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YetepJoel Zimmerman, better known by his stage name Deadmau5, has a reputation of being blunt and speaking his mind. The opinionated producer made no exception during a livestream done on Twitch earlier this year. A recorded except from the livestream was recently released where Joel gives advice to new artists and talks about his own beginnings.
The recording starts when Joel gets the question “Besides making music how would you recommend promoting independently?” Although Joel has an online presence today with millions of social media followers, he stresses the importance of stepping away from technology, saying that connections made in person will always be more valuable than those made through a link or an email. When Joel first started producing social media was a new idea so who you knew was crucial to your success. In his words, “I would focus on being very offline… take in music and go to a f*ckin’ nightclub, meet a DJ, go to a radio station… it’s still old school as f*ck.” Basically you need to be a face, not just a name. Let them see why you deserve a shot.
The Life Story of deadmau5
Joel goes on to share his own story about what it was like for him as an amateur producer. Without the technology advances we have today Joel had to visit music and computer stores to learn about equipment. There was no online How-To-Be-A-DJ tutorial, instead he began learning from other DJs by observing their radio shows. He started producing out of his parent’s home where he would then call different companies trying to get his songs on their websites. He says when he got his first paycheck for the use of his song that he knew this is what he wanted to do with his life, “I want to make music and f*cking sell it..” It was the connections he made through his offline work that helped him get to where he is today. The rest is really history as Deadmau5 is now one of biggest names in the industry. He continues to put out one amazing track after another.

Joel has built himself up from the ground floor, displaying a determination and work ethic that often goes unmatched, as well as a one-of-a-kind type of artistry. We’re in for one hell of a show when Deadmau5 joins us for Decadence on Friday, December 30th!
Connect with Deadmau5: Facebook|Twitter|Soundcloud

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