT, MöRDA and 12 more. 4 of them have a set that plays in the page.
What music festival is happening in Joburg in 2026?
In our dated list: Kunye at Huddle Park on 7 November 2026 and Oskido's Big Day Out at Huddle Park on 28 November 2026, both confirmed by the organisers' listings. Pulse only lists dates the organiser or the trade press has published.
What is Amapiano?
Amapiano is a slow, deep house-based dance music from the townships of Gauteng in South Africa (Johannesburg and Pretoria), which took shape in the 2010s. The sources put it at about 110 to 115 BPM. More on Amapiano, with sources.
Sources and nearby scenes
Last checked 20 October 2026 · Send a correction or a tip
- 1technoairlines.com/club/and-club-johannesburg
- 2inyourpocket.com/southafrica/johannesburg/articles/where-to-go-dancing-in-joburg
- 3computicket-boxoffice.com/e/kwamkeyz-vPcBKB
- 4inyourpocket.com/johannesburg/events-to-look-forward-to-in-joburg-in-2026_80366f
- 5timeout.com/johannesburg/news/festival-season-in-johannesburg-where-to-party-month-by-month-082025
- 6riotimesonline.com/piano-people-johannesburg-2026-old-park-station-28-november
- 7citizen.co.za/entertainment/black-coffee-new-owner-zone-6-venue
- 8en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._R._Tambo_International_Airport
- 9bolt.eu/en/cities
- 10uber.com/global/en/r/south-africa/cities
- 11thevinylfactory.com/features/worlds-best-record-shops-039-afrosynth-johannesburg
- 12ra.co/clubs/za/johannesburg
- 13nts.live/shows/guests/episodes/ao-radio-presents-south-african-underground-13th-april-2026
- 14daily.bandcamp.com/label-profile/afrosynth-label-profile
- 15ra.co/clubs/111376
- 16inyourpocket.com/johannesburg/review-kitcheners-bar-and-little-kitcheners_80460f
- 17mrvinyl.co.za