Quickly moving to producing drum 'n' bass, it's been all success since - earning a nomination as Best Upcoming Producer at the Drum + Bass Arena Awards in 2008 and winning the award for Best Newcomer Producer two years later.
In late 2009, Netsky signed a recording contract with revered South London drum 'n' bass label Hospital Records, the same label as other well-known liquid artists such as High Contrast, London Elektricity and scene heavyweights such as Camo and Krooked, Danny Byrd, and Logistics.
His self-titled debut album was released through the label in May the following year to huge independent success. Fresh, euphoric and unique, the album delivers the full spectrum of the Netsky sound. Big vocal cuts like Escape (featuring Darrison) and Moving With You (featuring Jenna G) provide two instant D+B classics. Then there are the massive instrumental bangers Iron Heart and Secret Agent, contrasted with the haunting deeper moments of Let's Leave Tomorrow and Storm Clouds.
With a clean dance-floor sound perfect for staying up all night to, Netsky cemented Boris Daenen as the hottest property in international dance music.
The rapid success has all been a bit of a whirlwind for the man behind the tunes.
''I am extremely happy that it all happened to me,'' he told drumandbass.nl.
''If you go for success forgetting about your roots, where you come from, you are just going to crash at the end of your ride. And that's the thing that gets me alive, proper friends that don't only like me because I'm a DJ. This all together with a good label, good musical background, which my dad gave me, helped me to achieve what I have now.''
While his solo sets have been wowing audiences at festivals like Rhythm and Vines 2011, for his Dunedin performance, as part of OUSA Orientation, he's taking his show to the next level.
Featuring live drums, synths, keys and guest vocalists and MCs live on stage, Netsky LIVE! has exploded on to the festival scene in recent months, hitting the road playing a mix of old favourites, new material from Netsky's massive new album released last year, and even a couple of not-so-subtle dubstep double drops for good measure.
''There's a lot of DJs and electronic artists doing like an Ableton or visual live set,'' he told friedmylittlebrain.com, ''but I wanted to have a proper band behind the live idea, so I started looking for drummers, for keyboard players ... I can utilise the whole stage too, not just be confined to the DJ booth. I wanna move forward from that too.
''I love playing the live set. It's so much work to make it happen; it's a totally different life from DJing. You get so excited by the set that evening; it's a totally different world for me.''
See it, hear it
Netsky LIVE! March 14, Otago University Union Hall.
