In 2024, the world kept moving to African beats. For Isgubhu, our showcase of the best dance and electronic sounds from across the continent, we’ve curated this recap of the best dance songs of the year. South African sonic pioneer DJ Lag led the innovative charge yet again with his 2024 album THE REBELLION, fusing 3-step and Afro-tech with gqom’s hard-hitting beats and amapiano’s hypnotic log drum—all captured in his Mr Nation Thingz collab “Hade Boss” (feat. K.C Driller). “I think if I stop [producing gqom], a lot of people will just stop,” DJ Lag tells Apple Music. “It’s my responsibility to keep pushing stuff. The style I’m trying now is gqom mixed with amapiano. It’s slow like ’piano, but the beats—you can hear it’s gqom. I like experimenting a lot.” Amapiano continued its globe-sweeping run through stars like Uncle Waffles, Felo Le Tee and TitoM & Yuppe—whose mega-viral hit “Tshwala Bam” even spawned a remix featuring Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy. The Afro-house scene saw global stars collaborating with African acts, including Francis Mercier’s remix of Omah Lay’s “Moving” and MoBlack’s “Yamore”. Here, you’ll also find 2024 highlights from Dlala Thukzin, Saint Evo, Lelowhatsgood, Artwork Sounds, Murumba Pitch, Mpho.Wav, Omah Lay and more.