deadmau5

deadmau5

deadmau5 live at Rock in Rio in Madrid in 2012
Background information
Birth name Joel Thomas Zimmerman
Also known as
  • Halcyon441
  • Karma K
  • testpilot[1]
Born (1981-01-05) January 5, 1981
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Origin Niagara Falls, Ontario
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Music producer
  • DJ
Instruments
Years active 1994–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website deadmau5.com
Notable instruments

Joel Thomas Zimmerman (born January 5, 1981), known professionally as deadmau5 (pronounced "deadmouse"), is a Canadian progressive house music producer and performer from Toronto, Ontario.

Zimmerman produces a variety of styles within the house genre and sometimes other forms of electronic music. His tracks have been included in numerous compilation albums such as the 2007 In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza CD. The February 2008 issue of Mixmag's music magazine included a free CD which was titled MixMag Presents: The Hottest New Name In Dance! DEADMAU5 Tech-Trance-Electro-Madness, mixed by Zimmerman. Tracks have also been included and presented on Armin van Buuren's A State of Trance radio show. His debut album, Get Scraped, was released in 2005, followed by others in the next few years. Today, deadmau5 is one of the highest paid electronic artists in the world.[2] He has received six Grammy nominations for his work.

As well as his own solo releases, Zimmerman has worked alongside other DJs and producers, such as Kaskade, MC Flipside, Rob Swire of Knife Party and Pendulum, Wolfgang Gartner, and on a number of releases, he has partnered with Melleefresh. An early 12" single produced on vinyl titled "I Don't Want No Other" was released by Joel Zimmerman and Derek Caesar[3] under the group name "Dred and Karma".[4] The 2006 album titled deadmau5 Circa 1998–2002 was released using the alias "Halcyon441". He has also collaborated with Steve Duda under the alias, "BSOD", as well as "WTF?" including Duda, Tommy Lee, and DJ Aero.[5][6]

Early life

Zimmerman was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario.[7] His mother, Nancy (née Johnson), is a visual artist, and his father, Rodney Thomas "Rod" Zimmerman, is a General Motors plant worker.[8][9] He has two siblings, Jennifer (older) and Chris (younger).[8] His ancestry includes German, Swiss, and English.[9][10] He received his first keyboard for Christmas when he was a teenager.[8][11] His career began in the mid 1990s, with a chiptune and demoscene movements-influenced sound with the Impulse Tracker.[12]

In late 2012, an old demo track by Zimmerman from 1995 called "Can't Remember The Name" resurfaced on YouTube.[13]

Career

deadmau5 logo

2005–06: Get Scraped and self-released compilations

Zimmerman released his debut studio album, titled Get Scraped on July 26, 2005. The tracks "Just Before 8bit", "Nice Try, Kiddo" and "Uploading and Downloading" from Project 56 were edited and expanded upon in Get Scraped under the names "8bit", "Try Again", and "Unspecial Effects", respectively. Tracks "Bored of Canada", "Intelstat" and "I Forget" reappear on this album as is, as well as "The Oshawa Connection" from deadmau5 Circa 1998–2002.

Three self-released compilations, Project 56, Deadmau5 Circa 1998–2002, and A Little Oblique, were finished in 2006,[14] with Project 56 seeing an official release in February 2008.

2007–08: Mau5trap label and Random Album Title

In 2007, Zimmerman began his own record label "mau5trap", which, along with Ultra Records and Ministry of Sound, released the 2008 album Random Album Title, which saw the collaboration of Zimmerman and Chicago producer Kaskade with "I Remember". Random Album Title, saw a digital release in September 2008 via Ultra Records in the United States and Ministry of Sound in the United Kingdom and Europe. Physical copies of the album were released in November 2008.[15]

In the United States, Zimmerman's collaboration with Kaskade, "Move for Me", reached number one on Billboard magazine's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in its September 6, 2008 issue.[16] Since then, Zimmerman has seen two more tracks, also collaborations ("I Remember" with Kaskade & "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" with Rob Swire), reach number one on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, making him the only Canadian to have three number-one tracks on that chart. He is also the sixth Canadian to top that chart, following Deborah Cox, Nelly Furtado, Dragonette, Justin Bieber, and The Weeknd, each with one apiece.

2009–10: For Lack of a Better Name and 4x4=12

On September 22, 2009, Ultra Records released his album For Lack of a Better Name in the United States, and October 5 internationally.[17] On a subsequent tour in the fall of 2009, Zimmerman's performances were recorded and made available for sale immediately following the concerts on USB wristband flash drives.[18] For Lack of a Better Name includes two of Zimmerman's most popular songs, "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (featuring Rob Swire) and "Strobe".

MTV named Zimmerman as the house DJ for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards and MTV PUSH artist of the week on August 16, 2010. He expressed gratitude towards Lady Gaga and David Guetta for bringing dance into the pop music scene and paving the way for him to the mainstream.[19] At the awards, Zimmerman performed with Jason Derulo and Travie McCoy.[20] His song "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" had been featured on the soundtrack for the MTV reality series Jersey Shore earlier.[21]

His fifth studio album, titled 4×4=12, was released on December 6, 2010 in the United Kingdom and December 7, 2010 in the United States. Singles "Some Chords", "Animal Rights", "Sofi Needs a Ladder" have been released and have been featured on the album, with "Raise Your Weapon" released in 2011. "Some Chords" was featured on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where Zimmerman made a cameo appearance, and an instrumental version of "Sofi Needs a Ladder" was featured in the film The Hangover Part II.

2011–12: Album Title Goes Here

On August 9, 2012, Zimmerman announced his upcoming sixth studio album, Album Title Goes Here, which was released on September 24 of that year.[22] Singles from this album include "Maths", "The Veldt" (featuring Chris James) and "Professional Griefers" featuring My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way. This collaboration was announced on Facebook prior to release.[23] In December 2012, FUSE TV named "Professional Griefers" one of the top 40 songs of 2012[24]

2013–present: Astralwerks, 7 EP, and while (1<2)

In November 2013, Zimmerman deleted three years worth of music from his SoundCloud account, replacing them with an EP of seven melancholy piano sonatas (simply called 7), named after the Latin translations for the Seven Deadly Sins: "Acedia", "Avaritia", "Gula", "Invidia", "Ira", "Luxuria", and "Superbia".[25]

Also in November 2013, Zimmerman signed with record label Astralwerks, the famed NYC-based imprint that houses artists such as Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, and The Chemical Brothers. Speaking on the partnership, Zimmerman admitted, "I found a place that knows what to do with my music."[26]

On January 7, 2014, Zimmerman announced via his Twitter account that his much-anticipated new album is complete. "In other news...i finished my album today," the tweet read. "2 discs. 2 continuous mixes. 25 tracks. and something im proud of."[25]

On May 10, 2014, deadmau5 announced through his subscription service live.deadmau5.com that his upcoming album will be titled while(1<2) and will be released on June 17, 2014.[27]

The album was preceded by the release of four singles: "Avaritia", "Seeya" (featuring Colleen D'Agostino), "Infra Turbo Pigcart Racer" and "Phantoms Can't Hang". Starting on the week of May 20, 2014, each single was released weekly for a total of four weeks leading up to the release of the album.

On January 13, 2015, it was announced that deadmau5 would be a headlining act for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, in Manchester, Tennessee, to be held June 11–15, 2015. On February 2, 2015, it was announced he would appear at Reading and Leeds Festivals.

On July 23, 2015, Valve announced that deadmau5 was creating a unique series of sound clips to be featured in their video game, Dota 2. The music pack was released alongside the announcement.[28]

On August 8, 2015 deadmau5 performed live at KeyArena in Seattle at the conclusion of the Dota 2 competition The International 5 (TI5), the largest ever tournament in eSports to date.

On December 16, 2015, Zimmerman considered ending his career as deadmau5 after he tweeted "meh. considering killing off the "deadmau5" bullsh** and just start something new. did it before, can do it again. f*** it. why not."

On December 17, 2015, it appeared that Zimmerman was either taking a leave of absence or ending his career all together after deleting both his Twitter and Facebook accounts. His Instagram, however, had not been deleted. On December 21, 2015, Zimmerman reopened his Twitter account and posted an apology to his Tumblr explaining his disappearance from social media, stating that he was suffering from depression and will be returning to producing music after the new year.[29][30]

Video game appearances

Zimmerman is a playable avatar in DJ Hero 2, a video game released in October 2010.[31][32][33] The game featured several tracks by the artist, including a mix of "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" with Lady Gaga's "Just Dance".[34] He is also featured as a non-playable character in the 2014 video game Goat Simulator.[35]

His music has been included in other video game titles, including Dota 2,[36] Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Saints Row: The Third, FIFA 13, Grand Theft Auto IV, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Need for Speed: Shift, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, GoldenEye 007, Wipeout 2048, The Sims 3, Asphalt 8: Airborne, Test Drive Unlimited 2 and Sound Shapes.

In 2014's Watch Dogs, he is parodied in the form of DJ JB Markowicz, aka "Defalt".

In the mobile app Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff by TinyCo, deadmau5 was available for purchase as a playable character during the "PeterPalooza" event for 350 clams, the game's premium currency. For Google Play users, his album 4x4=12 was made available as a free download after his purchase via an in-game redeemable code.

In Minecraft, the player named "deadmau5" has ears on his player model. The texture for the ears are contained in an area of the skin image left blank for normal skins. However, if deadmau5 was under the "invisibility" effect, which effectively makes the player disappear, his ears would still render, similar to armor under identical circumstances.

Personal life

On July 30, 2010, at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., Zimmerman collapsed on stage, suffering from exhaustion and vomiting. This resulted in the cancellation of the rest of the show, as well as nine shows following the event.[37][38]

Zimmerman began dating Lindsey Evans shortly after meeting her at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in September 2010.[8][39] Evans eventually moved to Toronto to live with him. Zimmerman announced in September 2011 that the two had broken up.[40]

In September 2012, Zimmerman began dating American tattoo artist and TV personality Kat Von D.[41] After breaking up in November 2012, they shortly rekindled their relationship.[42] On December 15, 2012, Zimmerman proposed to Von D via Twitter, and they announced that they would marry in August 2013 with an aquatic-themed wedding.[43][44] They both have several matching tattoos, including the numbers "289m3d22h" on both of their arms, which is sentimental to the day that they met, as well as two black stars underneath their eyes.[45] Zimmerman moved to Los Angeles to live with Von D.[46] In June 2013, Von D announced that they had ended their engagement.[47]

Origin of "deadmau5"

deadmau5 at Coachella 2008.

Zimmerman's father claims that when his son was in his early teens, he was chatting with a friend on his computer, which then abruptly shut off. According to Zimmerman's father, he said that it had a smell like burnt wire and had a strange odor. Zimmerman started to dismantle his computer and happened to find a dead mouse. Zimmerman then became known as the "dead mouse guy" among friends. Joel tried to change his name to "Deadmouse" in an online chat room, but it was too long, so he shortened it to "deadmau5", which is a form of leet.[11][37]

Zimmerman created the original logo—called "mau5head"—while learning how to use some 3D modelling software.[48] The logo appears in many different colors and designs, and has been shown on the cover of most of Zimmerman's albums, with the exceptions of At Play and Vexillology. He was given the idea to wear a headdress based on the logo by one of his friends, Jay Gordon of the industrial metal band Orgy. In an interview with CBC Television, Zimmerman said that he wants his logo to be an "icon". Fans often attend deadmau5 concerts sporting their own copy of the mau5head.

He created "deadmau5.com" and began uploading songs to SectionZ and producing under the alias "deadmau5" in 2002.[49][50]

Controversies

Parodies

In December 2007, Marcus Schössow, Maor Levi and DJ Eco[51] created a project named Deadrat6 as a joke on Zimmerman, claiming his tracks sound alike.[51] A similar faux project was also created under the name of Sinterklaa5.[52]

DirtyCircuit

In 2008, an artist called DirtyCircuit claimed to have been threatened with legal action after using a sample called "LP_Faxing Berlin C_128bpm"[53] that came bundled with FL Studio, and to which Zimmerman claimed copyright.[54] The sample was a direct clip of a full bar of the song. Zimmerman provided a "Demo Track" which came bundled with FL Studio, along with several loop samples. The case caused a slight discomfort among the users of FL Studio,[55] and some have pointed out potential inconsistencies in the EULA of the software.[53]Subsequent versions, post FL Studio 8, no longer contained those loop samples.

Disney trademark dispute

In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Zimmerman acknowledged possible similarities between his mau5head logo and that of Mickey Mouse, joking that "someone at the Disney patent office fell asleep on that one."[56]

In March 2014, it was reported that The Walt Disney Company had filed a request with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to investigate Zimmerman's application to register the mau5head emblem as a trademark, noting its resemblance to the figure of Mickey Mouse.[57][58] Disney officially filed its opposition in September 2014, arguing that the mark is likely to cause confusion because it is "nearly identical in appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression" to Disney's trademarked iconography of Mickey Mouse. In response to the opposition, Zimmerman attacked Disney on Twitter, arguing that the company thinks of people as being "stupid" because "[they] might confuse an established electronic musician/performer with a cartoon mouse."[56] Zimmerman also believed that he had been targeted by Disney due to their attempts to "cash in" on the EDM market, specifically alluding to Dconstructed—a recently released compilation album containing remixes of music from Disney properties by major electronic musicians such as Armin van Buuren, Avicii and Kaskade.[59]

On September 4, 2014, Zimmerman revealed on Twitter that Disney had used "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" in a Mickey Mouse "re-micks" video on their website and YouTube channel without his or his labels' permission, and posted pictures showing a takedown notice that had been sent to Disney by his lawyers. The letter also contained a trademark infringement accusation, arguing that the use of deadmau5's name in material regarding the video falsely implied his endorsement of it. Disney argued that it had properly licensed the song, and that there was "no merit to his statement."[59][60]

In an October 2014 USPTO filing, Zimmerman argued that Disney has attempted to co-exist with him in goodwill. Zimmerman presented evidence that Disney had been in contact with him regarding potential collaborative projects, including an offer to participate in a "re-imagining" of Fantasia as a live concert tour for the film's 75th anniversary.[61]

In June 2015, Zimmerman's attorney stated that he and Disney had "amicably resolved their dispute."[62]

Discography

Main article: deadmau5 discography
Studio albums

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ↑ "Deadmau5 joins Richie Hawtin's label under testpilot alias". Mixmag. 2014-03-04.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Dred and Karma". October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Dred And Karma Discography at Discogs". discogs. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ "BSOD on Myspace". Myspace. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  6. ↑ "WTF? on Myspace". Myspace. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ Birtles, Bryan (December 29, 2010), "Deadmau5", Vue Weekly (793), retrieved May 3, 2011
  8. 1 2 3 4 Liss, Sarah (November 1, 2011). "How Deadmau5—a.k.a. DJ Joel Zimmerman—came to make $100,000 a show and have four million Facebook fans « Page 3 of 6". torontolife.com. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  9. 1 2 "Genealogy Data". Start.ca. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Builder first to skate in Memorial Arena". Niagara Falls Review. nurun.com. January 28, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  11. 1 2 "deadmau5 rejects his father and grandfather's a...". Niagara Falls Review. nurun.com. October 30, 2011. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  12. ↑ Burns, Todd L. (2008-09-30). "Deadmau5: It's complicated". residentadvisor.net. Retrieved 2014-09-03. I was in my Mom's basement tooling away on Impulse Tracker on a 386 just doing Nintendo music until some Loop Library company hired me as a producer.
  13. ↑ "Joel Zimmerman (Deadmau5) - Can't Remember The Name (1995 Demo) [1080p] [EQ]". Mau5Traxx. October 26, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  14. ↑ SectionZ (August 20, 2007). "SectionZ Electronic Music Community". Archived from the original on August 20, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  15. ↑ "deadmau5 news page".
  16. ↑ "Current Hot Dance Airplay". Billboard.
  17. ↑ "deadmau5 | Free Music, Mixes, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos". MySpace. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  18. ↑ "DEADMAU5 Live in New York @ Terminal 5 Nov. 25 2009". Aderra Media Technologies. November 25, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Deadmau5 Named House Artist For 2010 MTV VMAs". August 16, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  20. ↑ Montgomery, James (September 11, 2010). "Deadmau5 Marvels At 'Scope' Of VMA House-Artist Gig". Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  21. ↑ "PUSH Artist of the Week: deadmau5". September 11, 2010. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  22. ↑ Jesse Grushack (August 9, 2012). "Deadmau5 to release 'album title goes here' on Sept. 25". Dancingastronaut.com. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  23. ↑ deadmau5 (24 August 2012). "bring it Gerrard...". deadmau5 Facebook fan page. Facebook. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  24. ↑ "The 40 Best Songs of 2012: Fuse Staff Picks – Fuse". Fuse.tv. December 24, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  25. 1 2 Tregoning, Jack (January 7, 2014). "inthemix: In other Deadmau5 news, his two-disc, epic-length album is done". inthemix. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  26. ↑ Buyanovsky, Dan. "REVOLT.TV: Deadmau5 Teases New Album And Massive 2014 Tour". REVOLT.TV. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  27. ↑ http://www.youredm.com/2014/05/10/deadmau5-announces-album-title-release-date/
  28. ↑ http://blog.dota2.com/2015/07/deadmau5-dieback-music-pack/
  29. ↑ "Like many other human beings I've been dealing...". December 21, 2015. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ https://twitter.com/deadmau5/status/679093359630278656
  31. ↑ Vozick, Simon (July 14, 2010). "'DJ Hero 2': Check out the exclusive list of artists here! | Entertainment Weekly.". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  32. ↑ "Activision Announces Roster of Award-Winning Musical Talent – Santa Monica, Calif., June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/". California. PR Newswire. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  33. ↑ MacDonald, Keza (October 19, 2010). "DJ Hero 2". Eurogamer. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  34. ↑ "DJ Hero 2 Video Game, Deadmau5 Ghosts & Stuff Vs Just Dance Trailer". GameTrailers.com. July 1, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  35. ↑ DeNicola, Danielle. "Goat Simulator Patch 1.1: How to Unlock New Goat Mutators". Game Skinny. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  36. ↑ "deadmau5 dieback music pack". Dota 2. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  37. 1 2 "Latest news, tour dates, releases / remixes, downloads and store " deadmau5 collapsed. Shows Cancelled". deadmau5. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  38. ↑ Ziegbe, Mawuse (July 31, 2010). "Deadmau5 Collapses Onstage, Cancels Tour Dates – Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  39. ↑ Sarah Liss (November 1, 2011). "How Deadmau5—a.k.a. DJ Joel Zimmerman—came to make $100,000 a show and have four million Facebook fans". Toronto Life. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
  40. ↑ deadmau5 (September 15, 2011). "Facebook post". Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  41. ↑ "Kat Von D Dating DJ Deadmau5!". US Weekly. September 19, 2012. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  42. ↑ "Deadmau5 and Kat von D break up". Toronto Star. November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  43. ↑ Fleeman, Mike (December 16, 2012). "Kat Von D Engaged to Deadmau5 – Who Proposed on Twitter!". People. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  44. ↑ "Kat Von D & Deadmau5 Are Getting Married The Little Mermaid Way!". PerezHilton.com. April 16, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  45. ↑ "DEADMAU5 AND GIRLFRIEND KAT VON D GET MATCHING TATTOOS – News story – News". George FM. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  46. ↑ "Deadmau5 Moves To L.A., Hooks Up With Kat Von D And Totally Needs A Driver's License « The World Famous KROQ". Kroq.cbslocal.com. October 4, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  47. ↑ Coughlan, Maggie (June 27, 2013). "Deadmau5 and Kat Von D End Engagement". People. Retrieved July 8, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Paul Morley meets deadmau5 - The Guardian". Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  49. ↑ "SectionZ Electronic Music Community – All Computer Music Enthusiasts Welcome". Web.archive.org. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  50. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Various-Section_Z-Volume-One/release/4702377
  51. 1 2 "Deadrat6 | Free Music, Mixes, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos". MySpace. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  52. ↑ "sinterklaa5 | Free Music, Mixes, Tour Dates, Photos, Videos". MySpace. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  53. 1 2 "All Fruity, No Loops: FL Studio to Remove All Melodic Samples; Murky License, Content". Create Digital Music. November 20, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  54. ↑ Music Radar
  55. ↑ "Future Music". Future Music. November 20, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  56. 1 2 "Deadmau5 v Disney: mouse ear logo sparks legal dispute". The Guardian. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  57. ↑ Gardner, Eriq. "Is a Mickey Mouse v. Deadmau5 Trademark Battle Brewing?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  58. ↑ "Disney takes on DJ deadmau5 over mouse-ears garb". Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  59. 1 2 "Deadmau5 Sends Cease and Desist to Disney Over 'Infringing Video'". Rolling Stone. 5 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  60. ↑ "Deadmau5 drops some "complete pwnage" on Disney in legal war". inthemix.com.au. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  61. ↑ "Deadmau5 Says Archenemy Disney Wanted His Help on 'Fantasia' Anniversary". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  62. ↑ "Deadmau5, Disney Settle Dispute Over "Mouse Head" Logo". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
  63. ↑ Staff, Billboard (August 9, 2012). "Deadmau5's 'Album Title' Gets Fall Release". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2012.

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