Belgian DJ Netsky relishing opportunity to play in NZ amid global pandemic

Internationally renowned Belgian DJ Netsky has lavished praise on New Zealand – and Rhythm and Vines – in the lead-up to his New Zealand tour next week.

The musician, who is in the country ahead of his tour, was the international guest at Rhythm and Vines this year – his 10th consecutive year playing to New Zealand crowds.

Netsky, also known as Boris Daenen, arrived in the country just before New Year’s Eve, where he completed managed isolation before travelling straight to Gisborne for the festival.

The surprise performance marked one decade of playing at the festival in what he called “just an amazing relationship between me and Rhythm and Vines”.

“It feels like we’re in the honeymoon phase right now, 10 years. It’s been incredible,” he said.

“After nine months of not being able to tour, being able to play in front of crowds, it was incredible to get on stage for the first time.”

Netsky called Rhythm and Vines “one of my favourite festivals in the world,” despite playing at Glastonbury and Coachella.

“It’s special,” he said. “Really close to my heart.”

He said it’s “obviously a beautiful, beautiful country to travel around, but the people are just amazing.”

“I don’t know what it is … I just really get along with Kiwis. It’s somewhere between the Belgian mentality and an English mentality which I both really like," he said.

“It’s just a beautiful country with lots of music-loving people, there’s a lot of entertainment here. There’s a real hunger for that – it’s an incredible place to tour.”

Netsky said he spent three days walking around the Gisborne music festival while wearing a Shrek mask ahead of his surprise performance in the midnight slot on New Year’s Eve.

“It was amazing. It was just everything I was hoping for.”

He said it is “absolutely” surreal to have built up a large Kiwi fanbase, adding, “To be on the other side – literally the other side of the world from where I grew up in Belgium – it’s amazing that we can sell tickets to these shows and be surrounded by all this positivity, especially in 2020, 2021.”

“I am incredibly grateful to come here year after year, but especially this year. It’s amazing to be able to be in a country where we can play, where there’s normal life like in 2019, almost what it felt like.”