Rising DJ Wax Motif Goes From Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Straight to EDC

^{Australian house DJ Wax Motif is making his mark in Vegas with a new Zouk residency and a new album this year, all timed around his set at EDC Las Vegas. (Photo: Wax Motif / Facebook)}

LAS VEGAS – During EDC Week, DJs often have packed schedules preparing to play for crowds at North America’s largest music festival. That’s especially true for anyone headlining one of EDC’s main stages in the middle of the night, when it’s packed full of attendees. 

When Casinos.com got the chance to chat with DJ Wax Motif just an hour before his Saturday night set, there was much to explore about his connection to a Vegas casino right on the Strip. 

The Australian house DJ and producer, born Danny Chien, had just kicked off his residency at Zouk Nightclub inside Resorts World just the night before, then turned around and performed for tens of thousands of festival-goers at EDC Las Vegas 2026 on Saturday. Not many artists can say that, but Wax Motif did, with a brand-new album in his back pocket that dropped a week before the festival.

Wax Motif has 153,000 followers on Instagram and is currently one of the biggest DJs in G-house, a subgenre of house music that brings in the energy of hip-hop. Within this genre, he has collaborated with mainstream artists such as Timbaland and Ty Dolla Sign, and released House of Wax II earlier this month.

His EDC set landed around midnight on Saturday, putting him in the same late-night window as other popular artists in Vegas nightlife like John Summit, BUNT., and Tiesto. It makes for a competitive company, but the crowd at Stereo Bloom during his set was ready to dance to every song on the set.

Going Back-to-Back in Vegas

This will be Wax’s second EDC in Vegas. He came to the festival armed with a set built almost entirely around new and unreleased material to make festival crowds feel like they were hearing something for the first time.

"It's basically all unreleased tracks or songs from House of Wax II," he said. "I think the only old songs I’m playing are 'Wet,' along with a new edit of 'Fly Kicks.' The rest, I'm just trying to show off new stuff."

He tells us that he builds his sets depending on where he’s playing in Vegas. EDC and a club on the Strip bring very different crowds. In a club, he is reading the room in real time, adjusting on the fly, letting the night breathe. On the other hand, a festival set requires a different kind of discipline.

"You only have an hour at EDC," he explained. "Normally in a club setting you'll have a lot longer, so you can stretch it out. But here it's very go, go, go. I just want to make sure the timing of everything is perfect so people can get into it."

Behind the scenes, his visual and media team worked hard to sync lighting and camera cues to specific moments in his set. At the scale of a festival, he said, preparation can stretch across nearly a week.

His new album, House of Wax II, is full of danceable songs that work perfectly for a festival. One track, BOTA, is a collaboration with Brazilian DJ MC Lan, recorded during his very first trip to Brazil. 

"I was in São Paulo and Curitiba," he recalled. "We were in the studio together, just vibing out for a whole day. I have so many good memories from that trip." 

One of Zouk’s Newest Headliners

The festival set was the headline, but Wax Motif’s EDC Week in Las Vegas actually started 24 hours earlier at Zouk Nightclub.

Having a nightclub residency on the Las Vegas Strip is definitely something to boast about. The nightlife landscape on the Strip is extremely competitive, considering there are clubs at Fontainebleau, Encore at the Wynn, and Venetian at neighboring properties on the North Strip. Many come specifically to a club to see the headlining DJ rather than just to visit the venue.

Wax Motif joins Zouk’s resident DJ lineup with other trending artists in EDM and hip-hop like James Hype, Don Toliver, and Lil Wayne. He has several more dates lined up there, including June 12, Aug 21, and Oct 9.

Wax is based in Los Angeles, so his Vegas experiences have mostly been quick in-and-out trips when he isn’t behind the decks. But he has picked up a feel for the city over time. 

He gravitates toward the northern end of the Strip. Resorts World is his favorite casino to enjoy, given his residency at the club there, but he told us he also enjoys visiting Wynn and Fontainebleau. He’s got a lot more to explore on the Strip, but he is a big fan of Beauty and Essex over at the Cosmopolitan. 

When the hard work is done at the clubs, he tells us he likes to unwind by hitting the tables and playing some blackjack.

With more Zouk dates running through October and a new album getting a spotlight at the biggest music festival in North America, there’s no stopping Wax Motif. He talked us through the Vegas music scene, broke down how he’s trying to make a mark, and then ran out the door to hit the decks at EDC.