Lenzman, Dutch Drum & Bass Icon and North Quarter Founder, Dies Aged 47

The drum & bass community is mourning Lenzman, real name Teije van Vliet, who has died at the age of 47. His family confirmed the news, saying he passed on 11 July 2026 after a three-and-a-half year battle with kidney cancer.

Few producers shaped modern soulful drum & bass as clearly as Lenzman did. He broke through on Metalheadz, releasing his debut album Looking At The Stars in 2014, and became one of the defining voices of the genre's more musical, hip-hop-informed side. In 2016 he founded The North Quarter, a label that grew into one of the most respected independent platforms in drum & bass and gave early homes to a generation of artists working in that same warm, sample-led tradition.

A long fight, documented openly

Van Vliet was diagnosed with kidney cancer in January 2023. What followed was years of surgeries, including emergency brain surgery in late 2023, reconstructive surgery in 2024, and later radiotherapy following a seizure. Treatment was stopped earlier this year. Throughout it, he kept writing and releasing music, and the scene rallied around him with benefit events in London and Amsterdam.

"For three-and-a-half years he fought with so much strength, courage and love," his family wrote. "He showed us what true strength means."

Tributes have poured in from across the drum & bass world — from Metalheadz peers to the North Quarter roster he built and mentored. His catalogue, and the label he leaves behind, remain among the most influential bodies of work in the genre.

Read more: Lenzman, Dutch drum & bass icon and North Quarter founder, has died aged 47

Photo via The North Quarter