Since a recent public breakup with celebrity tattoo artist, Kat Von D, Deadmau5 has immediately returned to the studio, crafting music to speak his mind. We knew Deadmau5 has been working on a collaboration with Armin Van Buuren after they were both seen tweeting about it a few weeks ago, and it now seems to be in its near-final stages.
The current rendition of the project has been uploaded to Joel’s personal Soundcloud for fans and it seems like this track is an older more, trance inspired side of Deadmau5. Additionally, we get a taste of some “speakstep” which the mau5 has been working on, featuring a mechanized voice and another track of what seems like just a random melody. Always fun to take a peak inside Joel’s studio and get a sense of what is coming next – listen to his work with AvB below, and the other tracks after the break.
Rolling Stone has just announced its list for the Top 25 DJs in the world, and some of the selections may surprise you. For one, LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy came in at number 7 — ranked ahead of Boys Noize, Skrillex, and Daft Punk (who were ranked dead last.) Carl Cox and Deadmau5 joined the French duo deep in the list, sitting comfortably at 22 and 20 respectively while underground newcomer Maya Jane Coles came in at 15 — ahead of arguably the most technically talented DJ in the world, A-Trak.
XS Las Vegas is out with its New Year’s Eve Weekend lineup, and it does not disappoint. We already knew Eric Prydz would be headlining at neighboring Surrender, and XS has only raised the stakes for a dance music lover’s dream weekend in Vegas. In chronological order, XS will be featuring Tiesto, Steve Angello, Deadmau5 over the preceding weekend and finally Avicii on New Year’s Eve. Tickets will undoubtedly go fast, so if you’re debating, go ahead and bite the bullet! Purchase links after the break.
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instragram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Deadmau5, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and more.
Do you want to have your photos included in our Best of Instagram feature? All you have to do to be eligible is use the hashtag “#astrogram” in your photo entry on Instagram. Keep your photos DA or dance music-related, and we’ll choose one user-submitted photo to include each week. Click past the break to see this week’s #astrogram contest winner.
Deadmau5 recently played an intimate secret show for 200 fans at the Sonos Studio in Hollywood. If you didn’t happen to be one of the lucky 200 to attend the show, you can still hear Deadmau5′s full performance if you tune into KCRW at 11:15am PT. Fans not based on the West Coast can still hear the full 90 minute mix on demand later today via KCRW’s website. Have a look at the video above and you’ll see why this is not something you want to miss.
Continuing with his PR push, Deadmau5 recently sat down with Fuse to have a candid discussion about his most recent release >album title goes here< discussing how it felt good to get out of his “forced bubble.” In his typical, off the cuff, honest fashion, he comments on the double-edged sword that is the “Rise of EDM,” stating that although it has opened up a lot of doors, he has no plans to “work with whoever I want for maximum exposure.” He goes on to mention that despite his peers making choices that are “interesting” and a “bit of a comedy,” the fact that the opportunity exists is “pretty big” — he’s just not too keen on the results.
When asked about his success he humbly dismisses it: “it’s good to be appreciated” but “sometimes you do have these thoughts like ‘is all this really necessary?’ — I’m not curing fucking cancer.”
As always, no Deadmau5 interview would be complete without a jab – and this time Joel attacks the dubstep producers, not for the culture they foster but for the lack of respect they show towards the art of sound engineering.
“[Dubstep] is a fuck you to every audio engineer in the world.”
uetta, Afrojack, Wolfgang Gartner, and more. With a tracklist like this one, there isn’t much that needs to be said. Simply plug in, turn up the volume, and get down to some of the hottest new tracks from EDM’s biggest names. Click past the break for the tracklisting.
Our favorite outspoken DJ Deadmau5 has given another interview to Spin Magazine, and as usual, he doesn’t hold much back. Hot on the heels of his > album title goes here < release, he says he’s already working on a new album, but this time around he will hold back from the regular SoundCloud previews, saying that “it’d have more allure.” When asked about unusual collaborations as with Gerard Way on “Professional Griefers” and Cypress Hill on “Failbait,” he says they were “organic.” The mau5 said he is also “super fucking stoked” about his new relationship with Kat Von D, saying that “it was such a breath of fresh air to find someone who’s creative, who’s got ambition… someone who’s on par.”
Of course, he also had some less-than-complimentary things to say about folks like his record label, Ultra Records, and Madonna.
Want an easy way to make sure you are up to date on all the latest, best music? Dancing Astronaut takes a look at the top 10 tracks officially released in September and ranks them based on a combination of reader feedback, track quality, editorial preference & critical reception.
The amount of terrific productions released in September made curating this list extremely difficult, as we felt there were nearly twenty tracks that all warranted a spot in the top 10. That said, we have a list of ten very impressive tracks for you after the break, featuring entries from heavy hitters like Swedish House Mafia and Calvin Harris along with other artists that you will be less familiar with. Read on past the break for our full top 10.
Deadmau5 is one of the most controversial figures in dance music, but despite his often polarizing views, his music most always transcends his public relations faux pas. The mau5 masked crusader — or nemesis, depending on where you stand — isn’t susceptible to public opinion, and because of this, his productions are generally a reflection of himself — rather than a reflection of the current musical climate. While some might find his attitude entitled or unappreciative, I find it refreshing. Too many artists have lost their identity in the process of finding success, and too often their art suffers as a result — but not for Joel Zimmerman.
> album title goes here < is the mau5′ sixth studio album, and his third to be pseudo-untitled. Fans were able to watch the album’s progression through SoundCloud previews along the way — and while it takes away the element of surprise for many, it also provides a unique and rare glimpse into both the process of a technical genius and his final product.
