amapiano · 112 BPM

Electronic music in Pretoria, South Africa

Pretoria, South Africa, is one of 37 African cities on Pulse, the Sonic Paths map and radio of African electronic music. Its signature sound is amapiano, which we place at 112 BPM, in the published range of 110 to 115. 6 artists and collectives from Pretoria are on Pulse, and 5 of their sets play in this page.

On the 3D map

heat 7/106 artists and collectives5 sets play here6 dated events

Pulse

The pulse of Pretoria

Pulse gives every city one tempo: the typical tempo of its signature sound. For Pretoria that is 112 BPM, amapiano. The range 110 to 115 is published by a source for this sound.

amapianodeep houseAfro house
112BPM · amapiano
published range 110 to 115

Sounds of Pretoria

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

SoundAmapianoAbout 110 to 115 BPM · signature soundSoundAfro houseAbout 115 to 125 BPM, most often 118 to 122

The scene

Pretoria and Mamelodi are one of the contested birthplaces of amapiano (Wikipedia says its origin is disputed between Johannesburg townships and Pretoria); Huck calls Mamelodi the birthplace and describes the Jack Budha restaurant-club scene. Kabza De Small (Piano Hub), DJ Maphorisa (Blaqboy Music, Soshanguve), DBN Gogo (Zikode Records) and Vigro Deep (Atteridgeville) are Pretoria-linked, and Kabza's 'Tutu' album was due 5 Jun 2026.

Pretoria News (Sep 2025) also names Pretoria as the home of Bacardi house (DJ Spoko, DJ Mujava; newer artists Doowap, Jelly Babie): https://pretorianews.co.za/travel/south-africa/2025-09-16-inside-south-africas-powerful-music-hubs-a-city-by-city-breakdown/

Why it sits at heat 7
Origin story of amapiano and the base of its biggest artists, with 2025-26 albums from Kabza De Small and DBN Gogo; few Pretoria-specific club listings gathered.

Sets to play

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

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Artists and collectives

6 on Pulse from Pretoria, 4 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.

  • Jack Budha (Mamelodi) unclear · not rechecked

    Restaurant-cum-nightclub where the amapiano scene was nurtured (Huck).

  • House 22club · seen August 2026

    Sunnyside

    Deep-house club in Sunnyside, the one Pretoria venue Time Out lists purely for deep house.[1]

  • Moloko Clubclub · seen August 2026

    Menlyn

    Urban and house club with hip-hop and amapiano nights.[1]

  • Summit Grill & Skybarbar · seen August 2026

    Menlyn

    Rooftop with house DJs at weekends and deep-house sundowner nights.[1]

  • Blue Room Hatfieldbar · seen August 2026

    Hatfield

    Student-area venue with jazz, R&B and Afro-soul live acts followed by a DJ at weekends.[1]

  • Propagandaclub · seen August 2026

    Pretoria Central

    Live R&B and Afro-pop on Fridays and DJ line-ups on Saturdays.[1]

The rooms
Amapiano grew in township rooms like Jack Budha, a restaurant, shisanyama (braai) and nightclub in one, where parties can start at Monday lunchtime with food on the table.[2]

Neighbourhoods

  • Mamelodi

    Township east of the city that Huck calls the birthplace of amapiano; homes, shops and nightclubs share the same streets.[2]

  • Menlyn and Menlyn Maine

    Where most of Time Out's club picks sit: Moloko, Summit Skybar, 16th by KOI.[1]

  • Hatfield and Sunnyside

    Student and inner-city districts with Blue Room and the deep-house club House 22.[1]

When to go

December holidays: Best of Both Worlds (16 Dec 2026) is the big dated event; Pretoria also shares Johannesburg's August to December festival season, 50 km away.[3]

Getting there

Airport
O. R. Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) (JNB)[4]
Getting around at night
Bolt lists Pretoria and Uber lists City of Tshwane among its cities.[5][6]

Listen local

Labels, radio shows and archives from Pretoria 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. 7 November 2026Kunye (Johannesburg)Johannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
  2. 28 November 2026Oskido's Big Day OutJohannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
  3. 28 November 2026Piano People Johannesburg 2026Johannesburg (Old Park Station), South Africa · confirmed
  4. 5 December 2026Balcony Mix AfricaJohannesburg (Huddle Park), South Africa · confirmed
  5. 16 December 2026Best of Both WorldsPretoria, South Africa · confirmed
  6. 30 December 2026Revolution NYEMagaliesburg (Hornbill Lodge), South Africa · confirmed

Rooms nearby on Sonic Paths

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

AtlasSouth Africa in the atlas

Questions about Pretoria

What electronic music is Pretoria known for?

Amapiano, at about 112 BPM. The styles in our data are amapiano, deep house, Afro house. Pretoria and Mamelodi are one of the contested birthplaces of amapiano (Wikipedia says its origin is disputed between Johannesburg townships and Pretoria); Huck calls Mamelodi the birthplace and describes the Jack Budha restaurant-club scene.

What tempo is Pretoria's signature sound?

112 BPM. The published range for amapiano is 110 to 115.

Where can I hear electronic music in Pretoria?

The places a source names are Jack Budha (Mamelodi), House 22, Moloko Club, Summit Grill & Skybar. Check each one's status above and the organiser's own channels before you go.

What electronic music events are coming up in Pretoria?

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 Pretoria artists are on Pulse?

DBN Gogo, DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Vigro Deep, Focalistic, Oscar Mbo. 4 of them have a set that plays in the page.

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

Nearby on Pulse

All 37 cities on the Pulse hub