Born from the collective spirit of South African music, Red Bull Back2Beyond is set to make its local debut in South Africa, Pretoria.
Red Bull Back2Beyond is a night-long, interlocked chain of back-to-back DJ sets, where DJs collaborate live across multiple stages. Instead of having an event that features one back-to-back, here we create fresh duos all night to speak to multiple sonic identities and celebrate the first cohort of DJs.
First launched in Cologne in 2024, Back2Beyond reimagines electronic music performance with rotating DJ pairings that create a continuous, collaborative musical conversation. While revolutionary in Europe, this format is second nature to South Africa, where music has always thrived on shared creativity — from Zulu call-and-response and apartheid-era jazz to Gqom’s township producer collectives and Amapiano’s multi-artist collaborations.
The South African line-up celebrates this heritage:
KMAT – An Amapiano innovator who seamlessly blends electronic textures with township rhythms. KMAT has been consistently touring and taking Africa to the world in her own authentic way, establishing herself as a global ambassador for South African electronic music.
Dlala Thukzin – Whose productions exemplify the collective creative process that birthed Gqom. Known for his pursuit of authentic sound, Dlala Thukzin has expanded beyond traditional Gqom into 3-step/Gqom tech, continuously pushing sonic boundaries.
Major League DJz – A collective that has always understood music as dialogue rather than monologue. Notable global pioneers of Amapiano who are currently exploring Afro-house and Afro-tech as they attempt to break boundaries and celebrate African music globally.
Sun-El Musician – Afro-house visionary carrying SA’s collaborative spirit worldwide. Sun-El has created a delicately melodic path through the Afro-house world, describing his music as African Electronic Dance Music.
012 Central, located in Pretoria’s city center, provides the perfect stage — an authentic, unpretentious space where the focus is on music over spectacle. Its setting mirrors the ethos of Back2Beyond: stripping away ego to spotlight shared artistry.
When curating this lineup, the main objective was to celebrate dance music in its most beautiful form – whether it’s Afro-house, Amapiano, 3-step, or Gqom – all these genres have led to South Africa being the epicenter of African dance culture in recent years. The event aims to showcase and celebrate the diverse dance music landscape.
With Amapiano and Gqom now influencing global dancefloors, Red Bull Back2Beyond’s arrival is more than an event. It is a homecoming — recognizing South Africa as the true birthplace of the collaborative energy that drives this format.
Red Bull Back2Beyond South Africa
Date: 22 November 2025
Venue: 012 Central, 387 Helen Joseph St, Pretoria Central, Pretoria
Artists: KMAT • Dlala Thukzin • Major League DJz • Sun-El Musician
Tickets: Available via [Insert Ticketing Partner & Link]
More info: redbull.com/back2beyond | Follow @RedBullZA
