Dustin Hertz, also known as Pieter Leijten, is a Dutch DJ/producer of jump-, tek- and freestyle music. He started DJ-ing in 2000, at the age of 18, at local establishments, mainly focusing on commercial dance music. After a few years, as a result of playing at venues near the Belgium border, it was the sound of Jumper Records that caught his attention. Tracks by Da Boy Tommy and Da Rick were big hits at his residency. It was that unique blend of hard hitting beats and catchy riffs that made this sound popular for the bigger crowd.
In 2004, it was that same energetic sound, that motivated Pieter to start focusing on jumpstyle. Importing vinyls from labels like Babaorum, Atomic Techno, Zoo Records, Jumper Records, but also Dutch label Square Beats, was his top priority. With Toff Music as his supplier, he was able to always get that unique record.
Due to the great demand for jumpstyle DJ’s at that time, Pieter had the opportunity to play at a large variety of venues. To name a few: Complex (Sint Niklaas, BE), Cherrymoon (Lokeren, BE), Zalinaz (Etten-Leur, NL), Hangar 1 (Oostende, BE), The-Return (Vosselaar, BE). But also festivals and other parties were on his agenda.
After the commercial meltdown of the jumpstyle scene, Pieter decided it was time to focus on producing. He got in touch with artists like G-Swatt, Pat B, Ransom, Clayton Cash and Yorick, cooperating, learning, remixing and having fun with music productions. Eventually he altered his DJ name into Dustin Hertz to represent his own perception of jumpstyle (nowadays widely known as freestyle). Now, as part of the iLektrik family, you can spot him behind the decks at a wide variety of parties, doing what he loves doing: DJ-ing!
