Behind the Mask: Deadmau5 Reveals the Inner Workings of His Brand

There is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the deadmau5 metaverse.

Widely known for the iconic "mau5head" mask he wears on stage, Canadian electronic music artist Joel Zimmerman operates more like a CEO of a Fortune 500 company than other EDM performers. He oversees not just his musical output, but everything from one-of-a-kind merch drops to unlikely collabs.

“There’s some mainstays, some thematic things I do with the universe,” he explains, including turning his late pet cat, Meowingtons, into a deadmau5 symbol.

“We reincorporate things, too. It’s very sporadic. Very ADHD. We’ll have some car involvement and do some race theme, or artist collabs,” Zimmerman continues, referencing past partnerships with Kazuo Umezu, author of Japanese manga series Cat Eyed Boy, and the luxury car brand McLaren.

He chooses his collaborations based on "shit I like, shit I’m in line with,” Zimmerman says. “Nothing contrived, like, ‘Hey, here’s a bunch of money to do a collab.’ But if it’s not something I really jell with or use or advocate, that gets pushed to the curb. I just go with what I like.”

Since Zimmerman officially shared his cheese-eating alter ego with the world in 1998, fans have had fun discovering and immersing themselves in the creative hive of deadmau5 as well. Part of that is his annual “Day of the deadmau5” concerts, which have become unique celebrations, complete with one-off set lists and merch. Zimmerman will be back in Denver as deadmau5 for that Red Rocks run on Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4. JAUZ, Good Times Ahead and Volaris are also on the bill.

Plus, he’s bringing a pop-up called mau5hop to 95 South Cherokee Street, where it will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Zimmerman will be there in person on Friday and Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m. for meet-and-greets. Exclusive deadmau5 items such as Funko POP! Figures, Crocs shoe charms and clothing collaborations can be found at the pop-up.

“I think I got a pretty good, strong merchandise and brand,” Zimmerman says, adding that he also offers meet-and-greet packages at shows. “It just makes sense to warrant that and do a dedicated pop-up store, where we can unload all of our stuff and do merch, which we do unique for every year, every tour and sometimes every destination. Then I’ll pop in daily for two or three hours and just sit at a desk and say hi to people."

For the Denver dates, JAUZ is also releasing a remix of deadmau5 fan favorite “Ghosts ’n’ Stuff” on Friday. The new single, like every other aspect of the spooky run, is a unique but important piece to the deadmau5 puzzle. Zimmerman likens his own musical approach to that of Apple.

“It’s like you’re making widgets in a widget factory, but you make all sorts of widgets; you need boxes to put them in,” he explains. “It’s like Apple. They make phones. They make iPods. They make computers. They make laptops. They make all this stuff. But you can’t say they’re a phone company. You can’t say they’re a laptop manufacturer. They’re this whole big thing where they got these little boxes to throw their widgets in.”

His operation also includes Testpilot, Zimmerman’s unmasked techno alias he created after realizing that genre didn’t initially vibe well with the deadmau5 sound. But he doesn’t rule out mixing more of Testpilot’s drum-and-bass into deadmau5 sets moving forward.

“I think it’s just all part of me advocating that, ‘Look, man, music’s music.’ I’m an engineer in the rear with the gear,” he says. “Outside of that, all the cliques, all the styles, all the genres — that’s not really a part of what I do. That’s just the output.

“So before I even dawned on the mau5head or had an inkling of being deadmau5, I’ve always been this drum-and-bass head. The first music I started making was pretty heavy, like Bad Company-style drum-and-bass, and all the metalhead stuff,” he continues, adding he’s glad it’s starting to come full circle, as new artists are making tech-step in that style again now. “Then when the deadmau5 thing came out, I got a little savvier toward the popular spectrum of EDM and stuff like that and staked my claim in there.”

But now, after redefining and leading a new wave of EDM, he sees himself as more of a “lane hopper” who can dabble in anything that might pop into his mind.

Zimmerman is excited to get back to Red Rocks, even though temperatures recently dropped with the arrival of snow. But it sounds like he might treat the chilled crowed to some new heat.

“It wouldn’t be a ‘Day of the Deadmau5’ if it wasn’t like a million degrees below zero and you’re fighting for some heaters up on the stage with some mittens,” he quips.

“I may be doing some new tunes,” he concludes. “Well, definitely some new tunes and different takes on familiar tunes. Maybe, shit, I’ll even dip into some drum-and-bass for shits and giggles.”

Deadmau5, 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 3, and Saturday, November 4, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, 18300 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison. Tickets are $59.50.