Dance Music: Amapiano, Afrobeats & Club Beats

Dance music in Africa moves fast. New sounds pop up from townships, clubs and home studios and hit the world in months. If you love beats that make you move, this page helps you find the best tracks, DJs and events across the continent.

Genres to know: amapiano (soft piano, deep bass, Lagos-born afrobeats with catchy hooks), gqom (raw, bass-heavy house from Durban), kwaito (streetwise South African house) and global house styles refined by African DJs. These styles often cross over, so one song can feel like several worlds at once.

How to find new tracks fast

Start with playlists and platforms. Follow regional playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. Use Boomplay and Audiomack for local uploads that don’t show up on global charts. Search SoundCloud for DJ sets — lots of exclusive edits live there. Tap Shazam or the TikTok audio page when you hear a sample you like. Want underground? Look for weekly radio shows from DJs in Johannesburg, Lagos and Accra. They often break new songs before anyone else.

Watch short DJ mixes on YouTube. A one-hour mix can reveal five artists you’ll want to follow. Save tracks to a personal playlist so you can find them again. If you’re a DJ, record your own mixes and share them on Mixcloud or YouTube to build a local audience.

Where to go and who to follow

Follow artists and DJs who push the scene: Black Coffee for global house, Kabza De Small and DJ Maphorisa for amapiano, and rising names from club scenes in Lagos and Accra. Listen to collaborations — most big moves come from artists working together.

For live shows, check city calendars and club nights. Big festivals like Afro Nation and regional events bring international names and local stars together. Small club nights are where fresh sounds grow. If you can, go hear DJs live. The energy tells you more than a streamed track ever will.

If you make music, focus on collabs and consistent releases. Send tracks to local radio DJs, submit to playlists, and use social clips to push a hook. For DJs, tight mixing and short videos of your sets help you get booked.

Want a quick starter list? Follow local playlists, subscribe to a weekly radio mix, pick three artists to watch, and save five tracks every week. Do that for a month and your library will feel like a tuned-in club. Keep checking back here for updates, picks and guides to shows across Africa.