Deadmau5 is a record producer and electronic DJ from Canada. He demonstrates a diversity of styles in his works and uses various forms of electronic music, thanks to his exceptional talents in electronics. On a number of releases, he has collaborated with a number of well-known DJs and producers. Deadmau5 has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and is well-known for his iconic helmet and famous live events. In the early years of his career, he built a following for his electronic music on the indie dance website ‘Beatport,’ and his tracks were featured on compilation albums and DJ playlists. From 2002, he founded ‘deadmau5.com’ and began uploading tracks to SectionZ. This dance music superstar defines himself as “socially awkward” with a “major anxiety issue,” and says he is happiest when he is alone. He is most known for the dance music songs ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,’ ‘I Remember,’ and ‘Strobe,’ but he has dabbled in a variety of genres. He’s been portrayed in the media as a genuinely humble and loyal person who only wants to do his best for his admirers.
Childhood and Adolescence
Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5, was born on January 5, 1981, in Ontario, Canada, to Nancy, a visual artist, and Rodney Thomas Zimmerman, a GM plant worker. Jennifer is his older sister, and Chris is his younger brother.
He attended Westlane Secondary School in Ontario and graduated with honors. When he was a youngster, he received his first keyboard as a Christmas present.
Career of Deadmau5
Deadmau5 began his career as a web designer and animator. Later, he went into the music industry as a DJ, visiting Europe and South America on his own dime for gigs.
He also worked as a coder for an online music licensing company. When he was a teenager, he discovered a dead mouse in his computer and decided to call himself deadmau5.
On July 26, 2005, he released his debut studio album, ‘Get Scraped,’ which reflected his early musical style. A limited CD release and a demo CD release were both available for the album. The digital edition was stripped of two tracks: ‘FlashTV’ and ‘Messages from Nowhere.’ ‘Messages from Nowhere’ was re-released in 2017 on his compilation album ‘Stuff I Used to Do.’
On November 6, 2006, Play Digital published his second studio album, ‘Vexillology.’ Play Records re-released it on May 11, 2015.
On February 19, 2008, the compilation album ‘Project 56’ was published. Some of the tunes on the album were also on the ‘Get Scraped’ CD. ‘Bored of Canada,’ ‘Nice Try Kiddo,’ ‘I Forget,’ and ‘Just Before 8bit’ were the songs.
In the United States, he collaborated with DJ and record producer Kaskade on the tune “Move for Me,” which went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. ‘I Remember,’ a collaboration with Kaskade, and ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,’ a collaboration with Rob Swire, both of which achieved No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.
Mau5trap, his own record label, was founded by him in 2007. On September 2, 2008, Mau5trap released his third studio album, ‘Random Album Title,’ in collaboration with Ministry of Sound and Ultra Records. ‘Faxing Berlin,’ ‘I Remember,’ and ‘Not Exactly’ were among the hit songs from his debut album. In the UK Top 75 Albums chart, the album reached No. 31. ‘Random Album Title’ was also released digitally in the United States, Europe, and the United Kingdom.
On September 22, 2009, Ultra Records and mau5trap released his fourth studio album, ‘For Lack of a Better Name,’ in the United States and Canada. On October 5, 2009, Virgin Records released it worldwide. ‘Hi Friend!’, a collaboration with MC Flipside, and ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,’ a collaboration with Rob Swire, are among the album’s singles. The song ‘Strobe,’ which has received critical acclaim, is also included.
A variety of video games have featured Deadmau5. He appears as a playable character in the video game ‘DJ Hero 2,’ which was released in October 2010. He also appears on many tracks, including a mashup of ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance.’
On December 6, 2010, his fifth studio album, ‘4*4=12,’ was published internationally. The album’s title alludes to a blunder made by deadmau5 on his Ustream channel. ‘Animal Rights,’ ‘Some Chords,’ ‘Sofi Needs a Ladder,’ and ‘Raise Your Weapon’ were among the album’s hit songs. ‘Aural Psynapse’ and ‘HR 8938 Cephei’ were two non-album singles he released in 2011.
The title of his sixth studio album is ‘>’
In November 2013, deadmau5 deleted three years’ worth of music from his SoundCloud account and replaced it with an EP called ‘7,’ which featured seven piano sonatas. He departed Ultra Records in the following month and signed with Astralwerks. ‘while1’ is his seventh studio album.
He departed Astralwerks in October 2015. He indicated in December that he may be ending his career as deadmau5 and beginning something new. He even deactivated his social media accounts on Twitter and Facebook. He restored his Twitter account after a few days and apologized to his followers, explaining that he was suffering from depression and would return to music after the New Year.
The track ‘Snowcone’ was released as a digital download on May 27, 2016. On December 2, 2016, he released his eighth studio album, ‘W:/2016ALBUM/,’ which featured numerous songs.
‘Stuff I used to do,’ a collection of his previous works from 1998 to 2007, was released in early 2017. The album’s limited edition included 13 tracks rather than the 16 he had previously planned. ‘Messages From Nowhere,’ ‘HaxPigMeow,’ ‘Long Walk Off a Short Pier,’ and ‘Creep’ were among the tracks.
Major Projects of Deadmau5
On Billboard magazine’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, his single “Move for Me” achieved No. 1. On Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, the singles ‘I Remember’ and ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff’ also charted at No. 1. His albums ‘For Lack of a Better Name’ and ‘444=12’ received high praise from critics.
Achievements & Awards
In 2008 and 2009, Deadmau5 was named Best Electro House Artist and Best Progressive House Artist at the Beatport Music Awards. He has three Juno Awards to his credit.
In 2008, 2010, and 2011, he won the DJ Award for Best Electro House DJ. He was nominated for Grammy Awards six times and won three times at the International Dance Music Awards.
Personal History and Legacy
In December 2012, Deadmau5 became engaged to tattoo artist Kat Von D, however the couple split up in June 2013.
The Walt Disney Company asked the US Patent and Trademark Office to look into deadmau5’s application to register mau5head logo as a trademark in March 2014, claiming that it looks like Mickey Mouse. The logo “almost identical in appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression,” according to Disney, causes misunderstanding.
In 2014, deadmau5 bought a $5 million home in Milton, Ontario’s Campbellville neighborhood.
He is a video game fanatic who plays video games to soothe his thoughts when he needs a break from work.