Taylor Potts | Sportscene | Angus Mortimer is a member of the Canadian Men’s Kayak Team. Born and raised in Ottawa, Angus represented Canada at the Beijing Olympics as a member of the K4 1000m crew that placed ninth. He is the five-time Pan American Champion in the K1 1000m, in addition to many A final finishes at the Sprint Canoe World Cups. Angus holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Carleton University located in his hometown.

Angus appreciates the “drive of the beat” on race day. Last season, this Canadian kayaker kept a strict ritual of listening to Deadmau5 before hitting the water. According to Angus, music keeps him in the zone and gets him pumped for a race. Most importantly, music keeps Angus happy- something he considers a vital part of his mental preparation.

Angus’s involvement with music, however, runs deeper than the average athlete. He began taking piano lessons at age ten- the same year he began paddling. His two passions in music and paddling would later overlap to help achieve mutual success.    

Over the years, Angus immersed himself in the electronic dance music scene, an interest born out of watching live DJ performances. He became interested in producing his own dance music and soon created a YouTube channel posting remixes and original tracks under the alias “Cupids Arrow”. Some of his tracks have been used as background music for a wide array of videos, from a street running shots, to nightclub promos, to background music for video game walk-through videos. His latest original, “Never Been Before,” features his own creative vocals.

Angus draws inspiration from experiencing live music. He cites artists such as Skrillex, Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Avicii, and Swedish House Mafia as influences to his own musical output. “If there’s a chance to see the biggest name perform in front of the biggest crowd,” Mortimer says, “I want to be there to feel the energy.”

Paddling and DJing are two constant passions present in Angus’s life. In some cases, paddling has proved to be an excellent network in finding opportunities to hone his skill in the DJ booth. “I’ve been able to DJ some pretty awesome parties,” says Angus, “It was an absolutely insane dance floor at a fundraiser we had in Ottawa in the fall of 2011.” Angus also recalls an after-party for a World Cup event in Duisburg at which there was no DJ. He immediately got behind the booth and played music for the entire night to what he calls a “pretty awesome international dance floor.”

When asked about the process of producing new tracks, Angus still thinks in kilometers: “When it comes to creativity there are no rules… I've spent the last couple years trying to imitate other artists both consciously and sub-consciously, which is a great way to learn, but in the end you have to think a thousand kilometers outside the box.” If Angus’s thinking is anywhere near as strong as his paddling performance, we’re sure to expect some great sound coming from him in the future.