Electronic Music and the Present
Oct 15
Lynnée Denise
Black music and sound scholar Lynnée Denise is joined by South African AfroHouse/AfroTech DJ Lerato Tsotetsi for an archival sound and image presentation.
The conversation traces the movement of South African music through Amsterdam, from apartheid-era musicians in exile to contemporary musical cultures.
Sound System Geographies: South African Music in Amsterdam From Exile to Amapiano
- Date
- October 15, 2026
- Duration
- 90 min, no interval
- Genre
- Perspective
- Language
- English
- Location
- Bookshop
This program explores the histories and contemporary influence of South African music in Amsterdam, tracing connections between musicians who lived and worked in the city during apartheid and the DJs, producers and musical movements shaping international dance floors today.
The event considers how music functioned as a tool for survival, resistance, and collaboration within contexts of exile, while connecting Amsterdam to broader anti-apartheid and African diasporic networks.
Joining Lynnée Denise is Lerato Tsotetsi, a South African AfroHouse/AfroTech DJ who interrogates culture, media, and human behaviour through a sociological lens. Together, they examine the movement of South African music across generations, from jazz and the cultural networks of exile to AfroHouse, AfroTech, and Amapiano, and the role these musical traditions play in Amsterdam's contemporary nightlife and international music culture.
Tickets and times
Radical Space in The Bookshop
This programme is part of Radical Space. The Bookshop was once the entrance to the amphitheatre’s balcony, intended for the ‘common people’ who paid less for a ticket. As a result, these visitors were separated from the wealthy Amsterdammers, executives, mayors and the nobility, who were allowed to enter via the main entrance. This class division is, of course, no longer actively practised today. But could it be that the traces of this past still influence the way our society functions?
Radical Space aims to break through these patterns and commissions artists to engage in dialogue with our past. Through performances and discussions, they question the class structures within our society.
Black Achievement Month
Black Achievement Month (BAM) is held every year in October. The festival aims to showcase the exceptional talents of people with African roots. BAM provides a platform for creators, entrepreneurs, academics and other influential voices from the Black community. Their achievements are brought to the attention of a wide audience through a variety of activities, including debates, exhibitions, literary collections, workshops, spoken word, and theatre, dance, music and film performances that centre on the ‘Black Experience’. In doing so, BAM highlights not only the cultural richness but also the social and economic value of the Afro-community in the Netherlands – against the historical backdrop of slavery and colonialism.
