Martin Garrix suing former label boss

Dance music star Martin Garrix is embroiled in a legal battle with his former record label boss over ownership of his music.

The Animals DJ, real name Martijn Garritsen, split from his longtime record label Spinnin' Records and its sister company MusicAllstars Management (MAS) in August (15) following a dispute over the rights to his songs.

At the time, Spinnin' Records chief executive and Garrix's manager Eelko van Kooten insisted the label was "plainly willing" to meet the star's demands and even "confirmed transfer of ownership" before his departure.

However, Garrix has now filed a lawsuit against van Kooten seeking restitution of the rights to his music, according to Dutch website Telegraaf.nl. He also claims he was given "false and misleading information" when he signed contracts.

When they parted ways in the summer (15), the 19-year-old DJ explained his departure in a post on Facebook.com.

"From the beginning of this year I tried to get back the ownership rights of my music from Spinnin Records and to keep my confidence in MAS," he wrote. "I am extremely disappointed that the discussions have not led to a change in the agreements or return of the ownership rights, and that is why I nullified them.

"With that, I close this chapter. I trust that everyone respects that I would like to leave this behind me and that I prefer not to discuss this any further."