It’s been less than a year since Ephwurd stepped onto the scene. Initially appearing anonymously alongside ETC!ETC! with their remix of Major Lazer‘s Lean On, it wasn’t long before the bass house duo to reviled themselves in an interview with Billboard as Canadian dubstep artist Datsik and his tour manager Bais Haus. Their first two original releases, Rock The House (in collaboration with Jauz) and Duckface, were huge hits throughout the later half of 2015 which lead them to their debut performance at Insomniac’s Escape: Psycho Circus Halloween last October. Because of the success and support from their fans, they have been touring around for the last five months, headlining many sold out shows across North America and they have already been booked for several summer festivals: EDC New York, Shamblaha, and Global Dance Festival.
It’s been quite a busy first year for the duo! EDM TOR had the opportunity to chat with Troy Beetles (Datsik) and Basie Hauser (Bais Haus) about their success and future goals. Here’s what they had to say:
EDMTOR: Who initiated the formation of Ephwurd? Where was the inspiration drawn from and who decided on the name?
Ephwurd: Both Troy and I had already collaborated and he had the idea for this new group name so we decided to put a ring on it and give the productions we were doing a home.
EDMTOR: Describe the experience that was Ephwurd debut live performance at Insomniac’s Escape last fall.
Ephwurd: It was crazy!! It was awesome getting up on the stage and being right next to Porter Robison while he was playing feeling like “holy shit this is really happening!”. Getting that many kids hyped up on our debut set really set the bar for what we are aiming for in our live shows.
Ephwurd live @ Insomniac’s Escape: Psycho Circus Halloween – October 31 2015.
EDMTOR: For Datsik – besides the obvious, what are some differences between producing in the studio solo versus producing as a duo? Does collaboration help the creative flow?
Datsik: I have always really enjoyed collaborations because it allows others to bring their mad skills to the table, and it’s always a learning experience sitting with someone who has a different work flow. It’s awesome working on a track with someone else because the studio session never really gets stale.. Once you get stuck on a part or an idea it’s very easy for the other person to jump in and mess around and flip it or breathe new life into it!
EDMTOR: For Bais Haus – what have been some unexpected challenges about the whole process?
Bais Haus: I have always been a behind the scenes kid be it ghost producing, management Etc etc. So when we decided to do this I was already fairly prepared for all the work that we were about to undertake. Putting yourself in the limelight takes on a different and new set of challenges. It’s been great developing a new brand and taking on every new opportunity as it comes. The hardest things for me are actually quite funny. I always get really nervous for in person interviews. Since I’ve always been behind the scenes I’m not 100% used to having the “public image” I think it’s funny cause you can put us in front of 30,000 kids to DJ and I’m fine but a one on one conversation and I feel like it’s my first time ever speaking to somebody lol.
EDMTOR: What do you find makes Canadian audiences different from the rest that you see worldwide?
Ephwurd: The Canadian dance scene is really developed, so many amazing artists come out of there. It’s great cause they all know what’s up and know how to have a good time! Side note Shambhala is one of our favourite festivals in the whole world. They have the vibes on lockdown!!
EDMTOR: After obtaining a great deal of success in your debut year, what can we expect from Ephwurd moving forward?
Ephwurd: We feel like the sounds we were doing last year are already greatly played out. We are still trying to make hyped up music but we are playing around with new structures and synth sounds to try and keep things fresh.
EDMTOR:Would you like to send a message to your fans reading this article?
Ephwurd: Check out our remix for The Chainsmokers’ Don’t Let Me Down and also keep an eye out for our remix of Kill The Noise called I Do Coke which is coming out very soon!
This Saturday, May 7th, 2016, Ephwurd will make their first Toronto appearance at The Hoxton! They will be playing alongside Hunter Siegel as part of his and Embrace Presents‘ No Neon event series. Tickets for this 19+ event are available for purchase at $20 each. Connect with other bassheads attending by joining the official Facebook Event page.
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