She is a musician slash performer interested in making the audience part of the ‘vieze cirkel’ of life. They are a DJ and producer known for euphoric, Latin club-oriented sets, and for the parties they throw with Viciosa and Call of Dirty. Get to know Maya alias Vieze Meisje and Sidney aka NMSS, the curators of this year’s Sound of the Belgian Underground.
Are there any festivals you’re looking at as an example?
Sidney: I love Dekmantel. It may be a little elitist, but I love how they book very innovative artists while remaining inclusive. That’s the kind of line-up I want when organising events. It's an interesting time in electronic music. Women, black and queer people are finally behind the decks again. Due to the rise in subgenres, line-ups are getting increasingly eclectic. Which is really fun. We want to reflect that eclecticism, while trying to be coherent.
Maya: I don't have any specific festivals in mind, but I'm always happy when I come across a line-up that includes acts that I cannot grasp directly, because it might be something I haven't seen before. I’m also drawn to acts that are not only musically strong but have an interesting stage presence. This year, the line-up will include performance acts.
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Your practice also lies between music and theatre. How would you describe a Vieze Meisje-show?
Maya: Beat-driven. Energetic. Physical. For me, the audience is as much part of the gig as the performers are. That's why I love playing in the middle of a venue. It feels more intimate, less closed off.
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‘Underground’ has become a somewhat hollowed-out term. What does it mean to you?
Sidney: That’s a tricky question. It doesn't mean anything anymore. Take electronic music: it originated in underprivileged African American communities and grew into a worldwide movement that captured queerness. Now it has become commercialised and institutionalised. The times of underground resistance are far behind us. Electronic music is mainstream now. I think terms like ‘alternative’ or ‘emerging’ are more relevant.
It's not romantic to be underground. It's hard to make any money
Maya: I think the underground is carried by artists who often remain invisible, artists who are innovating and experimenting. That’s how we approach the term while curating the line-up.
Sidney: Do you think the underground is romanticised? I get the idea that when people think of the underground, they imagine things that aren’t real.
Maya: Yes. I don't think it's romantic to be underground. It's hard to make any money, for instance.
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What could we do to help emerging artists?
Sidney: It’s different in other parts of the music industry, but as a DJ, you’re on your own. Upcoming DJs have no financial education, no law knowledge, and no idea how to promote themselves on social media. There’s barely any transmission from older DJs to their younger peers, which results in a lot of them feeling isolated. The scene would be much healthier if people shared their expertise. To whoever’s reading this: we need DJ mentors!
To whoever’s reading this: we need DJ mentors!
Maya: I agree. It would be so cool if the older generation would show the younger one around. But we are each other's competitors. I think that’s the issue. We also need to do something about the monopolies in the music industry. Big players like Live Nation reserve slots years from now, and not only in big venues, leaving smaller players with fewer opportunities.
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You both grew up abroad. What was your impression of the scene when you first arrived here? Did you find it easy to meet like-minded people?
Maya: I moved from Amsterdam to Antwerp to study. Some of my friends lived in Brussels, and I was so happy every time I visited them. Surrealism originated in Belgium, and I still feel its spirit in the experimentation here. You cannot help but feel a certain corporateness at shows in the Netherlands. It’s like people had their tote bags first and their records second. [laughs]
Surrealism originated in Belgium, and I still feel its spirit in the experimentation here
Sidney: Brussels is amazing. I'm proud to be part of the Belgian scene. Whenever I play abroad, I stress that this country has the best electronic music scene. They say Belgium doesn’t have a distinctive sound after new beat, but we do, and SOBU will prove that.
I arrived here from France almost ten years ago. It took some time to find my people. But now that I've found them, I’m very happy. I'm really glad that I started Viciosa and that I'm part of Hard Being Hot.
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Speaking of your DJ collective, is it true that the name originated from someone complaining about receiving too many nudes?
Sidney: No. [laughs] Emilija invented that story. It did not start with a nude. But it did start with complaining about stuff you shouldn't complain about, like being hot. We love to complain a lot. Plus, it’s the title of a track by Miss Bashful.
Maya, in October, you released your debut album, Cut Copy Gut. In an interview, you mentioned you considered making something that could appeal to a broader audience.
Maya: Making a debut album is a whole thing. At a certain point, I did wonder: how can I make this album reflect me while at the same time appeal to a broader audience? But I ended up being honest and making what I wanted to. And I'm very happy I did.
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What's next for you, Sidney?
Sidney: I'm going to release an EP by spring 2026. It will be Latin club, with some hyperpop. It tells the story of a princess fighter in a medieval sci-fi world. I’ve released EPs before, but with this one, I'm trying to take the next step in my producer career.
<div class="editorial-banner"> <div class=“editorial-credits”>@vieze_meisje<br>@nmss3000</div></div>
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