Dash Berlin is opening up about the legal fight that kept him from performing under his own stage name for years. In a new interview with host Geronimo on SiriusXM’s BPM (channel 52), the Dutch trance producer — born Jeffrey Sutorius — walks through what he describes as a five-year battle to win back rights to the Dash Berlin name.
For those who followed the saga, Sutorius spent a stretch of his career touring and releasing music under his given name after losing access to the Dash Berlin moniker, a name he built into one of trance music’s most recognizable brands over the past decade and a half. The dispute stemmed from a business disagreement over ownership of the name itself, a situation that left fans confused about which artist name to look for on lineups and streaming platforms.
“Yeah, correct. Jeffrey Sutorius,” Dash Berlin tells Geronimo when asked about performing under his real name during the dispute. Pressed on the timeline, he adds, “Let’s say a good 5 years. Something like that.”
Geronimo recalls running into the producer during that period and sensing his frustration firsthand. “I remember it was really frustrating for you because, you know, it’s who you are and who you helped to create and all of a sudden you’re blocked from it,” the host says.
Dash Berlin doesn’t downplay how difficult the situation became, both professionally and personally. “It’s been an awkward situation. It’s been a professional, uncomfortable situation. It’s been an emotional situation, personally as well, but many people come around now,” he says. “They say, ‘Okay, justice takes time,’ and that’s where I stand a little bit. You know, justice takes time, and that’s where we are right now. That’s where it’s going to stay and for now, especially with everything happening in the world, this is really good news.”
He’s also quick to point out that the resolution means as much to his fan base as it does to him. “This is not only me. This is also the fans, and the fans are super happy,” Dash Berlin says. “It’s like this giant tsunami of positivity when I look at my social media, how happy people are that I am able to work as Dash Berlin again and in these circumstances, with everything happening in the world, I’m just glad to be surrounded with people and I’m in the epicenter of something positive, something happy, especially now.“
Credit: SiriusXM’s BPM
