Nu Nairobi house · 120 BPM

Electronic music in Nairobi, Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya, is one of 37 African cities on Pulse, the Sonic Paths map and radio of African electronic music. Its signature sound is Nu Nairobi house, which we place at 120 BPM (our editorial estimate; the usual range is about 118 to 124). 18 artists and collectives from Nairobi are on Pulse, and 8 of their sets play in this page.

On the 3D map

heat 8/1018 artists and collectives8 sets play here3 dated events

Pulse
An empty rooftop car park in Westlands, Nairobi at dusk, a DJ table and two speakers between the parking bays, office towers behind.

Nairobi's scene has a centre of gravity, and it is a mall. Studios and The Mist sit in the basement of The Mall on Ring Road, Parklands, and the sunset DJ sets happen on its rooftop car park. Across in Westlands, Electric Avenue holds MUZE, Shelter, up an unmarked staircase and home of the monthly Temple techno night for about ten years, and Koda. Santuri East Africa has trained around 300 people through its academy, and the city exports producers: Coco Em, KMRU, Slikback. Clubs run Friday and Saturday all year. December carries the biggest dates, Fatboy Slim at MUZE Open Air on 11 December 2026 among them. The Alchemist is four 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 Nairobi

Pulse gives every city one tempo: the typical tempo of its signature sound. For Nairobi that is 120 BPM, Nu Nairobi house. The usual range of about 118 to 124 is our editorial estimate, not a measured figure.

Afro housetechnoexperimental clubgqomjunglesingeliambient
120BPM · Nu Nairobi house
usual range, our estimate 118 to 124

Sounds of Nairobi

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

SoundNu Nairobitempo not published · signature soundSoundAfro houseAbout 115 to 125 BPM, most often 118 to 122SoundGqom126 to 130 BPMSoundSingeliAbout 200 to 300 BPM

The scene

Nairobi has the region's most infrastructure: Santuri East Africa's SEMA academy and Kilele summit at Westlands Mall (300 trained under the Sanara programme), the experimental room The Mist, Shelter and MUZE on Electric Avenue, and a big Afro-house circuit built by Gondwana KE since 2015-17. Techno and bass are carried by Temple, TCHNO and the Monrhea/Shamina crowd, while Coco Em, KMRU and Slikback export Nairobi sound abroad. Dependence on a handful of venues and sponsor money is the weak point.

Why it sits at heat 8
RA lists 5 Kenyan events as of 8 Oct 2026; Mixmag (Mar 2025) and DJ Mag (Jun 2024) both document a dense venue and academy ecosystem; Kilele ran 23-28 Feb 2026 and Blankets & Wine runs an electronic stage on 20 Dec 2026.

Sets to play

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

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Artists and collectives

18 on Pulse from Nairobi, 5 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.

  • Shelter (Electric Avenue) unclear · last confirmed May 2025

    Non-commercial club, Fri-Sat, run by Alexa Orsi (DJ Mag).

    Two-level room up an unmarked staircase, home of the monthly Temple techno night; latest evidence is Rolling Stone Africa, May 2025. No 2026 listing found.[1]

  • MUZE (Electric Avenue) unclear · not rechecked

    About 400 capacity, founded by Willie Gichora (DJ Mag).

  • The Mist / The Mall (Westlands basement) unclear · last confirmed September 2025

    Experimental venue; also hosts Santuri.

    Last listing found: TCHNO at The Mist, Ring Road Parklands, 26 Sep 2025 (RA). No 2026 listing found.[2]

  • Koda and Masshouse unclear · not rechecked

    1,000 and 5,000 capacity (Mixmag).

  • Fifteen Rooftop open · last confirmed September 2026

    Venue for FWD Nairobi, 12 Sep (RA).

    FWD Nairobi with KYBY, 12 Sep 2026, 15th floor of The Curve By The Park, off Mombasa Road (RA).[3]

  • The Alchemistclub · seen May 2025

    Nairobi

    Multi-level indoor-outdoor club, open for more than a decade, that books major DJs and is often a visitor's first stop.[1]

  • The Living Rooms (TLR Sessions)space · seen May 2025

    Ngara

    Social house and creative space whose flagship DJ night, TLR Sessions, has been filmed.[1]

  • Unseen Nairobibar · seen May 2025

    Kilimani

    Rooftop bar and restaurant with a 70-seat cinema that occasionally hosts DJ sets.[1]

  • Sondela Nairobiparty · seen October 2026 · one source

    Westlands (at Koda)

    Nairobi showcase of the Sondela Recordings label, listed at Koda in 2026.[4]

  • Templeparty · seen June 2024

    Westlands (at Shelter)

    Monthly techno night that has run for about ten years.[5]

The rooms
A mall is the scene's centre of gravity: studios and The Mist in the basement, a blacked-out room, and sunset DJ sets on the rooftop car park; Shelter sits up an unmarked staircase.[5]

Neighbourhoods

  • Westlands / Electric Avenue

    The nightlife core: MUZE, Shelter and Koda are all here.[5]

  • Parklands (The Mall, Ring Road)

    Mall basement with studios and The Mist, plus a rooftop car park used for sunset DJ sets.[5]

  • Kilimani and Ngara

    Smaller rooms: Unseen's rooftop in Kilimani and The Living Rooms in Ngara.[1]

When to go

Clubs run Friday and Saturday all year; December carries the biggest dated shows (Fatboy Slim at MUZE Open Air 11 Dec 2026, the final Blankets & Wine 20 Dec 2026), and DJ Mag notes MUZE avoids the peak of the Kenyan summer.[6]

Getting there

Airport
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO)[7]
Getting around at night
Bolt and Uber both list Nairobi.[8][9]

Listen local

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

Collectives and labels

Coming up

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

  1. 20 December 2026Blankets & Wine Nairobi (final 2026 edition)Nairobi, Kenya · confirmed
  2. 31 October 2026KODA presents Mystika Halloween with Oscar MboNairobi, Kenya · listed
  3. 11 December 2026Fatboy Slim at MUZE Open AirNairobi, Kenya · listed

Before you go

Kenya's Family Protection Bill 2023 has not been enacted but is still being pushed (CIVICUS), and same-sex acts remain illegal under the penal code. Nairobi's club nights are publicly ticketed; follow each organiser's own guidance on location and photos.

Rooms nearby on Sonic Paths

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

RoomThe Alchemist BarNairobi (Westlands)RoomBeneath the BaobabsKilifi Creek · 425 kmRoomLake Turkana Cultural FestivalLoiyangalani · 450 kmAtlasKenya in the atlas

Questions about Nairobi

What electronic music is Nairobi known for?

Nu Nairobi house, at about 120 BPM. The styles in our data are Afro house, techno, experimental club, gqom, jungle. Nairobi has the region's most infrastructure: Santuri East Africa's SEMA academy and Kilele summit at Westlands Mall (300 trained under the Sanara programme), the experimental room The Mist, Shelter and MUZE on Electric Avenue, and a big Afro-house circuit built by Gondwana KE since 2015-17.

What tempo is Nairobi's signature sound?

120 BPM. The usual range of about 118 to 124 is our editorial estimate, not a measured figure.

Where can I hear electronic music in Nairobi?

The places a source names are Shelter (Electric Avenue), MUZE (Electric Avenue), The Mist / The Mall (Westlands basement), The Alchemist, The Living Rooms (TLR Sessions). Check each one's status above and the organiser's own channels before you go.

What electronic music events are coming up in Nairobi?

Blankets & Wine Nairobi, 20 December 2026; KODA presents Mystika Halloween with Oscar Mbo, 31 October 2026; Fatboy Slim at MUZE Open Air, 11 December 2026. Dates come from the organisers or the trade press.

Which Nairobi artists are on Pulse?

Coco Em, Jinku, KMRU, Sichangi, Slikback, [MONRHEA], Lukorito, Sonic Griot and 10 more. 5 of them have a set that plays in the page.

What is Nu Nairobi?

Nu Nairobi is the name the Kenyan producer collective EA Wave gave, from about 2015, to Nairobi's alternative electronic sound, which blends trap, house, downtempo and hip-hop with African percussion. More on Nu Nairobi, 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