You’ve seen the helmet, you’ve heard the music—but you’ve never heard deadmau5 like this. In this episode of The Stiletto Room, Joel Zimmerman (aka deadmau5) sits down with me for a rare, unfiltered conversation about his journey from taking apart TVs as a kid in Ontario to headlining festivals across the globe.
Joel opens up about teaching himself computer music before the Internet, creating his own opportunities, and how a fried mouse inside his PC became one of the most iconic names in electronic music. We dive into the business side, too— building his own in-house empire at mau5trap, and the constant reinvention required to stay relevant in a cutthroat industry.
This episode isn’t just for EDM fans—it’s for anyone who wants to understand what it takes to build a brand, protect it, and survive the low highs and lows of global fame.
About deadmau5
Joel Zimmerman, more commonly known as deadmau5 (pronounced “deadmouse”), is one of the world’s most respected electronic music producers of modern times. Enjoying international chart success with his 2x platinum-certified single Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff, as well as Professional Griefers, Sofi Needs a Ladder and I Remember, he has also released seven critically acclaimed albums.
The multiple JUNO Award-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated artist’s ability to push the boundaries of his talent grows at an equal rate to his fan base, which counts 15 million and more across his combined social media channels.
His latest music offerings include Pomegranate with The Neptunes, Bridged by a Lightwave with Kiesza, Channel 43 with Wolfgang Gartner, Hypnocurrency and Infraliminal (as REZZMAU5) with REZZ, When the Summer Dies with Lights, Hyperlandia featuring Foster the People, this is fine. with Portugal. The Man, XYZ, My Heart Has Teeth featuring Skylar Grey, Jupiter and his latest EP, some ep.
In 2022, deadmau5 teamed with longtime friend and collaborator Kaskade on the new music project Kx5, releasing the Top 40 smash and #1 dance music radio single Escape featuring Hayla, leading into the release of their 2023 GRAMMY-nominated debut self-titled album Kx5.
deadmau5’s 2019/20 U.S. cubev3 tour ranked in the Top 10 of Pollstar’s top tours globally. In 2022, he completed the We Are Friends North American tour and, as Kx5, headlined the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in December, breaking records as the largest single-day concert event headlined by an electronic music artist ever in North America. Billboard confirmed Kx5 at the Coliseum as the biggest ticketed global headliner dance event of 2022.
If you love the topics we unpack in the podcast, then you'll love Dina LaPolt's new motivational book, Street Smart: Succeeding in a Man's World. Order Now!
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