Deadmau5. Photo credit: Matt Barnes
In the world of electronic music, there are certain names that are synonymous with the genre. If you were to go to any kind of electronic music-based event, whether it's a warehouse on the seedier side of town, or the main stage at Electric Daisy Carnival, you could ask anyone if they knew the music of Deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse"). You might get a variety of reactions, but all will know exactly who he is. At this point, Deadmau5 (aka Joel Zimmerman) is somewhat of a legend within the world of the music that has begun to dominate the mainstream and take over the pop-radio airwaves. While Zimmerman has had a number of popular tracks that you could consider staples within the genre ("Strobe", "Moar Ghosts N Stuff", "Faxing Berlin", "Raise Your Weapon", "Professional Grievers"), Deadmau5 isn't necessarily your typical radio act.
Yet you can't walk ten feet at an electronic or pop show without someone knowing who he is. This could be attributed to a number of factors, in addition to any of the music he's produced from his eight studio albums. There's his clever and unforgettable stage name, his uncanny ability to speak his mind on any artist within the dance music universe, and there's even the giant LED mouse head that adorns his head whenever he performs. He's an incredibly visual artist; a quick YouTube search will yield results by millions, all bringing forth the mind-blowing live performances that fans have witnessed over the years.
This Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, Deadmau5 will be bringing his new live show (aptly titled The Cube 2.0) to The Fox Theater in Oakland, CA. All the shows are sold out as of press time, so your best chance at getting a ticket is through sites like StubHub (if there's even anything available). If you're going, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Join us as we take a look back at Deadmau5's expansive and eclectic discography.
Get Scraped
Release Date: July 26, 2005
Label: ZOOLOOK
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
What's so ironic to me about Deadmau5 is that even though his music is heavily associated with rave and "EDM" culture, a good majority of his music is very experimental and far away from the 4/4 big room house beats that festival attendees are so accustomed to these days. Deadmau5's debut album Get Scraped hit the airwaves in July 2005, showcasing Zimmerman's love for electronic music that veered away from the progressive house style that became popular in his style years down the road. It wouldn't be until <album title goes here> that the experimental flavor of Get Scraped would be explored once again.
Vexillology
Release Date: November 6, 2006
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: Play Digital
One year later, the progressive house style that the more well known Deadmau5 singles would take on started to come into form with the release of Vexillology, the sophomore studio album from Zimmerman. The ten track album was Zimmerman's first release with label Play Digital, and it began to showcase songs with a far more dance-like style. Vexillology was a good indication of things to come down the line.
Random Album Title
Release Date: September 2, 2008
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: Ultra/Mau5trap
It's amazing how much can change within two years. In September of 2008, two years after the release of Vexillology, the image and brand of Deadmau5 truly began to take shape with the release of Random Album Title, Zimmerman's third studio album. In addition to including the single "Faxing Berlin", which solidified Random as Deadmau5's breakthrough album, it was the first release to feature the iconic logo that we know today and the first to be released under his own label (mau5trap). Random Album Title also features a memorable collaboration with producer Kaskade, entitled "I Remember". The mau5's sound was finally taking shape.
For Lack of a Better Name
Release Date: September 22, 2009
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: Ultra/mau5trap/Virgin
Four albums deep into his career and Deadmau5 has secured a major label and released For Lack of A Better Name. This would be the album that catapulted Deadmau5 to stardom, spawning two majorly successful and critically acclaimed tracks: the trance-like "Strobe" and the progressive-house anthem "Ghosts N Stuff" (which featured guest vocals from Rob Swire of Pendulum). Music videos followed, and Zimmerman's tracks started to appear in various television shows including So You Think You Can Dance? and Gossip Girl. Stardom was starting to take shape for Deadmau5.
4x4=12
Release Date: December 6, 2010
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: Ultra/mau5trap/Virgin
Just a little over a year after the release of For Lack of a Better Name, and Deadmau5 hit back hard with one of his most commercially successful albums to date. Named after a mathematical error he made during a live stream years ago, 4x4=12 made Deadmau5 a commercial and household name. The four-to-the-floor beats and trance-inducing synth lines of tracks like "Some Chords", "Sofi Needs A Ladder", "One Trick Pony", and the house anthem "Raise Your Weapon" catapulted Deadmau5 into the Billboard Top 200, with the album peaking in the top 50 and remaining there for over one hundred weeks. His nomination and performance at the 54th Grammy Awards introduced him to an even larger audience, further solidifying his position among the top acts in the world of electronic dance music. (Editor's note: 4x4=12 is the first dance music record I ever heard, and I highly accredit it as being my gateway drug into the world of electronic music. Thanks for making something so timeless, Joel.)
<album title goes here>
Release Date: September 21, 2012
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: Ultra/mau5trap/Parlophone
After two years of heavy touring and promotion of his commercial breakthrough, Deadmau5 released <album title goes here>, his sixth studio album. At this point in the world of electronic dance music, the genre was featuring a MASSIVE influx of new artists. The process of over-saturation had only just begun, and it was clear that Zimmerman wanted to do something a bit different than what everyone else was doing. In a way, album title showcased a return to form, venturing back to the early days of Get Scraped. While every dance music producer was opting to work with the biggest and best in pop, Zimmerman turned to Gerard Way, vocalist of now-defunct rock act My Chemical Romance to put together "Professional Grievers", an aggressive, post-apocalyptic dance track that became a fan favorite and unique collaboration. While there were progressive house tracks throughout, various tracks showcased far more experimentation than on previous releases, in addition to collaborations with artists like Cypress Hill and Imogen Heap.
while(1<2)
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: mau5trap/Astralwerks/Virgin EMI
It's 2014, and dance music is inescapable. It's around every single corner, and that's not an exaggeration. What was once an underground, looked-down-upon genre has made its way onto radio airwaves with pop music, and has become accepted by the mainstream. It's clear that whenever the crowd goes one way, Deadmau5 goes another. Introducing while(1<2), Zimmerman's most ambitious work to date. It's presented as a double-album, clocking in with twenty five tracks and a running time of almost two and a half hours. It's unabashedly experimental in nature, with the second disc featuring not a single dance music track within earshot. Piano riffs, haunting synth tracks and complex beat combinations make while(1<2) an intriguing listen. It showcases what Zimmerman is able to do when he's really given no boundaries, and the result is incredible.
W:/2016ALBUM/
Release Date: December 2, 2016
Producer: Joel Zimmerman
Label: mau5trap
Showcasing what Zimmerman described in a Zane Lowe interview as an "80's sci-fi fantasy vibe", Deadmau5's eighth studio album, W:/2016ALBUM/ brings together what I would classify as what would happen if while(1<2) was merged into one cohesive record. It's catchy, filled with an eclectic number of influences, and it does retain that "80s synth" vibe that Zimmerman referred to previously. Despite peaking at number 74 on the Billboard 200 and hitting number 1 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic music charts, Zimmerman later stated in a Rolling Stone interview that he wasn't fully satisfied with the end result of W:/2016ALBUM, citing that it was simply a number of random songs written over a longer stretch of time that didn't end up correlating with each other. In a way this is true, but it does give each track their own unique identity. Given how much of a perfection Zimmerman has proven himself to be, it might be interesting to see if some kind of "remixed" or "rearranged" version of this album will emerge in the next year.
However, one thing is absolutely certain: Deadmau5 is an iconic name within electronic dance music, and he will continue to captivate audiences both with his studio albums, remixes, and live shows for years to come. He never does the same thing twice, and every album is filled with surprises. As I write this, and even as he plays sold out show after sold out show around the world, I can guarantee you that he's hard at work on album number nine.
Deadmau5
www.deadmau5.com
www.facebook.com/deadmau5
@deadmau5
This has been another Shameless Promotion.