IamA deadmau5 AMA!

Are u tru mlg pro?

blasts airhorn

You are more outspoken than most musicians on Twitter. Why do you break the more conservative mold that celebrities and public figures usually stick to?

i probably have some mental health problems.

How many nudes do your fans send you per day?

not nearly as many as i'd like.

Would you rather Fuck a goat with no one knowing, or not Fuck a goat but having everyone think you fucked a goat?

i always figured everyone knew i fucked goats. shrug

How do you feel about people who pronounce your name deadmaufive?

how do you feel about people who pronounce your name "wang butt"

Is there any possibility in the near future of you being the Star in a reasonably price car on UK Top Gear?

I can picture Jeremy messing up deadmau5 name.

Joel Zimmerman... Or dead mau five.

They sit down.
JZ: "So its actually pronounced 'Deadmaus,' you know."

JC: "Oh, I'm sorry. Production crew must have screwed up because there is definitely a '5' at the end of it on my notes here."

i guess im the only person whos ever wondered what the fuck an aerosmith was too.

How fun was it to put Skrillex's phone number out to the public?

most satisfying troll. ever.

How's the 20-min version of strobe coming?

it is done thankfully.... my only thing is, i hope it doesnt subtract too much from the orioginal.... i had to make it in such a way that the track could be at least "reproduced" in a live-ish fashion... since its for a "live PA" type show... so... of course theres the odd track mixed in that gives it a little help, but im happy with it!

What was your reaction when you learned that Blizzard had put in an item into Diablo 3 based on you?

EDIT: The item in question: Halcyon's Ascent

at first i was so stoked.... but then i realized it can never roll decent. ever. ancient or otherwise.... touche Blizzard, touche.

Why did you choose to fly all the way on to Ibiza during the GumBall instead of riding shotgun with Tory?

because i was arrested in france and they wouldnt let me drive anymore. :( le poop.

How excited for Windows 10 are you on a scale of 1 - 4.9 ???

hololens tho....

How does soup work?

magnets.

I am an aspiring producer with 0 experience and resources, but an immense love of music. What do you recommend to someone new, who wants to get into producing?

piano lessons! or even a cheap as free midi controller... plenty of free utilities and programs out there to start experimenting.

What's your greatest fear?

being burned alive.

Do you still accept mail for things to be signed? or did I miss the boat on that? ...local Toronto mail?

of course, i get a pile every now and again and ship er back... the PO box is somewhere on my facebook page still i think

What's up deadmau5? When you have a craving for chocolate milk, do you go premixed or do you use powder/syrup? If the latter, do you rather powder, or syrup?

premixed.... i dont trust myself.

Is there a particular reason as to why you don't play your old songs while touring or do just none of them work in conjunction with your newest releases?

yeah... thats a pain in the ass... its like, they give you a timeslot... and you just want to play all your new stuff... you know? i figure thats what i want people to hear.... but occaisionally ill sneak in a classic of course

Hello! how long have you been making music? What did you want to do when you were a kid?

ive been making music since.. i was 13? perhaps? just toyed away on a p[iano my grandmosther left me, until i took an interest in computers and graphic design... and found a way to combine both!

Hey Joel, long time fan, What do you recommend for finding great music now? Are you nervous about your upcoming set at Guv? Do you still feel you are connected heavily to the dance scene in toronto, and the up and coming acts there now?

cheers.

honest answer: i dont really feel connected to any kind of community. i dont mean any disrespect, but i dont think i've ever really felt a part of any group.... i always, and sometimes still do, loathe that i've never really had any connection in my passions with others... but, perhaps maybe that was the disconnect i needed to do the things i do?

Thanks for doing the AMA!! You've donned many different mouse heads in your career, what was your favorite one and why?

i love the carbon one... simply because its the lightest by far. :D i am big on comfort when it comes to donning massive headgear.

What kind of mouse did you find in your power supply?

a dead one... medium rare.

What are your thoughts on Porter Robinson and his belief that edm has become repetitive and stale? Are you a fan of his music?

You rock btw!

ive been saying that before it was cool.

when would you like your next album to be released?

i was actually thinking of a followup to Seven which is in the works... of course the contrast to the first 7 (being the dealy sins) i'd like to do the 7 virtues.... and do it all on modular synths.... which is a nice contrast to the piano only "sins"

Did you ever think that you would get as big as you did when you first started out?

i had no idea.... even today i still question my presence in the electronic music world.... i suppose thats natural.

How many times have you put lego on your cat's bum?

twice actually.

Have you ever thought about scoring a movie?

all the time.... i've been working on getting a special project on my plate... and who knows where that will take me... i've always just waited for the right film for me... it wouldnt feel right just taking any old fuckin movie that would be some box office smash or whatever.

How many NSFW subreddits have you checked out, and which one would be your favorite?

i think all of them.

Have you ever tried to produce a hardcore or hardstyle kick? How did that turn out?

GREAT QUESTION! i have consulted with 7 of the worlds leading audio engineers and sound designers.... For 8 months, we rented out an isolated chamber deep inside the hills of west virginia to solve this mystery. Night after night... scratching our heads to unlock the secrets of this EDM holy grail. 3 men were lost in the process and we resorted to cannibalism. To this day, the deep mysteries of the hardstyle kick still eludes us until further funding is available.

What genres do you enjoy?

im not sure what genre to clissify it as, but when i want to listen to music... i enjoy a good bit of Tycho, Flying Lotus, NIN, Radiohead, little dragon... i dont know if any of thats really a genre. but they all hold something special for me. such as good music should do in the first place

is it bad for my kicks to reach 12db on an eq?

ehhh... i'd max that out to about -6db. but ... different strokes for different EDMs i guess.

How is the studio you are building going?

building one in the home until someone comes here and does a 2 year long study of the rare blue spotted salamander... who is still unvailable for comment.

any hints as to what's in store for us at Bonnaroo? Also will I be seeing you on the Electric Forest lineup this year? ;)

Thanks!

were passing around the stage drawings... and setup and production and all that now actually... "team beating" as i like to call them, this week. But the Guvernment nightclub finale show will be somewhat of a precursor to the newer show builds..... im more and more keen on taking a mixing console and a whole lot of synths on stage now as oppossed to being the ableton guy with a laptop in a massive show production.

did you have fun in philly when you played MIA?... more importantly did you have a cheesesteak?

man... i had the best cheesesteak.... and im not going to tell you if it was from Ginos or Pats lest we need a mile long thread war. :D

How're you enjoying the 650s?

McLovin it. Im not sure i'd even get the P1 without owning that first.

Hi there joel! Love your stuff, any news on being on Top Gear any time soon?

im starting to lose hope :( all i can do is wait.

What inherent benefits do you feel analog synths have over software synths? Could software synths ever emulate those benefits?

the nerd technical answer to synth emulating analogue is "never" but... were hitting that "close enough" stage. But the benefits to me is tactile feedback, or "performing" a sound....not to discreit "controllerism" ... but its the tiny nuances that "controllerism resolution" just cant achieve.

Will you bring some new epic mau5head to Gov ?

actualkly, i dont think ill be carting a mousehead to guv.... i know im going to catch shit for that.... but have to been to guv when its packed? you dont wanna be wearing no friggen mouse head. believe you me. also, im going to need to be paying attention up there... that particular show will require a good bit of constant attention from me.... so no fist pumping this time im afraid :(

Do you play any games other than Diablo ? Thanks for making good music for me to game to!

im a one game guy.... besides, i suck at everything other than diablo anyway.

Were you always a fan of cars or did that come later on in life?

that came much later in life. funnily enough, as soon as i was liscensed to drive one.... once my foot made that connection with the pedal, and the car made the connection to the road... it fell into place pretty fast!

Does Dillon Francis smell like butterscotch? I bet he does.

more like piss and wet cardboard.

Who will become big in 5-10 years in the EDM scene you think?

at least 400 others would have been big, and out, in 1/2 that time.

What was your favorite thing about India?

the food! someones gotta come retrain your indian guys over here in Toronto.... coz the indian here is seriously lacking in what "actual" indian food is!

Is there a system that you use for chord arrangements in your songs (circle of fifths) or do you just play around with random midi until it sounds right?

honestly, i just mess around with notes... until they sound good. :D experimentation over systems, for me.

Hi deadmau5! Everyone knows that you're not a fan of the moniker EDM and the producers under its umbrella term, but who are some artists out there that you think are definitely worth a listen to in your mind at the moment? Would love to hear some suggestions!

com truise is a great pick.... if i had to call it anything, id call it future retro? but music is your personal thing. yours to interpret and discover on your own, thats the beauty of it.

Will You be My friend?

4% chance.

What do you enjoy the most about producing new sounds/music?

sonic experimentation... sometimes to me, its more about the timbre of the sound, much less the melody.

When's your next US tour? Anything big planned? When your next album?? Can't wait!

we havent really solidified any "tour plans" this has been the hot topic these days... but... the wheels are in motion for something special, and im excited to unveil it when the time is right :D

Hi Joel! How's the new house been treating you?

its been good! quite smooth actually... too smooooth... hmmm.... takes some getting used to living out in the woods!

If you were to play WoW, what class would you be?

is there a wizard of sorts? i havent played wow, but if there was a wiz class, its on!

what websites do you normally frequent?

verge, muffwiggler, liveleak, gearsluts

Are you still planning on doing a Spor remix for the upcoming album?

hmm i dont know if ill go there... i love jons work just the way it is. such a talented dude.

ass or titties?

ass.... AND.... titties. ass n titties ... ass ass and titties titties... however that fuckin song goes.

What do you regret the most during your career?

twitter.

Have you had a chance to work with Trent Reznor at all?

not directly, we've had a few sitdowns here and there and passed the notion around.... i wouldnt bug the guy. if it happens, it happens.

Is there a tattoo you regret getting?

naw. you dont get tattoos to regret them later.

You still mad at /mu/?

yes. lol. who isnt?

How often do you get started on a track and end up tossing it?

probably more often than i should.... but i do "bank" a lot of those and tend to revisit them later.

How's the astrophotography going? Ever stop by /r/photography?

still waiting on some parts and aclear night.... need a good finderscope (on order) so i can calibrate this beyotch!

Do you think you're more famous than you deserve to be?

sometimes i feel that way.... other time i catch myself in the notion that i've committed to something, and worked hard at it. but that comes and goes... thats just life.

How much would it cost for me to purchase Meowingtons?

ill give you him for free.

So what do you really think about Kygo and his "elevator music?" Tropical house is getting big now and i'd like your thoughts on it's expansion.

you got me there... did hear some in bed bath n beyond earlier today.

what's was the most memorable moment of the gumball?

most memorable moment was, well, so hard to choose... i took so many home last year.... looking forward to making many more on this years rally!