Dance music enthusiasts rejoice. A new record from Canadian electronic music prodigy Deadmau5 is out now. Just like his previous records, >album title goes here< is another feast for the ears featuring some of today’s big names from various genres, including Wolfgang Gartner, Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, Cypress Hill, Imogen Heap and Chris James.
Joel Zimmerman aka Deadmau5 merges dub step with progressive house, electro house, trance and hip hop, resulting in a surprisingly delightful blend of genres. The album opens with “Superliminal” and “Channel 42” (featuring house music producer Wolfgang Gartner), the track which reminds listeners of Deadmau5’s earlier dub step gems such as “Ghosts N Stuff.” Next on the track list is “The Veldt (8 Minute Edit),” featuring Chris James; the soothing and trance oriented track seems influenced by the works of German producer Paul Van Dyk.
“Fn Pig” is another pure Deadmau5-esque dub step track destined to become the next dance floor craze. Gerard Way appears in “Professional Griefers,” a solid electro house track with alternative rock elements that proves to be the best and strongest of the album. “Maths” is a brilliant track—not as boring as its name might suggest. The next track, “There Might Be Coffee,” redefines Deadmau5 as a serious and efficient electro house producer rather than a mere dub step DJ. “Take Care of the Proper Paperwork” brings Zimmerman back to the strong dub step sounds reminiscent of his earlier singles like “Sofi Needs a Ladder” and “This Noise.”
“Closer” and “October” are examples of tracks with strong European, particularly German, electronica influences with trance veterans such as Van Dyke, Armin Van Buuren and ATB. The new progressive house direction Deadmau5 has taken with this track is quite impressive and should be applauded. The following track, “Sleepless,” is a haunting, subtle, and hypnotic single which comes across as quite a surprise because with this track, Deadmau5 ascended towards ambient electronica with heavy drums and synthesizers. The track reminds the listener of the down tempo and dream pop sounds of French electronic duo AIR and British trip hop and ambient veterans Zero 7.
Next is a hip hop oriented track called “Failbait” featuring Cypress Hill; with gangsta-rap influences, this song will remain on the track lists of radio stations for some time. The album concludes with “Telemiscommunications” featuring Imogen Heap. The track is reminiscent of Deadmau5’s earlier chartbuster “Raise Your Weapon” with a similar structure and layout.
With >album title goes here<, Deadmau5 attempted to redefine dance music yet again after 2010’s 4×4=12, and he has succeeded. Deadmau5 should be known and recognized more as a producer of an album like >album title goes here<, rather than of his earlier records because this record surpasses them all with its variety of genre bending and exceptional sounds. The album seems like the celebration of electronic and dance music.