Yogin Sullaphen

Yogin Rajoo Sullaphen (born 8 January 1986) is a South African composer, music producer, live-looper and multi-instrumentalist. He is a member of the musical duo uKhoiKhoi, where his live-looping practices are a feature of their stage performances. Sullaphen is also known for composing and performing as part of theatre productions and performance art projects, which has earned him three nominations for Naledi Theatre Awards, which recognize excellence in South African theatre.

Early life Sullaphen was born in Durban, South Africa, and relocated to Johannesburg during his teenage years. He comes from a mixed-heritage background, with a South African Indian father and a Coloured mother. His diverse background exposed him to a wide range of musical influences, ranging from popular music of the 1970s and 1990s to Indian classical music and avant-garde jazz rock. Sullaphen did not receive formal music training until after high school when he decided to pursue a career in music and went on to complete a Bachelor of Music (BMus) at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, majoring in composition.

Career Sullaphen began his career as a guitar teacher at a private school in Johannesburg before transitioning to freelance work in music, primarily focusing on composition and production. His work in music composition has earned him three nominations for Naledi Theatre Awards. He was nominated in the "best original score" category for the production "Jungfrau" in 2019, and for "best sound design/soundscape" for "Strange Land" in 2020, both directed by award-winning South African theatre director Jade Bowers. In 2026, Sullaphen was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award in the “best original score/soundscape” category for the theatre production “Gabo Legwala”, a work created in collaboration with award-winning poet Modise Sekgothe and vocalist Phumla Siyobi.

Sullaphen has worked extensively with acclaimed South African director and choreographer Robyn Orlin on stage productions that have been performed internationally. Between 2012 and 2017, his composition for Orlin's "Beauty remained for just a moment…" toured extensively in France and throughout Europe. Since 2021, Sullaphen – as part of the live-looping band uKhoiKhoi – has been touring Europe, Asia and the United States of America with Orlin’s stage production titled “We wear our wheels with pride…”. In 2024, this production was performed for the first time in South Africa at the JOMBA! Dance Festival where Orlin was honoured as the 2024 JOMBA! Legacy Artist.

Sullaphen has also composed for and performed internationally with world-renowned South African choreographer Kieron Jina and, more recently, with multi-award-winning choreographer Gregory Maqoma. Sullaphen formed part of the musical cast that composed and performed the music for Maqoma’s work, "Genesis - The Beginning and End of Time", which premiered at the 2025 Weimar Arts Festival in Germany, before it was staged in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa, in early 2026.

In another collaboration, Sullaphen worked with Modise Sekgothe, winner of the 2025 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Poetry, to create a stage production titled “Gabo Legwala”, that was performed at the 2025 National Arts Festival in Makhanda, South Africa,

In 2026, Sullaphen joined forces with multi-award-winning performance artist Albert Ibokwe Khoza to create a work titled “Dear Museum! The Truth of the Matter: It Seems Everything Was Better When We Were Not Telling the Truth”. This work, which questioned Western ethnological museum practices and explored the presentation of cultural artefacts in museum collections, was performed at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, as well as the 2026 National Arts Festival in Makhanda.

In 2019, Sullaphen, along with vocalist and performing artist Anelisa "Annalyzer" Stuurman, founded the live-looping band uKhoiKhoi. This duo blends indigenous and electronic music to honour their ancestors and address societal injustices. uKhoiKhoi released a self-titled 3-track EP in 2020 and their second EP "Nongqawuse" was released in 2022. In addition to the international tours with Robyn Orlin's productions, uKhoiKhoi has performed at Sauti za Busara, an African music festival held annually in Zanzibar, Tanzania; and Fête de la Musique.

Works and performances

Works for theatre and film TalentLab (Luxembourg) Composer, performer Skeletons (by Jade Bowers & UJ Arts Academy) Premiered Jul 2022 2022 Durban International Film Festival, Durban (SA) Film composer African Exodus / Surplus Circus (by Sbusiso Shozi & Nhalnhla Mahlangu with the Centre for the Less Good Idea) Feb 2023 Komische Oper Berlin (Germany) Performer The Paper Double-Bill (by Jade Bowers & UJ Arts Academy) Feb 2023 University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg (SA) Composer, performer Dante and Mashudu (by Johannesburg School of Mask and Movement Theatre) Mar 2023 Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban & Cape Town (SA) Composer, sound design, music director Breaths of Joburg (by Jade Bowers, Alex Halligey & UJ Arts Academy) Apr 2023 Hillbrow, Johannesburg (SA) Composer, performer Hybrid (by The Zebras Crossing Collective) Jun 2023 TalentLab (Luxembourg) Concept design, producer, composer, performer I Release You (by Kieron Jina) Aug 2023 Zürich (Switzerland) Composer The Rise (by Kieron Jina) Oct 2023 Glasgow (Scotland) Composer Spatial Fabrications: An Uninhabitable World (by PreEmpt Group Collective) Oct–Nov 2023 Fak’ugesi Creators Online Exhibition Composer How in salts desert is it possible to blossom... (by Robyn Orlin with Garage Dance Ensemble & uKhoiKhoi) Jun 2024 Marseille, Rome (Italy) Amsterdam (Netherlands) Paris & Reims (France) Sep 2025 Ruhrtriennale 2025, Essen (Germany) Nov-Dec 2025 Strasbourg, Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, Bourges, Cannes, Saint-Nazaire, Rennes (France) A border is a line that birds cannot see (by Kieron Jina) Jun 2025 TalentLab (Luxembourg) Composer, performer

Jun 2025 National Arts Festival, Makhanda (SA)

Sep-Oct 2025 Market Theatre, Johannesburg (SA)

Aug 2025 Kunstfest Weimar Johannesburg (SA) Bantu (by Gregory Maqoma) Jan 2026 University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg (SA) Composer

May-Jun 2026 Humboldt Forum, 24 Mar 2020 Online performance streamed from Toronto (Canada) Credo-Memoration 25 Jul 2020 Online performance streamed from Johannesburg (SA) Planet Afropunk 22 Oct 2020 Online performance streamed from the USA

4 Nov 2021 Sol.i.dar.i.ty 8 Apr 2021 Online performance streamed from Switzerland Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Dec 2021 Online performance streamed from United Kingdom 2nd World Sound Concert 27 Aug 2022 Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg (SA) Queertopia 10 Dec 2022 Victoria Yards, Johannesburg (SA) Mieliepop Festival 15 Apr 2023 Nirox Sculpture Park, Johannesburg (SA) Fête de la Musique 13 Feb 2024 Iziko South African National Museum, Cape Town (SA) 2024 SoCreative Summit 10 May 2024 Victoria Yards, Johannesburg (SA) Sauti za Busara 14-16 Feb 2025 Stone Town, Zanzibar (Tanzania) Ruhrtriennale''' 7 Sep 2025Bochum (Germany)