Datsik

Datsik is the alias of Troy K. Beetles, a dubstep DJ and producer from Kelowna, Canada, who is born in 1988. He works in brostep, dubstep, electronic and post-dubstep, and is associated with heavy bass-oriented dance music.

Background and style

Beetles starts producing music in 2008. He describes his sound as dark and robotic, while also aiming for a funky, gangster and dirty feel. He says hip-hop has a major influence on his music, and names Wu-Tang Clan members RZA and Method Man among his inspirations.

Career and releases

Datsik is known for frequent collaborations with Excision, a friend and colleague. In 2009, he has seven number one releases on Beatport, and he also has strong vinyl sales through outlets including Chemical Records, Red-Eye and Juno. The name Datsik comes from a former Xbox Live gamertag, which itself is based on Russian MMA fighter Viacheslav Datsik.

Activity and later work

In 2018, Beetles is accused of sexual assault spanning multiple years, after which appearances at upcoming shows and festivals are cancelled and he steps down from Firepower Records. In 2020, he returns to the music scene by uploading four tracks to SoundCloud, followed by a fifth track, “Year of The Dragon”, later in the year.