Review Summary: Holy cow - Canadian producer writes dance album containing some degree of quality. Now theres a headline for ya'.
I first heard Deadmau5 courtesy of one of the many mixtapes that hit our clubnights inbox every week in 2008, and i haven't looked back since. The track in question was the undeniabley house heavy 'The Reward Is Cheese,' and like most first time Deadmau5 listeners, i just went on to 'assume' he was a big European producer who liked to blend his House beats with Trance leads, throw his arms up in the air in front of forty thousand people and let the music play itself. How wrong i was.
If i had to describe 'Random Album Title' in two words, those two words would most certainly be 'a journey.' From the minimal sounds of opener 'Sometimes Things Get, Whatever' to the Electro fueled closer 'So There I Was,' Deadmau5 criss-crosses more electronic music genre's than most of you will probably have thought existed, and in the process sets a new standard for technical production masterery that most producers will fail to even scratch the surface of. Where most dance artists are currently failing in what many believe to be an extremely stale musical enviroment, Deadmau5 succeeds on almost every level. He has bought us an album that is not only full of club bangers but chilled out minimal songs that rip the definition of 'club only' dance music to shreds.
Despite all this, the album is not without its flaws - Deadmau5 has used the same drum sound on every track for the last five years, and occasionally his progressive mentality gets the better of him, with more than a few boring drops and extended sections. There also isn't a track heavy enough to rival [in my opinion his best] 'The Reward Is Cheese,' which is a big dissapointment for DJ's who can't play sets full of minimal and progressive house.
In conclusion, this is an album that breaks down a lot of barriers. A DJ who isn't from Europe has become a bonafied super-producer without having to rely on cheesey vocal tracks and Trance Energy headline shows, and has been showered with critical acclaim and awards in the process. He has managed to create an entire listenable dance record full of his own productions [a very rare occurence], and give the listener a lesson in genre switching to boot. Basically, this album is brilliant, and is a must own for any dance enthusiast.
Deadmau5 for president!
Tracks to check out -
Arguru
Slip
Brazil [2nd Edit]
The Reward Is Cheese + Club Mix [Not on the album]
