Find the music

Whether you are looking to catch some of these young artists live, or see other musicians with similar or experimental sounds, these places and platforms are great ways to experience the music.

Ram Jam’s Soul Sundays
Soul Sundays caters to burgeoning artists from bands to souls singers and poets, whose music includes jazz, afro rock, and hip hop — all with a dose of soul. Artists that have graced its stages include Urban Village, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Zuko Collective, and Nancy G. The aim of the Soul Sundays is to provide an experience for audiences who wish to enjoy local music. Ram Jam plans to take Soul Sundays to more audiences by creating other programs that accommodate comedians, bands, and unplugged acoustic sessions.

You can find them once a month at The Good Luck Bar at 1 Fox Street in Johannesburg. Ram Jam Entertainment

The Fly Machine Sessions
This collective was formed in 2012, with an initial purpose of being just a space to collect vinyl for the purposes of archiving South African music, particularly the music that hadn’t been documented over the past two or three decades. As a result, the two founders decided to create a space where people can come, play ,and listen to this music, which then extended to the sessions. The Fly Machine Sessions cater to the experimental ear and mind, and provide a unique sensory experience to enthusiasts of all things underground. The audiotainment of the evening includes psychedelic rock, funk, jazz, hiphoptronica and tropical bass music, presenting the audience with a voyage through unexplored realms of time, space and sound.Catch the Fly Machine Sessions at Kitcheners Carvery Bar in Johannesburg two Saturdays of the month. The Fly Machine Sessions

Niki's Oasis Restaurant & Jazz Bar
Right in the hub of one of Joburg’s historic hubs of creativity you’ll find Niki’s Oasis a restaurant and jazz bar. While the Newtown area has gone through a lot of changes over the years, Niki's Oasis, stone-throws away from the Market Theatre and Museum Africa, has remained a firm favourite for lover of fine food and music for over two decades.  Hosting a range of talented local musicians, it is also a firm favourite for book launches and used to play  host to several performances of the highly favoured Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival when it still took place in the inner city.

Visit Niki’s Oasis Restaurant &Jazz Bar at 138 Lilian Ngoyi St, Johannesburg, 2001. Niki's Oasis Restaurant & Jazz Bar

Mushroom Hour Half Hour
The Mushroom Hour Half Hour is an experimental music imprint started by vinyl collectors who wanted to share their passion for music through conversations that centre around collaboration, experimentation, and exploring new models to release music. Among other things, they curate location-specific recordings featuring musicians that would not ordinarily play together — musicians from different generations, traditions, and musical styles — to form unique, once-off collaborations. As music lovers, their focus is on promoting music and artists, while developing home-grown approaches to sustainable bespoke quality releases and live listening experiences. mushroomhour.com

Jazz in the Cradle
Jazz in the Cradle is a series of contemporary jazz concerts promoted by the Nirox Foundation and Gallery Momo. The biannual concert, which continues to grow in following, allows audiences to experience the best in contemporary jazz in the lawn amphitheatre of the NiroxSculpture Park in the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, while enjoying the best in gourmet cuisine in the company of family and friends. Previous line-ups have included jazz musicians such as Thandi Ntuli, Siya Makhuzeni and Wanda Baloyi.
jazzinthecradle.net

The Orbit Jazz Club
In just two-and-a half-years the Orbit Jazz Club has grown to be a firm favourite for lovers of jazz and other musical genres in Johannesburg. Taking its name from the classic 1958 Clarke Terry record of the same name, The Orbit Jazz Club arrived at a time when Joburg was in need of a standard live music venue. Catering to all lovers of different variations of jazz, you are likely to find greats such as Sibongile Khumalo, Feya Faku and Mandala Kindness on the stage, as well as young jazz musicians (almost all of the artists featured in this piece have taken to the Orbit’s stage). The Orbit has introduced additional experiences to its lineup, such as the monthly Science and Cocktails as well as Ballet to the soundtrack of jazz music. theorbit.co.za

Afrikan Freedom Station
The Afrikan Freedom Station is characterized by its unapologetic centring of Afro-centric expressions of art. Operating as a live music venue, café and art gallery it is situated near the historic Sophiatown, and is a space that gives a platform to a young generation of musicians and artists to share their work with the audience. Besides music art lovers can experience, film screenings, art exhibitions, slam-poetry and more at this eclectic venue.

Visit the African freedom Station 41 5th Avenue, Westdene, Johannesburg.
African Freedom Station