Tomorrowland 2022: Beyond The Headliners

After a two-year break, Tomorrowland's return in 2022 is undoubtedly going to be their biggest ever. Not only have they extended proceedings to three entire wondrous weekends, there are dance music legends literally crammed into every hour of every day.

There's headliners everywhere you look - the lineup poster is mind-boggling and labyrinthine enough, let alone beginning to pick out who to see and where, if you want to absorb a spectrum of sounds.

Of course, we'd never discourage you from frequenting the festival's mainstage where EDM reigns supreme and Tomorrowland's party atmosphere reaches its optimum. But if a change of scenery, or of BPM is on the cards, there's immeasurable amounts of music to soundtrack your vibe - if you were fortunate enough to attend each and every weekend, you could have a completely new experience each time. 

To prove it, here's our choice picks of who to see beyond the headliners: 

DJ Seinfeld

Armand Jakobsson aka DJ Seinfeld has continually ventured beyond the typical trappings of deep house throughout his career, instead paying homage to the sub-genres pioneers in creating euphoric floor-fillers fit for any open green field with relatively lo-fi equipment and recording methods.

The crystalline production on his 2021 album Mirrors ramped up the rapture, and was a master-class in left-field, borderline psychedelic house. Time to get spiritual.

ANNA

Undoubtedly Brazil's biggest dance music export at present, ANNA deftly switches between entrancing ambient sounds and hard-hitting techno on her explorative releases to date. This willingness to defy the confines of certain electronic music stretch back to her formative years where she honed her craft at her father's nightclub on the outskirts of São Paulo.

The result? Emotive sets that showcase her expertise in balancing passion and precision. It's transcendent stuff. 

Marcel Dettmann

Berghain resident and straight-up electronic music innovator Marcel Dettmann has been one of contemporary techno's most influential figures. His storied career and artistry was recognised recently having been asked to remix the original score for The Matrix Resurrections, when he would've been championing the genre when the original film came out over two decades ago. 

Calling the experience a "huge accomplishment, honour and calling", he'll no doubt give his remix a spin at Tomorrowland. In that case, it'd be a good idea to don your leathers and sunglasses, no matter the time of day or night.

SaSaSaS

Sadly the six members of SaSaSaS are now just five, after the tragically unexpected passing of iconic MC Skibadee only weeks ago. The collaborative drum and bass crew will head to Tomorrowland depleted, but with no doubt more combustible energy and more emotion to pay tribute to their best mate on one of the music world's greatest stages.

It'll be a truly fitting send off for Skibadee, and an unmissable experience for any fiercely loyal drum and bass fan. 

Paris Hilton

Bit of a curveball here, given Paris Hilton doesn't quite garner the same levels of prestige as any other of the names mentioned in this article, but her DJ set has the potential to be one of the most viral moments of the festival. 

Her 2006 single 'Stars Are Blind' has out-lived the years of cringe and is now considered a cult-classic pop banger. Maybe she'll give it a spin? Who doesn't love a bit of tongue-in-cheek cheese every now and then.

Tomorrowland 2022 takes place on 15-17, 22-24 & 29-31st July in Boom, Belgium. Find more info on our Tomorrowland 2022 guide and book your Tomorrowland 2022 experience here.

More like this:

• Tomorrowland 2022: FAQs
• Tomorrowland: A History in Themes
• Tomorrowland's Most Memorable Moments
• Tomorrowland: 10 Things You Might Not Know About the World's Biggest Dance Festival
• Tomorrowland MainStage: 2005 to Now, a History in Pictures