Botnek

Botnek comprises the Canadian EDM pair Gordon Huntley and Erick Muise. Throughout the 2010s the project built a reputation for aggressive, high-energy electro-house productions that occasionally ventured into dubstep and drum'n'bass territory. After issuing the Sriracha & Beer EP in 2012, the duo placed multiple cuts on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label and drew notice through official reworkings of tracks by Martin Garrix and the Chainsmokers, plus joint efforts with Snails, 3LAU, and Zedd. In 2017 the pair deliberately shifted direction, favoring a leaner house aesthetic that first surfaced on the single “Don’t Need U.”

The two producers first crossed paths in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during 2008. Shared enthusiasm for house music and BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix hosted by Pete Tong prompted them to begin recording together. Their initial offerings, the 2010 track “If You Wanna” and the 2011 Plonk EP, attracted support from fidget-house figures including Crookers and AC Slater, as well as Steve Aoki, who brought Botnek onto Dim Mak Records. Sriracha & Beer arrived in 2012 while the duo’s global performance calendar intensified. Further Dim Mak singles followed, among them 2013’s “I Know” and 2014’s “Vikings” featuring 3LAU. Momentum surged after an edit of Martin Garrix’s “Animals” and a remix of the Chainsmokers’ “#SELFIE,” both completed in 2014. Subsequent collaborations included the Zedd track “Bumble Bee,” featured on the 2015 album True Colors, and the 2015 drum’n’bass cut “Deeper Love” with I See Monstas, released via Monstercat. Two EPs, Connecting? and Buffering…, appeared on Dim Mak in 2016. Additional material with Snails culminated in the 2017 OWSLA release “Waffle House.”

By summer 2017 the duo had grown weary of the harder-edged EDM approach they had pursued. With Muise based in Seattle and Huntley newly settled in Los Angeles, they paused to reassess the project. Establishing their own World Famous Headquarters imprint, they issued the more streamlined, club-oriented cuts “Don’t Need U” and “Inside the Groove.” The World Famous Radio show debuted in 2018, and the label began showcasing releases from outside artists.