Make no mistake about it: 28 year old Joel Zimmerman, best known as prolific producer and performing artist “Deadmau5,” has quickly cemented his status amongst the electro-cognoscenti as one of the best and brightest artists of our time. He finds himself in a strata of upper echelon producers like Armin Van Buuren, Kaskade, Skrillex, David Guetta, and scores of other notable EDM masterminds sharing the spotlight on DJ Magazine’s highly esteemed Top 100 DJ’s list.
In a truly a rags-to-riches story, Zimmerman grew up in Niagra Falls, Ontario and first started his adventure into electro music 15 years ago while making ‘chiptunes’, a type of synthesized music made with old computer parts. His proficiency with such archaic tuneage eventually led to his collaboration with Tommy Lee on his 1999 “Methods of Mayhem” album. Zimmerman has since released 6 albums, with the latest being “album title goes here.” His love for technology continues to be the heartbeat that fuels his productions, having been a software and web developer long before his official dive into EDM. Now, not only does he continually stay at the forefront of emerging technology but he’s creating it as well. He’s worked with Image Line, now known as FL Studios, creators of the “Fruity Loops” virtual studio software, has collaborated in-depth with Pioneer and even developed an application for the iPhone called “Touch Mix.”
As he was gaining popularity he joined “The Party Revolution,” a dance music radio show in Niagra Falls. But his rise to fame was truly ignited when in 2007 he sent his ‘Faxing Berlin’ track to British DJ Chris Lake where Pete Tong included it on his show, RadioOne. Once Zimmerman made it big, there was some confusion over the pronunciation of his unique brand and alter ego, Deadmau5, which is pronounced ‘dead mouse’, not ‘dead-mau-five’ or ‘dead mau’. The leet-infused moniker came about through his discovery of a dead mouse while he was installing a video card in his tower one day and the nickname just stuck. Over the course of his career, he’s adopted a few other names along the way such a B.S.O.D., short for Blue Screen of Death, which is the identity of his project with producer Steve Duda, and WTF?, a collective nickname for Tommy Lee, Zimmerman and Steve Duda.
For Deadmau5, it’s all about the music, although the unique EDM atmosphere is certainly a perk, having had countless live performances all over the world, such as dance music meccas Ibiza and Sao Paulo. As a proficient master of Ableton Live, Cubase, Nuendo and Fruity Loops software, just one of his carefully composed tracks can take over 14 hours to produce, and his stage setup is designed to match his studio configuration as much as possible. He appropriately calls his stage shows a ‘technological orgy’ and with good reason: he uses a JazzMutant Lemur, which is a type of touchscreen controller, a Monome 526, and several keyboards and various synth modules.
Sometimes, dance music is accused of lacking a sense of theater and exuberance. Not Deadmau5. His infamous headgear is part of the vivid imagery that he infuses into his live performances, having once worn a crystal studded version of the Mau5head to the 2008 Grammy’s. Although his fantastical headdresses and lighted cube stage are often the main points of interest in the visual feast that makes up his performances, he emphasizes that the music and the technology behind the conceptualization is where his passion lies. “The exchange of energy between the performer and the crowd is supposed to be part of the legacy of Electronic Dance Music.” Zimmerman explained in one interview with “Create Digital Music.”
His list of accomplishments include being named the ‘Greatest House DJ Ever’ two years in a row by Beatport, recipient of five GRAMMY nominations, three wins at the International Dance Music Awards in 2010, three Juno awards and currently sits at #5 on DJ Magazines ‘Top 100 DJ’s’ list. On December 5th, Deadmau5 was revealed to have made it onto the GRAMMY nomination list again, this time with “album title goes here” up for this year’s Best Electronic Album.
In a star-studded lineup that’s sure to please the electro fans in the El Paso region and beyond, SMG Events and Disco Donnie Productions will bring Deadmau5 back to El Paso on December 29th to the Judson F. Williams Convention Center, along with Chris Lake and Audrey Napoleon at the helm. The show starts at 9 pm and the line starts at 8 pm so make sure to get out there and get ‘unhooked’ with the Mau5.
TEXT: CRYSTI COUTURE @CrystiCouture
ILLUSTRATION: CARLJOS SEMERENA NUÑEZ “TOTOI” ©2012