Deadmau5’s career is alive and well. D.C.-area heads must’ve wondered if his alias was a self-fulfilling prophecy, though, when a July set ended abruptly due to “exhaustion”. Vet techs on the scene recommended canceling nine tour dates to recover from the collapse–Montreal, Tokyo, Ibiza, Budapest and Barcelona were among them. Hungry for mouse clicks, gossip sites were quick to scapegoat party animal buddy Tommy Lee. Considering deadmau5’s recent breakneck schedule, the boy needed a break either way. Or at least a breather. Let’s recap, shall we?
The LED-covered, cube-shaped DJ booth custom-designed by Bionic Head’s Martin Phillips (best known for his work with deadmau5 remixees Daft Punk) and John McGuire was the talk of Coachella this spring. Watching someone check email or surf porn on their laptop is rarely as engaging as full band chemistry, which is why Daft Punk, Justice and now deadmau5 have upped the ante for visual stimulation in the electronica realm. The helmet-clad Canadian was depicted sound tracking a fashion show on TV show Gossip Girl just weeks prior to Coachella. Mau5 head in hand, the Toronto composer headlined America’s largest dance party Electric Daisy Carnival in June (Beta-based Team Easy and I were there). July saw deadmau5 slay day one of Red Rocks’ Global Dance Fest—his second appearance to date. Then in August, MTV announced they would accommodate his entire rig so he could play house DJ for the Video Music Awards, a gig given only to Moby (and maybe Skribble) previously. Finally, securing his knob-twiddling throne with video gamers everywhere, deadmau5 is set to star in Activision’s DJ Hero 2.
There are no dust bunnies on the mau5 head. Jitterbug and get jiggy this week at The Fillmore. Jonas Tempel, Beatport’s big cheese, warms up Wednesday, while longtime Vinyl resident Sir Thomas opens Thursday.