Mixing it up: Untitled Basement is the underground live music venue that belongs to Artivist in Braamfontein, Joburg, which provides a blend of food, music, art and performance.
On a sunny Monday afternoon, I arrive in Braamfontein to find the place bustling with students, civil servants, creatives, street vendors and professionals weaving through the inner-city streets.
The month of “Jan-u-worry” is finally staggering to a close, and I’m heading to Artivist to meet the creative forces behind the restaurant and its underground live music venue Untitled Basement.
Central Joburg’s youthful creative hub might wear its scars openly but it stands defiant, alive with possibility. It was here, seven years ago, that veteran hip-hop DJs Kenny Nzama (DJ Kenzhero) and Bradley Williams (The Globalist) set out to create a space that reflected their own sensibilities and that of their community.
Untitled Basement opened its doors in September 2017, followed by Artivist in June 2018 — a blend of food, music, art and performance that’s become an essential fixture in the heart of Braam.
“The initial inspiration was to create a space that our age mates could also hang out at because those spaces were running out,” explains Nzama. “You were either at a night club or at a space that only catered for younger people, so we were right in the middle.
“We tried to create a space that could cater for us personally, our age mates and everything in between, and not to close off young or old people.”
Williams adds: “From our experience as event producers, music producers and record label people, we had this direct engagement and connection with our audience.
“And we had the sense then there was something more we wanted, that everyone wanted, but it wasn’t happening. No one was doing it.
Mixing it up: Untitled Basement is the underground live music venue that belongs to Artivist in Braamfontein, Joburg, which provides a blend of food, music, art and performance.
“Kenny and I had actually been talking for a decade about creating a space of our own because we were both travelling, and seeing how people around the country, the continent and globally, were building community, and we wanted something like that in Joburg.”
They opened the venue around the time of #FeesMustFall when there was still a lot of energy in Braamfontein as other venues such as Orbit and Kitchener’s and brands like Nike and Puma were creating lots of excitement.
That was part of the inspiration for the name Artivist: “A lot of the impetus for this space was about drawing in the DNA of Braam’s activism, civil society groups, unions, lawyers and students,” Williams says. “We wanted to be part of the revolution happening in Braam,” says Nzama.
They saw potential in the underground venue for performance and throwing parties. In those first six months they hosted some memorable events, such as the after-party for the first Afropunk music festival on African soil.
“The first time Afropunk came to SA spoke to us because then there was an amalgamation, or an arrival, of people from across the continent and the diaspora,” Nzama says.
“That party in December was a perfect scenario of what we wanted to see because there were many African Americans, Kenyans, Nigerians — people from everywhere — so, when we looked in the room, it was a snapshot of the community we were thinking of beyond the borders of South Africa.”
And then life happened. The Covid pandemic began.
Artivist and Untitled Basement officially closed in March 2020 as South Africa and the rest of the world shut down.
The venue faced tough decisions during the lockdown, navigating challenges that threatened its survival as multiple other venues in Braamfontein and beyond went under. Nzama and Williams shared their internal debates about whether reopening was feasible, given the mounting debt and operational costs.
Williams acknowledged the financial reality: “If it was purely down to business, it would have been done.”
Yet they recognised the space’s cultural significance for the community. Nzama emphasised: “To know that you matter to a community, you gotta fight for that community.”
The pair struck a deal with their landlord to pause the lease, allowing them time to reassess.
They were bombarded with questions from the public: “When are you coming back?” The duo realised reopening required fresh energy and new ideas. Nzama admitted to programming fatigue, observing that his choices increasingly reflected personal comfort rather than the emerging cultural scene. To reinvigorate the venue, they brought in a new partner, Sfiso Gcabashe.
Sfiso’s journey into the arts and culture scene began in marketing.
“I was working in corporate — fast-moving goods and beverages, with a long stint at Red Bull.
“I travelled a lot but always came here for marketing events. It was the only venue that matched my personal criteria: music I liked and people I wanted to be around.
“Everything else felt too mainstream or grungy but this place brought different crowds together without anyone feeling out of place.”
As a DJ and music collector, Sfiso longed for a space that celebrated the music he loved.
“I’d have to travel to townships or Pretoria to hear it. Live music then was either too expensive, too old or too exclusive. I wanted to champion DJ culture, which was big but under-curated.”
He started hosting events at the venue through his agency.
“We’d play music you couldn’t Shazam — sounds that weren’t mainstream — and the space just worked. It ticked all the boxes, from its vibe to its price point.”
Eventually, Sfiso became a partner, blending his marketing expertise with his passion for music.
Eat your heart out: Langa Mavuso (left) and Nanette (right) perform at Untitled Basement in Braamfontein.
Amplifying new sounds
Artivist and Untitled Basement have weathered the storm that wiped out many entertainment venues, not only in Braamfontein and Johannesburg, but across the country. In doing so, they’ve solidified their place as a cornerstone of quality live music, offering a diverse range of genres.
The venue has welcomed an impressive lineup of South African talent, including jazz virtuoso Nduduzo Makhathini, soul sensation Zoë Modiga, rapper Stogie T, legendary musician Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse and pianist Bokani Dyer.
But it’s not just local acts who have graced its stage — international stars like Tortured Soul, Talib Kweli and Ibeyi have also left their mark, making Untitled Basement a true cultural hub for music lovers.
Sfiso reflects on the venue’s evolution: “For me, the highlight has always been the feedback from people — the feelings they get when they think about the space.”
He points to the venue’s shift from being seen purely as a jazz venue to one that embraces diverse sounds.
“It’s not just jazz; we’ve had R&B, hip-hop, folk, DJ sets and even reimagined amapiano. That diversity has been key for us.”
Williams adds, “Jazz used to swallow up all other genres, especially at festivals. But we’ve focused on educating audiences and curating varied shows, creating a space for different sounds.”
Kenny, too, celebrates the venue’s role in nurturing young talent, recalling working with artists like Marcus Harvey: “We took risks on new artists and now we see them thriving.”
The entrance to Artivist, which hosts chefs for pop-up dinners, pairing food and music.
They have given emerging acts a platform to connect with audiences beyond their immediate circle.
“In the streaming era, it’s tough for young artists to get discovered,” says Sfiso. “We cultivated a space that could take risks on them, helping springboard their careers.”
He explains the venue’s strength lies in its community of dedicated fans, a “database of music fanatics” that allows the venue to introduce new artists to fresh audiences. “
Kenny, too, speaks to the importance of freedom within the venue’s programming: “We can experiment here, push boundaries. For example, Nduduzo Makhathini did a show with a ballet dancer, combining music, dance and art.
“It’s a unique space for thinking outside the box.”
This merging of genres and art forms sets Untitled Basement apart.
Nurturing young talent has been a highlight of Untitled Basement’s journey, according to Sfiso: “Seeing a performer like Linda Sikhakhane go from a crowd of 30 to sold-out shows is a huge achievement.
“We take the wins and losses with the artists, we take a chance on them and help them grow.”
For Sfiso, the venue’s strength is giving young artists a place to aspire to, knowing they can say, “I performed here.”
One project the venue established specifically to introduce their audiences to new voices is Beats By Her, a DJ series curated by Mamthug.
“The concept originated from the venue itself and what I did when I started getting involved was just to refine the concept a little bit more,” Mamthug explains.
“And what we landed on was that Beats By Her would be a project that focused on highlighting alternative femme voices within the space.
“Over the course of two years, we were able to book at least 100 femme voices, along with some established male figures from the industry that had advocated for femme voices.”
Mamthug bowed out as curator last year but the series will continue with a new curator.
“Me stepping down was with the notion of Beats By Her being an incubator more than anything,” she explains.
“I was just the first one to do it but we recognise how great the platform was for me, in my personal capacity, so the next curator would step into an entity that already has its own community but also provides a great platform for them to exercise, or at least test out, their curatorial abilities.”