The late 2000s saw the rise of EDM, spurred on by a huge collection of DJs making room-thumping hits. One such DJ was Canadian Joel Thomas Zimmerman, better known as Deadmau5. He was prolific towards the end of the decade, breaking out with Random Album title in 2008, and following up with For Lack of a Better Name and then the mighty 4×4=12 in successive years. By then, he was already an EDM legend.
Still active across a whole range of stages and entertainment media, Deadmau5 continues to draw in the crowds. So, for new and long-time fans of the wearer of the Mau5head, here are some things you probably didn’t know about the famed DJ.
Deadmau5 Set a Record with Professional Griefers
Back in August 2012, Deadmau5 released the music video to Professional Griefers featuring My Chemical Romance vocalist Gerard Way, which you can see above. Clearly, they went big on the production, particularly in animating the fight bots for the track. In the end, he admitted to throwing seven figures at the project. Years later, it was reported that Professional Griefers was still the most expensive EDM music video ever made. The music video alone has 18.7 million views on YouTube today, while the audio-only video has over 12 million views.
Deadmau5 has a Couple of Official Games
In recent years, the legendary gamer has been doing all sorts of collaborations with popular multiplayer games and even putting on some events in the metaverse. However, at any time, fans can revel in a couple of his official games. On Meta, there’s the Absolut Deadmau5 experience, which is a direct homage to the DJ. Best of all, Zimmerman helped with the development, did motion capture for the player, and let them use the song Saved.
He’s also got an official game to rival the best of the branded online slot games. Found at the jackpot casino, the Deadmau5 official slot is nestled in amongst other hit branded games. These include Lara Croft: Temples and Tombs, Rick and Morty Megaways, and Dumb and Dumber: Route to Riches. In the Deadmau5 slot, the developers debuted the now-hit feature Drop The Wild and infused a whole host of his most famous tracks.
The Mr Mau5 had a Very Famous Cat
To some, Professor Meowingtons Phd was even more famous than the DJ himself. The rather cubby black and white cat amassed quite the following on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumbler – all of the big platforms of the day – and often featured as a part of his works. Meowingtons can be seen on album, and there were even headphones of the cat. Now, his skeleton stands in Deadmau5’s living room.
Deadmau5’s Video Game Journey Inspired His Music
In an interview back in 2016, Rolling Stone magazine delved into the DJ’s obsession with video games. Deadmau5 said that it’d be fair to say that the sounds that eventually came along in video games helped to influence his music. His first games didn’t have soundtracks, but when they arrived in games like Castlevania and Super Castlevania, they really stuck with him, spurring him to create his own music.
Much more than a legendary DJ, as it turns out, there’s a lot more to Deadmau5 beyond the big stage.
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