From Vinyl to Virtual: DJ Sickmund Floyd’s Journey to Somnium Space and Why You Should Join the Revolution

Look, if you’ve ever spent hours tweaking beats in a dimly lit room or sweating it out in front of a half-empty club, you know the music game isn’t all glamour. It’s grind, it’s heartbreak, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, it’s that one set where everything clicks. That’s the world DJ Sickmund Floyd, Somnium Space regular and ambassador, has lived in for over two decades, starting as a kid messing around on a PlayStation game and evolving into a virtual reality trailblazer. But his path wasn’t a straight line; it was full of detours, dead ends, and rediscoveries. Now, he’s found a home in Somnium Space, a VR world that’s not just changing how DJs perform, it’s flipping the script on how they get paid and connect. If you’re a musician or DJ feeling stuck in the real-world trench, stick around. Sickmund’s journey might just convince you to grab your headset and jump in.

Kicking It Off Young: The Early Days of Beats and Vinyl

Sickmund didn’t waste time getting into music. He was just nine years old back in 1999 when he first dipped his toes into producing. “There was this game called Music 2000 for the PlayStation 1,” he remembers, “and you could build loops and mix them together. It was basic, but it got me hooked.” Fast-forward a couple of years to when he was 11, and a buddy showed him a demo of Fruity Loops, rebranded as the Radio 538 Sample Creator from a magazine giveaway. That sparked a chain reaction. He toyed with Magix Music Maker for a bit, but FL Studio became his go-to until 2014. Along the way, he experimented with heavy hitters like Cubase, Nuendo, Logic, and Reason, but nothing stuck quite like FL before he made the switch to PreSonus Studio One.

Somnium Space looked way better than VRChat. Better frames per second, no kids running around, and, get this, a tip jar – Sickmund Floyd

Want to give it a try an play in Somnium Space, but you do not know how to start? The easiest and most enjoyable way to get started is by joining the Somnium Space Discord community. It’s a welcoming, friendly place filled with helpful players and creators who are always happy to guide newcomers. You can also reach out directly to the community manager, Meloz. He’s super approachable and will happily walk you through your first steps! Come say hi, explore, and start building your own adventures in this amazing virtual world!

DJing hit him a little later, around 13, when he stumbled onto Virtual DJ. No fancy gear, just a mouse and keyboard to blend tracks. But by 15, he was all in. He scoured Marktplaats (that’s like the Dutch Craigslist) for a pair of beat-up turntables, an old mixer, and a pile of hardcore and hardstyle vinyl. Hardcore was his jam back then, the kind of pounding rhythms that rattle your chest. “One week after getting my first DJ gear, I was spinning at a birthday party at someone’s house,” Sickmund says. That casual gig snowballed. He met folks who pulled him into a local youth center, open weekdays for under-16s, but Fridays turned into 16+ parties with pro setups: Technics SL 1200 MK2 turntables and an XTC mixer.

He’d show up after school every day to practice, honing his skills at home too. Even though he was still 15, they let him stick around for those Friday nights. Big names in the hardcore and hardstyle scenes rolled through: Outsiders, Partyraiser, Nosferatu. “I’d watch them closely while they spun,” he recalls, “and sometimes they’d let me drop a track.” Those connections led to more youth centers, then actual discotheques. By his late teens, under the name DJ Generator, he was booking gigs in Brabant and Limburg, releasing tracks, and sharing stages with legends like Angerfist, Maddog, and Endymion. “Pretty much all the big names in hardcore,” he adds with a nod to how surreal it felt.

But reality bit hard. At 17, he stepped back from hardcore and hardstyle, dipping into house and even producing hip-hop beats. He picked up hardcore again at 19, but agency drama soured it: unpaid sets, covering his own travel from Delft to Limburg. “It was expensive even back then,” Sickmund explains, “so I quit that agency.” He shifted to EDM and Latin house, gigging in The Hague discotheques and even hitting a pop-up stage at Free Festival in 2014, organized by Outsiders. Still, most bookings were as openers for empty rooms, barely covering gas if he got paid at all. By the end of 2014, he called it quits on live DJing altogether.

The Pivot: Ghost Producing, Soundtracks, and Hitting Rock Bottom

Stopping the gigs didn’t mean stopping the music. Sickmund kept producing, even ghosting tracks for some well-known DJs. He won’t name names, but let’s just say they were pulling in €1200 for an hour while he got a few hundred bucks after 50+ hours on a single track. “It was frustrating,” he admits. “So much time and energy, and they got the glory.” He turned to trailer and film music instead, crafting epic soundscapes. No big breaks there, but he did paid intros for DJs and kept at it for the love.

Then came a rough patch. Depression set in, and that’s when virtual reality entered the picture. “I discovered VR when I was mostly down,” Sickmund shares. He started in VRChat, quickly gravitating to the virtual rave scene. That’s where drum & bass grabbed him. He stuck with trailer music on the side but saved up for new gear, snagging a Pioneer FLX4 controller after ditching his old stuff years ago.

VR DJing reignited the fire. Through a fellow producer from VRality and Shadola at Metronome, he landed spots there first. Then, in May 2025, Somnium Space came calling. His old PC struggled, but it worked. By November, with a fresh build, everything ran smooth. “Somnium Space looked way better than VRChat,” he enthuses. “Better frames per second, no kids running around, and, get this, a tip jar.” For the first time in VR, and honestly in years of gigging, he got paid. Tips rolled in, and it felt real. “This is the first time I really feel valued for what I do,” Sickmund reflects, comparing it to all those underpaid or unpaid real-world sets.

This is the first time I really feel valued for what I do – Sickmund Floyd

Around that time, he noticed AI getting scary good at music production. It made him shelve his film music dreams. Not that he uses AI for his own stuff, mind you. Now, he’s all in on producing drum & bass the old-fashioned way. In Somnium, he joins dev and community meet-ups, chats with folks, and watches the platform grow. Features like age verification keep out trolls and kids, while video calls add a personal touch he’s never seen before. “It’s super cozy,” he says. “And I can see the future here. The basics are solid, and in one or two years, this place is going to blow up. I’ve been telling all my friends to join.”

Calling All DJs and Musicians: Why Somnium Space Is Your Next Move

Sickmund’s story hits home for anyone who’s chased the music dream. The unpaid gigs, the travel hassles, the feeling like you’re pouring your soul into something that doesn’t pour back, it’s all too common. But Somnium Space? It’s different. No more hauling gear across cities or begging for bookings. You set up in your own space, plug into VR, and reach a global crowd that’s actually there for the music.

Think about it: engaged audiences tipping directly through the platform’s tip jar system. No middlemen skimming off the top. Build real relationships in meet-ups that feel like hanging out with old friends. And the tech? It’s evolving fast. Age checks mean a mature vibe, video calls let you collaborate face-to-face (virtually), and the visuals blow away clunkier platforms. Sickmund’s hooked because it finally rewards the effort. “No kids, no trolls, just good vibes and actual appreciation,” he points out.

If you’re a DJ sitting on killer sets or a producer with tracks gathering dust, why not give it a shot? Somnium isn’t just another app. It’s a community where musicians thrive. Start small, like Sickmund did with his first shaky set, and watch it grow. The barriers are low: grab a controller, hop in, and spin. Who knows? Your next big break might be virtual, but the rewards? Totally real.

And hey, if you want to see what Sickmund’s all about, check him out across the web. He’s got beats dropping everywhere:

TikTok: @sickmundfloyd

Instagram: @sickmundfloydvrc

YouTube: @SickmundFloydMusic

SoundCloud: sickmund-floyd and floydhartmanmusic

X (Twitter): @SickmundFloyd

Bluesky: did:plc:l6d55n46ah2q3sa66o5tgkcy

There you have it. Sickmund Floyd’s raw ride from vinyl scratches to virtual highs. If his story gets you thinking, maybe it’s time to log in and make your own.