Meowingtons Gets The Mau5

That’s cute! Professor Meowingtons is on the cover of the new deadmau5 release. Such a cute little kitty! ….

Anyway, the new album, titled “> album title goes here <” features 13 new tracks from the guy making a lot of noise in the EDM scene. For a guy that produces some of the hottest singles, most of us have no idea what he even looks like. We know the giant mouse mask that has become his brand. He wears the mask when playing, and there are very few photos available of him not sporting it. (If you really want to see what he looks like, you can see pictures on his Facebook page sans the costume.)

Superliminal kicks the album off, and while he doesn’t use lyrics on this track, I like that. When I first started listening to dance music, it was non-vocal trance that got me going. I liked the beat, and the higher the beats per minute the better. I could throw on my headphones and forget I was even listening to music. That is what this track reminds me of… the early days.

Channel 42 is a bass heavy banger that sets the tone for the album. I haven’t always liked his work, but with tracks like Raise Your Weapons, I find it hard not to dance when he comes on. He is getting better with time, and the more I listen the more I like.

His best album to date, in my opinion, was “4×4=12”. Guys like Chris Lake and Wolfgang Gartner appear on that, and it was riddled with club friendly tracks like Sofie Needs a Ladder, A City in Florida, Bad Election, and more.

“As electronic music surges across the world in ever-increasing waves, a few artists stand out with knowledge of both the genre’s history and an understanding of the importance of chasing that infinite beat. Only one of them wears a mouse mask. For his 2012 effort (with a title that judiciously follows his previous efforts, “Random Album Title” and “For Lack of a Better Name”), deadmau5 stacks up the synths and pitch-shifting and defiant beats. Maths is an outer-space funk odyssey that runs at double speed, while Professional Griefers is a teenage riot compacted into less than five minutes with help from My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way. Both Imogen Heap and Cypress Hill drop by to help make sure the mouse gets his message of complete abandon across.” – iTunes

As you listen to “> album title goes here <”, the tracks don’t really seem to fit together. There is no consistency, and I would be worried if there was a continuous mix version of this release somewhere out there. Guys like Armin van Buuren can release an album, and you never have to wonder when the next track will start. It is just a continuous run of perfectly blended beats.

My favorite song on this album is The Veldt (Vinny Remix). That is nothing unusual. You can look for deadmau5 to release several remixes from this album, as that seems to be a trend with dance albums these days. Just hop on Spotify and you will find an endless selection of remixes of Raise Your Weapons. (Speaking of Spotify, this album is not currently available in the United States, so you will have to download it from iTunes to listen.) The track is great, and the remixes are fine, but I wish more artists put more effort into new tracks, and didn’t spend so much time focused on remixing their hit songs.

The album is decent, but nothing to write home about. There are a few tracks that I can hear in the clubs, but there are a few that I am shocked would make an album with only 13 tracks. No offense to bands like Chemical Romance or Imogen Heap, who appear on single tracks on this album, but they don’t belong on a dance album. David Guetta used to be good… he used to be great. But now he is working with names like Flo Rida and is selling out every chance he gets. I still love Guetta, but I hope deadmau5 doesn’t start remixing top 40 just to become popular.

To support the new album, deadmau5 is hitting the road. He has a ton of shows coming up in Las Vegas playing clubs like XS Las Vegas and at the Encore Beach Club spinning by the pool. He is also hitting several countries including shows in Norway, Sweden, Ireland, the UK, and even stopping by Amnesia Ibiza. Wherever you are in the world, deadmau5 is coming to a city near you soon.

Track Listing

Below is a complete track listing of “> album title goes here <” out today on Ultra Records.

1. Superliminal
2. Channel 42
3. The Veldt (Vinny Remix)
4. Fn Pig
5. Professional Griefers (featuring Gerard Way)
6. Maths (Original Mix)
7. There might be coffee
8. Take care of the proper paperwork
9. Closer
10. October
11. Sleepies
12. Failbait (featuring Cypress Hil)
13. Telemiscommuncations (featuring Imogen Heap)

The album is available on iTunes. “Like” deadmau5 on Facebook. Follow deadmau5 on Twitter. Watch deadmau5 on YouTube.

Ricky Lee Potts is a freelance writer and avid electronic music enthusiast. Visit his blog “a voice of rhythm, reason, & reality”.