Post by deadmau5fan24 on Nov 30, 2011 16:10:40 GMT -5
4 X 4 =12 by Deadmau5
In an age when electronic dance music seems to be taking over, there is one face that is recognized by all fans of the genre; an oversized mouse head. That’s right, Joel Zimmerman, better know as Deadmau5 performs on stage with his now famous, “Mau5head.” Everyone’s favorite rodent burst onto the scene with his two previous studio albums, Random Album Title and For Lack of a Better Name. It is impossible to categorize his sound because it is simply unlike what any other producer is putting out there. Any average fan can immediately recognize a Deadmau5 song from the driving bass and precise notes that would make anybody and their grandmother immediately start grooving. 4X4=12 is Mau5’s most ambitious album to date as he incorporates new and exciting sounds that please his loyal fans and take them to places they hadn’t seen before. It goes to show than an old mau5 really can learn new tricks, and in this case, even better tricks.
The album, like many of his recent shows, starts off with the banger “Some Chords.” The bass in the introduction sounds very familiar to the moog we have studied in class. The driving bass builds up so dramatically that listeners beg for a huge drop; and Mau5 delivers on these prayers over and over again. “A City in Florida,” “Bad Selection,” and “I Said,” give fans a sound they are used to hearing in his previous albums. An upbeat tempo defines these tracks that keep the party moving. Upon hearing the sound bit “Bad selection,” the song just goes off on a wild ride that nobody wants to ever end.
The tracks “Sofi Needs a Ladder,” “Raise Your Weapon,” and “One Trick Pony,” are spread throughout the album but all show a side of Deadmau5 that we had not seen before; dubstep. “Sofi “ and “Pony” feature vicious vocals by Sofi on top on the driving bass of mau5-style dubstep. “Weapon,” which features the vocals of Greta Svabo Bech, starts off slow and sorrowful. This all changes mid-song when aggressive dubstep beats change the tone entirely. These tracks are not typical Deadmau5 at all, and have received some criticism from the faithful fans. However, they provide a nice change-up throughout the album and prove that Deadmau5 can be the best in the business in a genre that in the past he hasn’t even bothered with.
Dance floor megahit “Animals Rights,” pleases fans with its upbeat tempo and extremely wide range of notes. The only way to dance to this song is to contort your body in ways you didn’t even know were possible. This leads to album to my person favorite track, “Cthulhu Sleeps.” This song is so intense and original that no other artist has the capability of producing anything like it. The pulsing vibe builds up so dramatically for so long, that when it finally drops, fans can’t help but completely lose themselves in the music. It is truly a masterpiece. This brings us to another epic track, “Right This Second.” Like so many of his other tracks, it has an extremely dramatic buildup. When the song finally drops, it feels like a minor earthquake has occurred. The album concludes with “Everything Before,” a track so deep and uniquely deadmau5 that it leaves you wanting so much more.
Many DJs these days use simple programs that most people who have taken technosonics could probably understand. Not Deadmau5. His enormous, personally designed studio contains unique equipment that I don’t think anybody else in the world could comprehend. He has completely mastered looping especially with his drumbeats. In addition he uses a frequency modulation synthesizer very similar to the original, John Chowning’s DX-7. This is most recognizable in tracks “Bad Selection” and “A City in Florida.” He also employs granular synthesis, echo, and innovative pitch shifting. His use of sound bits is not over done and is executed perfectly. The driving bass, especially in his dubstep sounds comes from the moog synthesizer.
Criticisms that Deadmau5 most commonly hears concern the time it takes for his sounds to truly drop and they are too repetitive. But the truth is, his buildups are what make his sounds better than anyone else. For other electronic artists, only certain songs can be called “epic.” For Deadmau5, that is every track. As we learned in class, repetition is not really a bad thing. In fact, when there are slight changes, the beat stays fresh and it is an incredibly successful technique. Deadmau5 has absolutely mastered this. But the truth is, there isn’t much that Deadmau5 hasn’t mastered at this point.
In an age when electronic dance music seems to be taking over, there is one face that is recognized by all fans of the genre; an oversized mouse head. That’s right, Joel Zimmerman, better know as Deadmau5 performs on stage with his now famous, “Mau5head.” Everyone’s favorite rodent burst onto the scene with his two previous studio albums, Random Album Title and For Lack of a Better Name. It is impossible to categorize his sound because it is simply unlike what any other producer is putting out there. Any average fan can immediately recognize a Deadmau5 song from the driving bass and precise notes that would make anybody and their grandmother immediately start grooving. 4X4=12 is Mau5’s most ambitious album to date as he incorporates new and exciting sounds that please his loyal fans and take them to places they hadn’t seen before. It goes to show than an old mau5 really can learn new tricks, and in this case, even better tricks.
The album, like many of his recent shows, starts off with the banger “Some Chords.” The bass in the introduction sounds very familiar to the moog we have studied in class. The driving bass builds up so dramatically that listeners beg for a huge drop; and Mau5 delivers on these prayers over and over again. “A City in Florida,” “Bad Selection,” and “I Said,” give fans a sound they are used to hearing in his previous albums. An upbeat tempo defines these tracks that keep the party moving. Upon hearing the sound bit “Bad selection,” the song just goes off on a wild ride that nobody wants to ever end.
The tracks “Sofi Needs a Ladder,” “Raise Your Weapon,” and “One Trick Pony,” are spread throughout the album but all show a side of Deadmau5 that we had not seen before; dubstep. “Sofi “ and “Pony” feature vicious vocals by Sofi on top on the driving bass of mau5-style dubstep. “Weapon,” which features the vocals of Greta Svabo Bech, starts off slow and sorrowful. This all changes mid-song when aggressive dubstep beats change the tone entirely. These tracks are not typical Deadmau5 at all, and have received some criticism from the faithful fans. However, they provide a nice change-up throughout the album and prove that Deadmau5 can be the best in the business in a genre that in the past he hasn’t even bothered with.
Dance floor megahit “Animals Rights,” pleases fans with its upbeat tempo and extremely wide range of notes. The only way to dance to this song is to contort your body in ways you didn’t even know were possible. This leads to album to my person favorite track, “Cthulhu Sleeps.” This song is so intense and original that no other artist has the capability of producing anything like it. The pulsing vibe builds up so dramatically for so long, that when it finally drops, fans can’t help but completely lose themselves in the music. It is truly a masterpiece. This brings us to another epic track, “Right This Second.” Like so many of his other tracks, it has an extremely dramatic buildup. When the song finally drops, it feels like a minor earthquake has occurred. The album concludes with “Everything Before,” a track so deep and uniquely deadmau5 that it leaves you wanting so much more.
Many DJs these days use simple programs that most people who have taken technosonics could probably understand. Not Deadmau5. His enormous, personally designed studio contains unique equipment that I don’t think anybody else in the world could comprehend. He has completely mastered looping especially with his drumbeats. In addition he uses a frequency modulation synthesizer very similar to the original, John Chowning’s DX-7. This is most recognizable in tracks “Bad Selection” and “A City in Florida.” He also employs granular synthesis, echo, and innovative pitch shifting. His use of sound bits is not over done and is executed perfectly. The driving bass, especially in his dubstep sounds comes from the moog synthesizer.
Criticisms that Deadmau5 most commonly hears concern the time it takes for his sounds to truly drop and they are too repetitive. But the truth is, his buildups are what make his sounds better than anyone else. For other electronic artists, only certain songs can be called “epic.” For Deadmau5, that is every track. As we learned in class, repetition is not really a bad thing. In fact, when there are slight changes, the beat stays fresh and it is an incredibly successful technique. Deadmau5 has absolutely mastered this. But the truth is, there isn’t much that Deadmau5 hasn’t mastered at this point.