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Dimant Leor (1972)

Personal data
SurnameDimant
NameLeor
Birth year1972
Birth month12
Birth day18
Birth placeRiga
SexM

Dimant Leor (Lior) (born 18 December 1972, Riga) – Latvian-American DJ, producer, musician from Limp Bizkit group, founding member of La Coka Nostra group.

Born into a Latvian-Jewish family in Soviet‐era Riga, Lior Dimant emigrated with his family in 1979 at the age of seven—first to Italy, where they had to wait for a visa for a year. Finally, they were offered a choice between Toronto, Los Angelos and New Yourk. Lior’s father chose New York. They settled in New York (Brighton Beach), where his father performed guitar in Russian-themed venues. The family later moved to Los Angeles in the late 1980s, where Dimant became immersed in hip‑hop culture, including breakdance, graffiti and beat‑boxing, before teaching himself turntablism using a friend’s decks.

He rose to prominence as the DJ behind House of Pain’s hit “Jump Around” and, in 1996, joined Limp Bizkit. In the end of 1990ies this group became one of the most popular in New Metal and Hip Core style. More than 33 mln discs were sold, where Dimant is presented as sound producer. There, he integrated scratching, sampling and electronic ambience into the band’s aggressive rap-rock aesthetic, helping to define their distinctive sound on albums including Significant Other (1999) and Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavoured Water (2000). He departed the band in 2012 but rejoined in 2018 .

Dimant has also worked as a producer for La Coka Nostra and collaborated with artists such as Everlast, Scott Weiland, Xzibit and DJ Premier. Beside playing in bands he also recorded music in his own studio, working together with Scott Harris and other prominent musicians.

Notably, despite decades in the USA, Dimant maintains strong ties to Latvia and frequently states that he still feels “Latvian.” He kept contact with family and friends there, including the singer Laima Vaikule, who encouraged him to preserve his connection to his homeland.