ULTRA South Africa’s Groove Room Shines A Global Spotlight on Africa’s Thriving Dance Music Scene

ULTRA South Africa is once again placing African dance music firmly in the international spotlight with the return of its dedicated stage, The Groove Room, for the 2026 edition in Johannesburg.

Designed to celebrate and elevate the sounds shaping dance floors across the continent, The Groove Room transforms the festival into a high-energy celebration of Amapiano, Afro-house, Gqom and cutting-edge electronic fusion.

Returning to Johannesburg in 2026, the stage will showcase a powerhouse lineup of artists pushing African dance music to new heights, including Liquideep, Scorpion Kings, DBN Gogo, Dlala Thukzin, Oscar Mbo, DJ Lag x Que DJ, Sun-El Musician, 2Shoes, Lelowhatsgood and Slow Poison.

To extend the Groove Room experience beyond the festival grounds, ULTRA South Africa has launched the official Groove Room YouTube Channel, a permanent digital home for exclusive performances, live sets and curated content. In its very first week, the platform surpassed 300,000 views. Today, the channel has over one million views, signalling the strong global appetite for authentic African electronic music.

African electronic dance music is experiencing unprecedented global growth, with Amapiano leading the charge as one of the fastest-rising genres worldwide. According to Spotify’s 2025 Wrapped data and the IFPI Global Music Report 2025, Amapiano has seen explosive international growth, while South African artists collectively generated hundreds of millions of rands in streaming royalties across platforms in 2025 alone.

Genres such as Gqom and Afro-house are also dominating international playlists, major festivals and Billboard charts. Pioneering artists including DJ Lag, DBN Gogo and Sun-El Musician are gaining global recognition through viral hits, collaborations and international festival bookings.

The Groove Room serves as a key platform accelerating this momentum, turning local innovation into a worldwide movement.

Shaun Duwe, ULTRA South Africa organiser and The Unit CEO, says, “The Groove Room is more than just a stage, it’s an African dance music movement. We created this platform to give African dance artists the world-class showcase they deserve, right here on home soil. The incredible response to our new YouTube channel in just one week proves that the world is finally ready to listen. 2026 is going to be our biggest celebration of African sound yet, and we can’t wait to share it with fans both at the festival and around the globe.”

ULTRA South Africa returns for its 11th edition this year, taking place in Johannesburg on Saturday, 25 April at the Expo Centre at Nasrec and in Cape Town on Sunday, 26 April at The Ostrich.

Known for world-class production, cutting-edge sound and a lineup that blends international superstars with local talent, ULTRA South Africa continues to cement its position as one of the continent’s premier electronic music festivals.