Deadmau5 Biography

(Canadian Electronic Music Producer and DJ)

Birthday: January 5, 1981 (Capricorn)

Born In: Niagara Falls, Canada

Deadmau5 is a Canadian electronic DJ/dance artist and record producer. Blessed with excellent skills in electronics, he displays a variety of styles in his works, and uses different forms of electronic music. He has worked with several famous DJs and producers on a number of releases. Nominated for the Grammy Awards six times, deadmau5 is well known for his trademark helmet and popular live shows. In the initial years of his career, he had created the buzz for his brand of electronic music on the indie dance site ‘Beatport’, and his works were included in compilation albums and DJ playlists. He then created ‘deadmau5.com’ and started uploading songs to SectionZ from 2002. This dance-music superstar describes himself as being very unsocial with a “huge anxiety disorder”, and is the happiest when left all alone. Best known for the dance music hits ‘Ghosts 'n' Stuff,’ ‘I Remember,’ and ‘Strobe’, he has tried his hand at everything in the electronic spectrum. He has been often described by the media as an incredibly humble and loyal individual, who just wants to do his best for his fans.
35
Quick Facts

Canadian Celebrities Born In January

Also Known As: Joel Thomas Zimmerman

Age: 43 Years, 43 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Kat Von D

father: Rodney Thomas Zimmerman

mother: Nancy Zimmerman

siblings: Chris Zimmerman, Jennifer Zimmerman

DJs Record Producers

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Ancestry: English Canadian, German Canadian, Swiss Canadian

Founder/Co-Founder: Mau5trap

  • 1

    What is Deadmau5 known for in the music industry?

    Deadmau5 is known for being a prominent electronic music producer and performer, specializing in genres such as progressive house and techno.
  • 2

    How did Deadmau5 come up with his unique stage name?

    Deadmau5's stage name is a combination of "dead mouse," which was a nickname given to him when a mouse crawled into his computer and died, and "5," which he added for aesthetic reasons.
  • 3

    What equipment does Deadmau5 use for his music production?

    Deadmau5 is known for using various hardware and software tools in his music production, including synthesizers like the Moog Voyager and software like Ableton Live.
  • 4

    What are some of Deadmau5's most popular tracks or albums?

    Some of Deadmau5's most popular tracks include "Strobe," "Ghosts 'n' Stuff," and "I Remember," while albums like "Random Album Title" and "4x4=12" have received critical acclaim.
  • 5

    How does Deadmau5 incorporate technology into his live performances?

    Deadmau5 is known for using advanced technology in his live performances, including his iconic LED "mau5head" helmet and elaborate visual productions that sync up with his music.
Childhood & Early Life
Deadmau5 was born as Joel Thomas Zimmerman on January 5, 1981 in Ontario, Canada to Nancy, who is a visual artist, and Rodney Thomas Zimmerman, a General Motors plant worker. His older sister is Jennifer, and younger brother is Chris.
He graduated from Westlane Secondary School in Ontario. He received his first keyboard as a Christmas gift when he was a teenager.
Continue Reading Below
Career
Deadmau5 started his career in animation and web designing. Later, he entered the music world as a DJ, touring Europe and South America for gigs with his own limited resources.
He also worked with an online music licensing company as a programmer. He adopted the name deadmau5, as he found a dead mouse in his computer when he was a teen.
His debut studio album ‘Get Scraped’, released on July 26, 2005, represented his early musical style. The album had two different releases—a limited CD release and a demo CD release. Two tracks ‘FlashTV’ and ‘Messages from Nowhere’ were removed from the digital release. He re-released ‘Messages from Nowhere’ on his compilation album ‘Stuff i used to do’ in 2017.
Play Digital released his second studio album ‘Vexillology’ on November 6, 2006. It was re-released on May 11, 2015 by Play Records.
’Project 56,’ a compilation album, was released on February 19, 2008. The album had some tracks that had also been featured on the ‘Get Scraped’ album. These tracks were ‘Bored of Canada’, ‘Nice Try Kiddo’, ‘I Forget’, and ‘Just Before 8bit’.
In the US, he collaborated with DJ and record producer Kaskade for the single ‘Move for Me’, which reached No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. He also collaborated with Kaskade for ‘I Remember’ and with Rob Swire for ‘Ghosts 'n' Stuff’, and both reached No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.
He started his own record label, mau5trap, in 2007. Mau5trap, along with Ministry of Sound and Ultra Records, released ‘Random Album Title’, his third studio album, on September 2, 2008. It was his breakthrough album that included the popular singles ‘Faxing Berlin’, ‘I Remember’, and ‘Not Exactly’. The album peaked at No. 31 in the UK Top 75 Albums chart. ‘Random Album Title’ also had a digital release in the US, Europe, and the UK.
Ultra Records and mau5trap released his fourth studio album, ‘For Lack of a Better Name’, in the US and Canada on September 22, 2009. Virgin Records released it internationally on October 5, 2009. The album features the single ‘Hi Friend!’, a collaboration with MC Flipside, and ‘Ghosts 'n' Stuff’ a collaboration with Rob Swire. It also includes the song ‘Strobe’, which was critically acclaimed.
Deadmau5 has been featured in a number of video games. He is found in a playable avatar in ‘DJ Hero 2’, a video game released in October 2010. He is featured in several tracks as well, including a mix of ‘Ghosts 'n' Stuff’ with Lady Gaga's ‘Just Dance.’
Continue Reading Below
His fifth studio album ‘4×4=12’ was released internationally on December 6, 2010. The album's title refers to a miscalculation deadmau5 had made on his Ustream channel. The album featured popular singles like ‘Animal Rights’, ‘Some Chords’, ‘Sofi Needs a Ladder’, and ‘Raise Your Weapon’. In 2011, he released two non-album singles ‘Aural Psynapse’ and ‘HR 8938 Cephei’.
His sixth studio album ‘> album title goes here <’ was released on September 21, 2012. It included five singles, ‘Maths’, ‘Professional Griefers’, ‘The Veldt’, ‘Channel 42’ and ‘Telemiscommunications’.
In November 2013, deadmau5 removed three years worth of music from his SoundCloud account, and uploaded an EP of seven piano sonatas titled ‘7’. In the same month, he left Ultra Records and signed with Astralwerks.
His seventh studio album ‘while1<2’ was released on June 17, 2014 by mau5trap and Astralwerks in the US and Canada and by Virgin EMI Records internationally. Four singles from the album—‘Avaritia’, ‘Infra Turbo Pigcart Racer’, ‘Seeya’, and ‘Phantoms Can't Hang’, were released before the album. In the same year, he was also featured in ‘Goat Simulator,’ a video game. His music has also been included in some video game titles.
In October 2015 he left Astralwerks. In December he announced that he may end his career as deadmau5, and start something new. He even deleted his Twitter and Facebook accounts. However, after a few days, he reopened his Twitter account and apologized to his fans, stating that he was suffering from depression, and would return to music after the New Year.
On May 27, 2016, the single ‘Snowcone’, was released as a digital download. His eighth studio album ‘W:/2016ALBUM/’was released on December 2, 2016, and it included several tracks.
In early 2017, he released a compilation of his earlier works from 1998 to 2007, titled ‘Stuff i used to do.’ The limited version of the album featured 13 tracks instead of the 16 he had announced earlier. Some of these tracks were ‘Messages From Nowhere’, ‘HaxPigMeow’, ‘Long Walk Off a Short Pier’, and ‘Creep’.
Major Works
His single ‘Move for Me’ reached No. 1 on Billboard magazine's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. The singles ‘I Remember’ and ‘Ghosts 'n' Stuff’, also reached No. 1 on Billboard's Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. His albums ‘For Lack of a Better Name’ and ‘4×4=12’ were critically acclaimed.
Awards & Achievements
Deadmau5 won the Beatport Music Awards for Best Electro House Artist and Best Progressive House Artist in 2008 and 2009. He has won the Juno Awards thrice.
Continue Reading Below
He bagged DJ Award for Best Electro House DJ in 2008, 2010, and 2011. He won the International Dance Music Awards thrice and was nominated for Grammy Awards six times.
Personal Life & Legacy
Deadmau5 got engaged to tattoo artist Kat Von D in December 2012, but they called it quits in June 2013.
In March 2014, the Walt Disney Company requested the US Patent and Trademark Office to investigate deadmau5’s application to register mau5head emblem as a trademark, as it resembles the figure of Mickey Mouse. Disney stated that the logo creates confusion as it is "nearly identical in appearance, connotation, and overall commercial impression."
In 2014, deadmau5 purchased a $5 million worth house in Campbellville area of Milton, Ontario.
He is a video game enthusiast, and whenever he wants to take a break from work, he plays video games to relax his mind.
Facts About Deadmau5
Deadmau5's iconic mouse helmet was actually created by accident when he was looking for a new logo for his music.
He is known for his love of cats and often shares photos of his own pets on social media.

Deadmau5 is a skilled video game player and has even competed in professional gaming tournaments.

He has a passion for technology and often shares his knowledge and opinions on the latest gadgets and software.
Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Deadmau5 in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Deadmau5 Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/deadmau5-14869.php

People Also Viewed

Kat Von D Biography
Kat Von D
(American, Mexican)
 
PartyNextDoor Biography
PartyNextDoor
(Canadian)
 
Jahkoy Palmer Biography
Jahkoy Palmer
(Canadian)
 
Peaches Biography
Peaches
(Canadian)
 
David Foster Biography
David Foster
(Canadian)
 
Bryan Adams Biography
Bryan Adams
(Canadian)
 
August Alsina Biography
August Alsina
(American)
 
Ugly God Biography
Ugly God
(American)