deadmau5 to go all the way live in Las Vegas

For deadmau5, there's a world of difference between being a DJ and an electronic dance music (EDM) producer.

"If you want to be called an artist, then you should produce your own music," says the 30-year-old Canadian, whose real name is Joel Zimmerman. "EDM artists need to move away from being human iPods."

If there's any question by now, he prefers to be an electronic music artist. "If people come to a deadmau5 show, I want them to hear deadmau5 music. Just like if I go to a Motley Crue show, I don't want to hear them playing Warrant covers. An artist just can't aspire to being the world's greatest player of other people's music."

If that sounds a little demanding, deadmau5 has the clout to be. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has dubbed Jan. 2 "deadmau5 Day," which marks the beginning of the EDM star's exclusive partnership with Wynn Las Vegas. Zimmerman, wearing one of his signature mouseheads, will burrow in Sin City through 2012, playing at XS and Encore nightclubs for an as-yet-undetermined number of shows.

If he can continue to attract crowds at mainstream and larger venues (he's done stadium shows in San Diego and Toronto), he stands to be the new face of EDM.

"The thing about electronic music is that it's more about the music and production than the individual," says electronica pioneer Moby. "Generally, (EDM artists) are not the most distinctive-looking people. They're nerdy guys who like to make music on their computers. deadmau5 has that very distinctive mouse head. And his shows have a big production value."

He's also up for three Grammy Awards: dance/electronica album (4x4=12), dance recording (Raise Your Weapon, with Greta Svabo Bech) and remix (Foo Fighters' Rope). "I didn't even know that there were that many categories for EDM!" he says.

His nominations weren't the only surprise. "Boom! Five nominations for (EDM artist) Skrillex. His nominations are a win for us all."

More important, what will he wear on the red carpet? "A couple of years ago, I was nominated for a remix and wore a T-shirt that said, 'Your ad here,' " he says with a laugh. "I'm going to do something like that, fake ad, fake company kind of thing."

This summer, deadmau5 became the first EDM artist to headline an all-genre music festival when he topped the bill at Lollapalooza. 4x4=12 spent 54 weeks on Billboard's album chart and peaked at No. 2 on the dance/electronic chart, with 250,000 copies sold to date.

"EDM is the new pop music. It's not just landing on the map, it's developing and growing and being leached into the mainstream," he says. "But that's just how it goes. It's the circle of life. Just because EDM has become popular doesn't mean that it's going to suck, it just means more people are listening to it."

Still experimenting

What does the one band considered the choirmasters of Nu-metal do in a year that saw its contemporaries Limp Bizkit and Staind spring back to form? It ups the game, and reinvents its sound for the umpteenth time.

Korn has been no stranger to rough times and band members stepping in and out. Despite all that, Jonathan Davis, Munky (James Shaffer) and Fieldy (Reginald Arvizu) kept on. Usually, that meant pulling favours from friends to fill in on studio duties. Since last year's album — “KoRn III: Remember Who You Are” — drummer Ray Luzier became a permanent member. 

But on their latest offering “The Path of Totality”, Davis says he wanted to “test the waters”. This involved inviting the biggest names in the wobbly world of Dubstep. Skrillex, Noisia, Feed Me, Excision, Downlink and 12th Planet were the DJs who got on board, and laid down the squelching, stifling digital sound to which Korn would riff out. They dive right in on the opening track ‘Chaos Lives in Everything' with Skrillex (Sonny Moore) manning the console. 

Filthy, grimy beats and warbled drops meet chaotic breakdowns in the lead singles ‘Get Up!' and ‘Narcissistic Cannibal', both of which feature Skrillex, who clearly emerges as a lucky charm for the band. The haphazardness about this album is when you hear heavily downtuned guitar riffs first on some tracks, and other tracks, there's just a wail of synth with guitars nearly forgotten. Tracks such as ‘Illuminati', ‘Sanctuary' and ‘Kill Mercy Within' pass with very little distinction. 

‘Let's Go' and ‘Way Too Far' are two worthier efforts however, with strong riffs from Munky and a structure that is immediately identifiable. Vocals still stay strong, from growls to croons to despairing cries. This is one aspect that will forever remain the band's distinction. The closing track ‘Bleeding Out' seems way too experimental for even Korn; as though Davis just remembered he was good at playing the bagpipes so he wanted it on a song. 

This kind of mash-up does beg the question: How does the analogous rage of metal fit with the computerised chaos of dubstep? On hearing “The Path of Totality”, it's almost safe to say the marriage isn't all that great, although Korn do try to make it work to their best efforts. After all, there aren't a lot of bands from two decades ago that are as keen as the California metallers to experiment at every given chance. Whether that sort of attitude converts to critical acclaim is a different matter all together.