TJE / Niels Orens

TJE
After establishing themselves as the absolute "talk of the town" at home over the past year, the Belgian trio TJE is aiming for nothing less than an international breakthrough in 2026. Their secret weapon: the debut album SCHADE, hailed by critics (including De Morgen) as one of the definitive records of the year.

TJE consists of Lindy Versyck (vocals), Melvin Slabbinck (guitar, drums), and Klaas Leyssen (bass). The trio brings a wealth of experience from other corners of the scene: Versyck frequently performs with Arsenal and Meltheads, Slabbinck drums for Kaat Van Stralen, and Leyssen leads the punk-rock outfit The Yummy Mouths. A crucial fourth link in their creative chain is co-writer and producer Pieter-Jan Decraene. Together, they fuse their diverse backgrounds into a sound that is as infectious as it is undefinable—sitting at the intersection of raw intensity and fragile layering.
Their music balances between melancholic avant-pop, experimental post-rock, and pulsing electronics, prioritizing atmosphere and emotion. It is a "melting pot" that works perfectly, resulting in an intense, hypnotic, and memorable live trip. Just ask the crowds at Best Kept Secret, Lokerse Feesten, Reeperbahn, Fifty Lab, and Left of the Dial, where they delivered standout performances throughout 2025.

The TJE story began in 2023 with the IDOLS EP, followed by a podium finish at Humo’s Rock Rally. Their first international steps included a successful showcase at Focus Wales and a UK mini-tour. Singles like ‘This Is’ and ‘Always Hardening’ have already paved the way to major radio play (Radio 1, StuBru) and influential indie stations across France and the Netherlands, even landing them the cover of Spotify’s Indie Update. With Versyck’s spellbinding vocals—reminiscent of a dreamy yet menacing Björk or FKA Twigs—TJE uses a minimalist setup to achieve maximum impact, pushing the boundaries of their instruments in search of dissonance and musical friction.

NIELS ORENS
Niels Orens is a Belgian producer and live performer who flawlessly blurs the lines between acoustic instrumentation and electronic production. His music isn't about traditional song structures; instead, it focuses on texture, spatiality, and intricate sound design. By warping organic sounds through analogue synthesis and complex processing, he creates immersive soundscapes influenced by breakbeat and deep bass. The result is electronic music that is both physically visceral and deeply human.

Orens’ artistic trajectory is closely linked to electronic pioneer Max Cooper. What began as an internship evolved into a contribution to Cooper’s album Unspoken Words and a key role in the prestigious SEME project—a modern electronic reinterpretation of classical Italian music performed at London’s Barbican and the Salzburg Easter Festival. In early 2025, Orens solidified this partnership with a feature on Cooper’s album On Being. That same year, he collaborated with Soulwax to compose the soundtrack for Miet Warlop’s theater production Inhale Delirium Exhale, in which he also performed live.
As a live act, Orens has built a formidable reputation with over 50 shows across Europe, sharing stages with heavyweights like Forest Swords, Rival Consoles, and Weval. Following a successful 2024 audiovisual tour, 2025 brought major milestones: a sold-out headline show at AB Club (Brussels) and two sold-out concerts at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw during ADE.

"Orens exists at the crossroads of experimental electronics and deep breakbeats. His work invites the listener into a world where sound becomes a vessel for reflection, tension, and the lingering beauty of melancholy."

With his latest release, the Never Again EP (April 2026, Off Corner Records), Orens demonstrates how he has transformed periods of isolation and introspection into layered, rhythmic compositions. Inspired by artists like Yves Tumor, Burial, and James Holden, he translates themes of loneliness and inner unrest into broken beats, haunting bass pressure, and fragile melodies.