Deadmau5 produces almost everything and he does it all very, very well. He dabbles in techno, winks at minimal, dips his toes in trance, plays footsie with progressive, makes overtly amorous glances at electro, and screws house’s brains out. Versatility and quality are rare bed partners in the music world, but Deadmau5 proves the stereotypes wrong like a good artist should- and he does it while wearing an enormous strobing red and white mau5 head with LED eyes and a goofy, open smile. Somebody fax Berlin.

And it was ever since Pete Tong played the track “Faxing Berlin” on BBC’s Radio One that the music of the shy, 29 year-old Torontonian who sleeps on a futon has spread across the world like a colony of rabid mice, taking up residence in the brains of beat-freaks from Seattle to Sydney. Deadmau5 is rearranging the very idea of what a live electronic music performance should be, raising the standard and setting higher expectations of visual engagement. His inventive approach is welcomed by his subjects as are the driving melodies and powerful rhythms that characterize his productions.

But Deadmau5 is more than sweet beats with a fun delivery- his party music is set beyond the boundaries of easy name tags and is tinged with the dark breath of the absurd. His theatrical approach and even his rise to fame symbolize Right Now, and his music exist on the very edge of the modern world, the place where the electronic arts community dances and pushes forward innovations in technology and creative expression.

Deadmau5 reminds us that Right Now is also the Age of the Nerd. Boys and girls alone in front of their computers pressing buttons are conquering the planet, and mad computer skills are trumping social skills as the go-to characteristics to possess in order to succeed in the world. Thankfully for the extroverts, Deadmau5 takes his magic OUT of the home studio and leaves the realm of the socially awkward. Armed only with a laptop, a Lemur touchpad, and a custom-made mau5 costume, he delivers a unique and forceful sound in a way that no one else is doing, convincing every soul on his dance floor that this isn’t just some rat fink shtick.

Deadmau5′ new mix album “For Lack of a Better Name” was released in fall of 2009 right before the producer set off on a massive tour, and you can catch him headlining the Ultra Music Festival this year on Saturday night.

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Deadmau5 performs at Ultra 2008

Essentials
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Name: Deadmau5 AKA Joel Zimmerman
Resides: Toronto
Known For: Destroying dance floors with a mix of genres in a blinking LED Mau5 head

2010 Confirmed WMC Parties: Ultra Music Festival