"Borgore Ruined Dubstep." So reads the t-shirt that Asaf Borger, better known as bass culture's enfant terrible Borgore, frequently wears onstage when he's behind the decks. "I did ruin dubstep," Borgore himself claims. "Three years ago, it was all mellow – and then I came with my shit!" Or maybe he helped save it. Indeed, the entire Borgore experience – from his speaker-shredding tracks and viral social-media presence to one of the most propulsive, interactive live shows around – has turned him into one of electronic music's most popular and controversial figures.

Sharing bills with the likes of Tiesto, Hardwell, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Rusko, and 12th Planet, Borgore came up with the new global scene of producers and DJs that's transformed dubstep, moving the sound from dank basement clubs to arenas. His debut digital EP Gorestep Vol. 1 appeared in 2009 on Seattle's influential Shift Recordings: early Borgore hits like "Love" and "Ice Cream" devastated bassheads with skull-pulverizing drum beats, screaming synth arpeggios, and stomach-churning wobble, topped off by his own humorous, X-rated rapping. It proved so radically distinct from then-mainstream dubstep, he considered it his own genre. "It was different," he explains. "I came out with some heavy as fuck tunes and called it 'gorestep.' Now people who hated me are playing full sets of this sound! They dissed me, calling what I did 'bro step,' but I proved them wrong. Girlslove my music: I had forty girls dancing onstage with me at a recent show."

At this point, there's nothing to stop Borgore doing things his way. He recently relocated from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles in order to build his insane worldwide empire "I'm saying the craziest shit, doing the craziest stuff you're not supposed to do," he explains. "I never thought it would get to this point. But whenever I accomplish one dream, I want to get the next, bigger one. Right now, what excites me is making the live show even crazier, and creating a legit artist album – and if I want it, I get it."