House? Electro? Progressive? Trance? Genre labels make it easy to categorize music, but there’s no way to label DIRTYHERTZ’s sound. His techy deep house, bass rollin’ electro, deep mental progressive, and head-banging trance kick through genre barriers. DIRTY’s music spans the musical spectrum on labels like; Pacha Recordings, Black Hole Recordings, Magik Muzik, Baroque Records, etc. and has support from the biggest names in dance music including Tiesto, Sasha, Digweed, Paul Van Dyke, Paul Oakenfold, Markus Schulz and many, many more.
And just as you can’t label his music, there’s no way to label DIRTY himself. DJ, producer, sound designer: DIRTYHERTZ is all of these and more. He is recognized and respected around the globe for his legendary DJ sets. And, he has composed music and sounds for some of the biggest companies and product launches in the world including Apple computers, Konami Video Games, Big Fish Audio, Sound Ideas and NASA just to name a few.
DIRTY’s musical journey began in childhood when he began playing the guitar. But soon he discovered his obsession with tweaking amp knobs and wanking the whammy bar. This knob fetish eventually led him to his first job as a sound engineer at the age of 19. Then, while working his dream job as a sound engineer for ACME recordings in Chicago, DIRTY and a friend travelled to Los Angeles to a rave featuring The Orb and Orbital. After this mind-blowing experience, he made his way up the 101 to San Francisco for the first time. Instantly, he fell in love with San Francisco’s diverse music scene. He flew back to Chicago, quit his job, and a month later he was living the dream in San Francisco.
DIRTY’s first job in San Francisco was designing sounds for the legendary electronics company, E-mu. He got the job specifically so he could have their flagship sampler, the E-4XT Ultra, to start making beats. Soon, he was designing sounds for other companies including Kurzweil Music Systems. Word got around that DIRTY was a sound designer with tons of analog gear, and soon he began working with drum n’ bass and house producers as an engineer. Then, in 1998, he released his first track, a remix of Hawke’s “Erections 3,” on Gavin Hardkiss’s label, Sunburn Recordings.
In 2002, DIRTY gained more international attention as a producer with the track, “Solitude,” released on Looq records. By 2004, his “Rattlehead” release with Jerry Bonham found it’s way into Paul Van Dyk’s record crate. Around this time, he began his famed “Myfavoriteremixes” series which included bootlegs of the Beatles’s “Tomorrow Never Knows,” Cocteau Twins’ “Blue Bell Knoll,” and Interpol’s “Hands Away.” These highly sought after remixes were being played by Sasha, Digweed, and Tiesto and ended up on the BBC’s Radio 1 and Kiss FM.
Since then, DIRTYHERTZ’s original productions and remixes have made numerous Beatport Top 20 releases. His productions have been on every Pacha summer CD release since 2011. These compilations feature his hit releases “6 String Hero,” “Eyes Closed,” and “Underground.” Even world-renowned producers BT and Richard Durand have recognized his talent, choosing two of DIRTY’s tracks, “Be With You” and “Forgiveness,” to appear on the “In Search of Sunrise” 2015 compilation CD on Black Hole Recordings.
DIRTYHERTZ’s talent and versatility also extend to his DJing. He’s played alongside international stars such as Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Above & Beyond, ATB, Bob Sinclair, Ferry Corsten, Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schultz, Gareth Emery, Dash Berlin, DaDa Life, Darude, DJ Dan and many more. In 2006, DIRTY was even asked to play Tiesto’s private birthday party in Los Angeles. He’s held residencies at San Francisco’s legendary clubs The Endup, 1015, and Ruby Skye, and he’s played outdoor festivals including LoveFest, LovEvolution, and Burning Man.
With his signature DJing style and infectious productions, DIRTYHERTZ has reached the upper echelon of dance music artists.