Yogin Sullaphen
Yogin Rajoo Sullaphen 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 two 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 in 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 two 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.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. From 2021 to 2025, Sullaphen, as part of the live-looping band uKhoiKhoi, toured across Europe and Asia 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. Since mid-2024, uKhoiKhoi has also performed throughout Europe with “How in salts desert is it possible to blossom...”, another stage production by Orlin.
Sullaphen has also composed for and performed internationally with world-renowned South African choreographer Kieron Jina and, more recently, with multi-award-winning 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.
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 in South Africa at the 2025 National Arts Festival in Makhanda and at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg.
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; the 2025 Ruhrtriennale, a music and arts festival in Germany; as well as at music festivals and events across South Africa, such as Mieliepop and Fête de la Musique.