"I remember all the DJs playing a set from out of their living rooms in their pyjamas. I really thought it was a bad look and wanted to tackle it differently so I did a stream from a rooftop on the Avenue Louise, with a wonderful view out over Brussels."

With Faces of AB we simply wander into the life of a AB-goer. Together we muse about Brussels, this strange period in time, and AB. For this edition, we went out and about with Sara Dziri. 

"I’m Sara Dziri, Belgian-Tunisian DJ, producer & sound designer based in Sint-Gillis, Brussels. I organise various events - including Souk Sessions, evenings around Arabian Techno in the Beursschouwburg. I’m the founder of Not Your Techno, a party concept, collective and platform that wants to present more diversity to the electronic music scene, both in terms of representation as well as musical offerings. For the former, think: more representation of women, the queer community, and POC (people of colour). And recently I created the jingle for the new AB podcast: Guestlist. 

I’ve been working with music fulltime since the start of last year, so right before Corona hit us. Not so simple, with all the gigs that have been cancelled, but I was fortunate enough to be able to work on many other projects. 

The start of the lockdown was quite a shock for everyone, I think. I started doing a lot of sport at the time, but during the summer I went and enjoyed life in Marseille for three weeks, in spite of everything. It was only upon returning, toward the end of the year, that I had my dip, the lowest point being in January. On that warm weekend in February, when I arrived at a crowded park with a friend, I thought: “Wow..., shit!”. Hardly anyone was wearing a mask there. People need more freedom of movement again, and I totally get that. 

I’m most looking forward to getting back to playing in clubs again, I really miss that. Streaming just isn’t the same. There really was an over-supply of livestreams on my social media at the beginning of the lockdown, it was awful.

My bond with the AB Club is stronger than with the Main Hall because I’m more often a fan of the smaller, underground artists. I also like to attend the AB festivals. I really am a true Brussellian in that sense, the local things appeal to me the most. "

Pictures: Lien Peters