(National Post)The impishly smiling mouse head that Joel Zimmerman wears when he performs has become a symbol for the triumph of electronic dance music. As deadmau5, the 31-year-old Niagara Falls, Ont.-born producer headlines festivals and plays gigs in stadiums; his new album, >>album title goes here<< (which is the actual title of the album), is set to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard charts this week. So how does it feel to stand onstage atop a custom-built gleaming cube, flanked by huge video screens, playing your songs to tens of thousands of dancing fans?
“Uh, kinda lonesome,” admits Zimmerman, over Skype from Los Angeles. “But I’ve got the crowd there with me; they’ve got my back.” He has no band members to disagree with, but if something goes wrong, it’s his responsibility. “When it does, it’s not too disastrous. … It gives it a human element — technology is not infallible. As long as you’re able to give it your all, a 90% show with 300% effort is a beautiful thing.”
Deadmau5 is a complex cat. Although he’s known for being...
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