Throwing a party in a country where corruption and crime run rampant and costs soar ever-higher is not for the faint of heart. Good thing Jozi is brimming with resilient, hearty humans who love to groove.
Dance music culture in South Africa has black roots planted deeply in the soil of rebellion, as is true for most countries. For today, though, I’ll be discussing “my” Johannesburg underground scene, as it currently stands, according to my own perspective and experiences with the intention of diving deeper into it and understanding its history along the way.
AKA: the Tubes of Johannesburg.
First up, we have everyone’s favourite snake-park-turned-nightclub, Truth Nightclub in Midrand. This is not where my *jolling days started (RIP Sunday Funk), but it is where nights out became a regular and cherished part of my life.
Walking up, my sister’s ID already in hand, I used to feel engulfed by the expansive walls and glowing wall nipples. Entering their turnstile doors, a tuck shop used to greet you, likely with a line leading to Terrace’s more snake park than nightclub ruggedness. It is sleeker now, perhaps, but still far from clinical.
Around the corner is the basement. This floor feels like a no-caps floor, perhaps to juxtapose with the ALL-CAPS-MUSIC you typically throw your body around to in here.
2017 and 2018 Chelsea favoured the basement. 2019 Chelsea? She was a Room Four girl. Room Four is your classic big, concrete room for Big Room Techno. Just outside Room Four is The Courtyard for stranger, more discoesque sounds.
My current favourite, though, is Upstairs. Upstairs is intimate. It’s loud. It’s dark. It’s deep. An upstairs closing set is a right of passage and a ritual.
*jolling: from the word “jol,” which is to party. (“Are you jolling this weekend?” “Where’s the next jol, oes?”)
Next up, we have an institute of dance music in Johannesburg: And Club. I first found myself under the silos of And Club in 2019 for TOYTOY. I was incredibly nervous to go. I remember hearing that they put drugs in the smoke machine liquid (false) and conducted rituals and dark magic on the dancefloor. (Somewhat false. Dancing is a ritual.)
I’ve lived hours on this club floor. If Truth was the genesis of my love for the scene, And Club was the set for my discovery of self through it.
The design of And Club is perfect if what you want is to shake some ass to good music. Firstly, the sound is excellent (Void Accoustics). It’s dark. Thoughtful lighting. Smokey. Smooth-ish floors (before the *stompies and sandwich bags takeover). However, it’s the people who really make it what it is. The people you meet, dance and chat with. The resident DJs who tirelessly dig and refine their craft. The guest DJs with their freshness. And, of course, the bouncers, bar, door, and floor staff.
If you look tired, someone will check on you. If you don’t have a *gwaai someone will *skyf one for you. People are open and generally kind and almost always here for the music. We love And Club. We love TOYTOY.
In 2021, while I was out of the country, And introduced the Garden. Previously, the space may have been open, but the room was bare. No lights, no camera, no action (never camera in And Club, though: no phone policy). Now, the space boasts a Martin Audio system, leedle *plantjies, lights, Bordello, and much action.
And Club is home to other notable collectives: MUUD, World Without End, Gqom Therapy, Teknotribe, Science Frikshun, Berg in the Burg, and more.
*stompie = butt of a cigarette
*gwaai = cigarette
*skyf = something you smoke (skyf a gwaai = roll a cigarette) OR to give/ask for something (skyf tune = I want this tune. Skyf list there = Can I have guestlist for this event?)
*plantjies = small plants or seedlings (but they’re normal plants, not seedlings. Excuse my creative liberty.)
It is through And Club and TOYTOY’s community that I found Mary Jane’s Hacienda in Kensington. Home to their Thursday night residency party, The Loft, as well as other electronic and live music parties (notably Fuck The Algorithm and Wax On Wax Off), MJs is an institution of music and a space for artists to connect.
The first few times I visited this spot (prior to The Loft’s conception), the dancefloor was outside. The drive there made me wonder, “where the f__ are we going?” as I travelled through Yeoville and Troyeville into Kensington – parts of Johannesburg I had never seen before.
Parked outside, you’ll walk through a corrugated iron door into yet another building complex where two windows of green and red greet you. Head up the stairs and follow the bass into a space packed with couches and trinkets and people and vibes. MJs is home away from home and has birthed many up-and-comers with the help of Mobbtech at the helm.
Mobbtech, known by those in the scene as Tiego or T, is always willing to give space to artists who are Really In It. We love MJs, we love Mobbtech.
One of my favourite venues as of late is Lemon 8 Studios in Selby. The first time I visited this artistically industrial space was for Upstairs, a deep, minimal dance party that has re-rooted itself in Porto, Portugal. Most recently, Homebase Collective has found its home in Lemon 8 for its beautiful exhibitions.
I LOVE these daytime events.
Thrift stalls, food, community, music, art available for viewing and purchase. 10/10. Homebase collaborated with The Shelter Residency, Wax On Wax Off, and Living Machines for an almost 24-hour celebration. Beginning with the exhibit and vinyl selections from Dokta Ooz, moving into a two-stage underground extravaganza.
Lemon 8 has many rooms available for daily or monthly rent, so if you’re in the market for a gathering space or a new studio, definitely check them out.
Another institution of the Johannesburg scene is Club AM, formerly known as Bunker, formerly known as The Third Place. The Third Place used to play host to False Start, a party that I sadly never attended but hear tales of to this day. False Start and The Third Place have undeniably impacted Joburg’s scene.
Bunker, I did go to. Found in the same building complex as And Club and Carfax (we’ll get into this one *now now). You can enter Bunker/Club AM from Gwigwi Mrwebi Street (where the entrance to And lives) or via the alleyway, a road up. Bunker used to be a dark, disorienting space with a full wall of speakers and a single disco ball sending you straight to the ether.
Known for their low-slung beats and after-after-after operating hours, both Bunker and Third Place were often the final destination for jollers on a bender. Club AM is a bit brighter, perhaps more queer focused, sans wall of speakers (RIP), but, as the name denotes, is still likely to be open rather late.
Part-time home to parties and collectives like Raving in Johannesburg, The Dungeon, VNJ, SSS, ONSITE, The Breakfast Club, Movement is Medicine, Stoke, and many, many more.
*now now = a South African timing phrase. Indicates that something could be done just now or a bit later. Absolutely does not mean “now.” (I’ll catch a taxi home now now. = I’ll catch a taxi home at some point today, probably.) No urgency.
Situated in the same building as the previous two venues, Carfax is cavernous, carpeted and contains many nooks and crannies, playing host to myriad collectives, even a sewing school. Shoots and panel talks take place here occasionally. A jack-of-all-trades type of artistic space.
One party in the current landscape, taking place upstairs, is Living Machines. Imagine you’re in the outside courtyard of Club AM. There’s a stairwell that, when you walk up it, will lead directly to this after-hours party focused on after-hours music with twin orange and blue speakers as the headliners. The same speakers used to live in And Club’s garden, so they are charged with *gees.
ONSITE hosted South Africa’s first-ever face-to-face party on the main downstairs floor in Carfax. This was a cool party to be at, with a boiler room-style setup, thrift stall, jewellery stand, and even a homie blowing glass upstairs (yup, live glass blowing at the jol).
*gees = vibes, energy, passion, footwork.
Since we’re close by in Newtown, we may as well take a quick drive to Braamfontein and check out Kitchener’s, another Jozi institute. The second-oldest bar in the city, to be exact. The first time I visited this space, it was a dingy, old-timey pub with terrible sound and people spilling onto the pavement.
Home to parties like Movement is Medicine and P_ssy Party, it had a raucous vibe that welcomed truly inclusive curiosity.
Under new management, some of that creative life has been lost. Many community members sadly ended their Kitchener’s era after the change. It will take time to rebuild. The new space boasts a small eatery (known as Little Kicthener’s) and a cute courtyard in the centre of the building complex and has comedy nights every Wednesday.
Also nearby, we have three separate warehouse-esque venues. The first, AGOG, is an actual warehouse. BIG room techno, owned by Underground Africa founder Jaco. Back in 2023, Underground Africa (UA) hosted MARRØN at And Club, and the cops shut the party down.
This is not an unusual occurrence in Joburg, especially around *Dezemba.
Anywho, cops shut it down, and people were like ?!. UA decided “fuck that, the party will go on” and threw a day rave at AGOG the next day, a Sunday. I didn’t go myself (may have been working, may have been resting), but I heard that the energy was incredible. Props to them for keeping the underground alive.
To the left of the entrance, you’ll find a staircase leading to the upper floors and the rooftop, which is occasionally used in conjunction with the warehouse for a two-room party experience. The rooftop has its own bar and a rather interesting view of the street below and surrounding New Doornfontein.
Also in New Doornfontein, we have The Nest. High ceiling, metal rafters, plenty of windows and natural light for a daytime groove. Underground Africa has made use of this venue on occasion. When I visited, UA was hosting Juliet Fox. I remember laughing with friends, dancing to Avi Subban, and loving how much space there was on the floor.
Finally, Old Park Station, located on Carr Street in Newtown (just a few minutes walk from And Club, Carfax, and Club AM), is another great Jozi venue for your bigger events. I’ve been to this venue only twice, both times for Future Frequency Festival. It’s a picturesque spot with Nelson Mandela Bridge in view, old school trains down below, and beautiful Jozi all around.
If you’re heading here to jol, I’d recommend arriving before the sun sets. A sunset at Old Park is truly a magnificent sight, especially when you’re grooving with the beautiful people of Johannesburg
Living Room is another great spot for a daytime groove. Located in Maboneng with plants all over, and interesting people about, it truly is the living room. This spot has been struggling recently, with fewer and fewer events being hosted, although you can usually trust Off Centre Co to host a fun time with only the best deep house. Back in 2019, Living Room was the place to be on a Sunday Funday with gorgeous views, delicious food, tasty beverages, and, of course, excellent tunes.
Bad Manors, once located in Parkhurst, where it birthed and housed many alternative collectives and parties like Raver’s Delight and Detention Radio. Imagine a small bar, a few tables, bookshelves on the back wall, and a carpeted dancefloor. With people frequently walking in from the street, this place was generally pumping.
Now located in Illovo, Bad Manors is still a frequent favourite for those in the scene, minus the grungy vibe it used to hold. The new spot has a bigger bar, more outside seating, and beautiful windows behind the DJ. One of my favourite mental images is from playing here while it was raining. There’s something about minimal music, a dark room, and lightning outside that is just fabulous.
Mamakashaka & Friends is another spot in Braamfontein, next door to Kitchener’s. I was here for the first time just this week for Your Weekly Touchup hosted by NORMVL. This is an event that holds a panel discussion followed by some stellar South African Alternative Music Artists because “we love South African Alternative Music when?” “Especially on a Wednesday.” If you know, you know.
I can’t mention Braam without mentioning Play Braamfontein. This commercial group comprises The Glass Box, The City Beach Club, The Gallery, The Rooftop Deck, The Playground, Thirteen, and The Basketball Court.
Thirteen hosted Mixmag The Lab South Africa in 2022. Imagine being in the penthouse of a Jozi high-rise, except it’s a club with smooth floors, a marble bar, and windows offering almost 360-degree views of the city. Plus tunes. Heaven.
More recently, I played upstairs on The Basketball Court stage for an FNB Art Fair Afterparty in collaboration with Fagwinter and kalashnikovv gallery. This spot is ridiculously cool. It’s literally a basketball court on the roof of the building with panoramic views of the city. While DJs kept the vibes alive upstairs, Thirteen downstairs was hosting live acts like L.O.C. (Lerato Orchestral Collective).
While there is some contention over the commerciality of Play Braam, all of their venues have amazing potential. I’d love to see more collectives making use of these spaces.
Johannesburg may not have the beach, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s boring. There are plenty of other venues and jols I haven’t even mentioned here. If any part of you has thought about coming to South Africa, I promise you don’t want to miss a jol in Joburg.
