Deadmau5 is an artist that has frequented my playlists since the beginning. I remember listening to Pandora years ago and discovering tantalizing ‘Afterhours’ and ‘Cocktail Queen’ collabs he’d done with Melleefresh from the first installment of his At Play series, and I was hooked. Nice voice, what else does this guy got? Let me tell ya’, there’s a helluva lot frickin’ more. Once you scratch the surface, the water is deep, my friend.
When it comes to my favorites, I’m kind of old school, and I vibe with classics like ‘This Noise’, ‘Maths’, ‘So There I was’, ‘Everything Before’, and ‘Everything After’ in addition to those aforementioned, just to name a few. Additionally, his creations with artists the likes of Colleen D’Agostino, Rezz, and Lights, ‘Seeya’, ‘Hypnocurrency’, and ‘When the Summer Dies’, respectively and respectfully, get my shoulders moving. It appears much of what he produces appeals to my ears, and when I covered his Chicago event, I was delighted with an occasion I’m happy I invested my energies in.
I’ve adventured into Deadmau5 arenas occasionally, of which his technically brilliant 2017 Cube 2.1 production left a lasting impression. Joel Thomas Zimmerman is a whiz kid in the production studio, but imagining and manifesting a stage presence of that magnitude is awe-inspiring. I mean, Joel pops on a helmet shaped like a mouse head, and people freaking lose it. Roll out a stage that transforms before our very eyes, and you’re breaking brains, bruh! I hung in there for two days at the Aragon Ballroom, at least that’s what we used to call it, amongst throngs of excited Deadmau5ites to bear witness to the Cube. Therefore, I had high expectations for what he would debut, this time around.
Right off the bat, let me tell you, the venue an artist chooses to host their production sets the tone irrevocably. When I found out it would be Radius, I was filled with excitement. I thought to myself, “I’ve never been there before.” Well, not officially. I had previously attended six glorious hours of Claude VonStroke at Cermak Hall, which is technically Radius, but also technically not, so I was looking forward to exploring and mapping the grounds of this larger room. What did I find? A venue that feels cavernous, similar to a warehouse, symbolic of the origins of raving. No longer dilapidated and abandoned, but contemporary and comfortable.
I entered to the sounds of Volaris, a melodic house aficionado, or so my ears tell me. His selection was gentle, sufficient to engage spectators upon entry. It’s spooky time, so Halloween enthusiasts display their carefully curated outfits and costumes mixing with ravers, clubbers, and music junkies adorned in their own stylish attires of festival and comfort. I’ve chosen garb of real tree camouflage pants and an RX-78-02 ‘Loiter’ t-shirt beneath black Adidas track jacket, blending into the crowd like a Gundam hidden amidst the woods. It was in this early portion that I discovered all that Radius has to offer: ample numbers of bathrooms, bars, and plenty of space to move freely and dance. Or you, can pack in towards the front kind of like sweaty sardines as much you please. Furthermore, I found a balcony space bruv, with ample seating for patrons in search of a resting place.
Let me tell you, I adore concerts, shows, and venues that pretty much let attendees explore everywhere through general admission. That’s doing it right, babe. Hey man, if you want to set up a special VIP section towards the front left of the stage, that’s cool by me. However, the majority of your attendees are general admission, so avoid diminishing the experience they’re entitled to at all costs. For this event, it was executed properly in my opinion. You know what else I really love about Radius? The sound is excellent nearly everywhere, despite a little wavy muddiness in the balcony, which is to be expected.
As the night continued, a transition of the sonic guard from Volaris to Spencer Brown occurs. Immediately, my level of engagement intensifies. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Spencer, a man with four names. Born Onofrio Spencer Jeffrey Bruno, he goes simply by Spencer Brown. My intellectual compatriot, Jungle Boswick, remarks that he looks akin ‘The last Jedi’, and I know he’s wrong instantly. ‘The Last Jedi’ is Star Wars skulduggery directed by Rian Johnson from 2017, whereas old Jungle BOZ here is relating Spencer to Cameron Monaghan, of ‘Shameless’ lore, who lent his image and vocal talents to ‘Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’ released earlier this year. I crack up at the comparison, because I can see the resemblance. However, Spencer Brown is a steward of sound, likely an audial Jedi in his own right. Natural and organic, his manifestation of beats bumps with confidence. The screen behind our current maestro activates all three displays with soaring aerial shots of beautiful landscapes, almost like a metaphor for Spencer’s musical selection I’m now in the midst of exploring. If this is the next leg of our adventure, I’m hype, and loving every moment of it.
After two hours of Spencer Brown ballin’, it’s time for Deadmau5 to wake the dead, or in this case, those tired spirits falling asleep in the balcony space. I perform breathing exercises, stretching, some hydration, and make my way below as playboy Joel takes the stage. Straight out the gate, he throws ‘Fn Pig’ into ‘Maths’. Yo, did you know I was gonna be here, bud? I like how this is progressing as the screens display red Mau5 heads interrupted by numbers and sequences of code. Glitchy, bub. I begin moving to different spots in the arena to glimpse the action from different perspectives, one of my favorite concert pastimes. One might describe me as manic, because I am moving and grooving all over the place to renditions and reinventions of many delicious Deadmau5 staples. I’m not going to detail the entire setlist, you gotta show up for that, but I will share with you these notes, in alphabetical order: ‘Bridged by a Lightwave’, ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff’, ‘I remember’, ‘Oceans of Love’, ‘Raise Your Weapon’, ‘Some Chords’, ‘When the Summer Dies’.
For this reporter, it was an enjoyable and excellent experience. Electronic music hits me quite a bit different than other genres like punk rock, metal, hip-hop, or classical. This Deadmau5 exhibition did not instill the technical wonderment that his cube tours have, but that’s a tall frickin’ order to accomplish, and I’m not holding it against anybody. Regardless, the musicianship was exceptional. With that being said, I feel electronic producers are kind of like modern day classical composers. Instead of an arsenal of instruments to direct and command, they utilize controllers and decks to program and synchronize tracks and tempo through subtle touches and turns. As far as I’m concerned, Joel Zimmerman is one of the best in the world, representing an attitude and proficiency I appreciate and enjoy. Do yourself a favor: when Deadmau5 comes to town, enjoy the experience and get down. Your spirit will derive satisfaction from the encounter.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
