HotStar: Datsik

Troy Beetles grew up on classic Wu-Tang Clan and Xbox games in Kelowna, British Columbia, more than 300 miles east of Vancouver – and what might seem a world away from the frenetic epicenter of the electronic dance music scene.

But Datsik – who professionally adopted his Xbox Live gamertag  – has found himself there with his darker brand of dubstep electronica, headlining clubs and theatres when not working on other projects.

He’s made stops along the EDM festival circuit at events including Identity, Electric Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival and Electric Zoo as well as Coachella. Given the explosion in big EDM events, with the promise of more to come, that’s not a bad place to be.

Getting there from Kelowna required a little help from his friends. The population 94,000 town in British Columbia’s southern interior might not be thought of as a hotbed of the music world but has produced not only Datsik, but Excision – with whom Datsik has produced a number of popular remixes.

Along the way, he collaborated with such disparate influences as Korn’s Jonathan Davis – who invited him to work on the band’s 2011 The Path of Totality – and Infected Mushroom.

He quickly landed several tracks at the top of Beatport charts and in 2012 released his full-length debut Vitamin D. Earlier this year, he founded his own label, Firepower Records, which has released Shellshock Vol. 1 to iTunes and Beatport and already has several emerging DJ/producers signed.

Back on the road, Datsik landed a support spot on Korn’s 2011 tour, followed by another opening for EDM superstar Steve Aoki – growing a fanbase that enables Datsik to now make the headline leap from smaller clubs to the larger rooms, including an upcoming two-night stand at Denver’s Ogden Theatre in June.