Talking tech with Deadmau5 (11.24 @ the Roxy)

Last week I had a fun little e-chat with Canadian DJ/producer Deadmau5, and his gig tomorrow at the Roxy is featured in today's Boston Herald. His show at the Dise in April was all sorts of awesome, so tomw night should be a blast despite it, well, bring at the effing Roxy.


Dance music fans simply mad about Deadmau5
By Michael Marotta
Monday, November 23, 2009 - Updated 17h ago

You can call a 28-year-old man who performs to crowds of thousands while wearing a giant, illuminated mouse head many things.

Just don’t call Deadmau5 a DJ.

The brainchild of Canadian electronic music producer Joel Zimmerman, Deadmau5 (pronounced dead mouse) plays much of his original, progressive house and electro live, onstage.

He uses the computer program Ableton Live on a MacBook Pro along with an endless sea of gadgets and machines that allow him to loop and re-edit his music on the fly. Zimmerman, who takes over the Roxy on Tuesday night, is more than a guy spinning records or lazily queuing up tracks on his laptop.

“I think the best thing to happen (to dance music) is technology and how easy it is to make music,” Zimmerman said via e-mail. “It’s just progression of technology and the speed of computers.”

Whatever it is, it’s mighty high-tech stuff for a guy whose identity comes from an oversized mouse head. The costume is becoming iconic in the dance scene - a red Deadmau5 head was spotted in Allston over Halloween weekend. Zimmerman brings extras to pass around to the audience so they can take pictures in them.

“It gets very hot in there,” he said. “That’s why I have to take it off (during the show). But we now have four heads, and with each one it gets lighter so it’s easier to wear.”

He came up with the Deadmau5 moniker a few years ago when a mouse crawled into his computer and died.

Last year, Zimmerman found himself - thanks to the strength of his Ultra Records debut compilation, “Random Album Title” - the No. 1 artist on electronic dance music pay-site Beatport, with more than 30,000 downloads. This year he was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Remixed Recording category, and he’s taken home two Juno awards (Canada’s highest musical honor) for Dance Recording of the Year.

He’s currently on a 62-date world tour behind his recently released sophomore dance mix compilation, “For Lack of a Better Name.” Last month, DJ Magazine named him the No. 6 DJ in the world. It marked a five-spot climb from his rank of a year ago.

“I think last year’s was the highest new entry ever,” Zimmerman said, apparently not minding this instance of being labeled a DJ. “Moving up to No. 6 this year was a buzz.”

DeadMau5, at the Roxy, Tuesday. Tickets: $45; 617-678-4002.