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DJ Mag Top100 DJs
31
Deadmau5
6

2016 has been vintage Deadmau5 — he got into numerous Twitter spats with the likes of Skrillex, Diplo and Zedd, previewed some new material from his as-yet unnamed new album, unveiled a brand-new stage show, and we’re only in October. Twitter beefs aside, the outspoken producer is a trailblazer. His coffee run video series was pretty much the blueprint for James Corden’s ridiculously popular carpool karaoke, he was one of the first producers to utilise streaming service Twitch to bring his fans closer to him and his music, and his stage shows are still some of the most innovative in the business.

This month, Deadmau5 also celebrated the 100th release of his Mau5trap imprint with a remixes package for his legendary track ‘Strobe’, which featured reworks from the likes of Feed Me, Com Truise, Dimension, Lane 8, ATTLAS and from Deadmau5 himself. Elsewhere, the Canada-based producer played some one-off b2b DJ shows with Eric Prydz, with both producers hinting at possible collaborations in the near future.

2016, though, has all been about Deadmau5’s return to the stage, and that’s where he’s at his most impressive and inventive. His new Cube show — which was months in the planning and cost hundreds of thousands to create — saw the Mau5 focusing on what he can control instead of venting at others on social media. Whatever you think about Deadmau5, there’s no denying he's made an impact; whether it’s his music, the way he utilises technology, or saying what everyone is thinking — he's a hugely entertaining character, and the dance world would be a whole lot more boring without him. And with an album in the offing, we might be seeing more of the Deadmau5 we all know and love instead of his somewhat insufferable online persona. ANDREW RAFTER