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."

MTV Counts Down Top 10 EDM Artists of 2011

It’s been a huge year for Electronic Dance Music (EDM). Artists such as David Guetta, Skrillex, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, and Deadmau5 have become household names. EDM has become increasingly mainstream, and now MTV has recognized and honored some of the biggest names in EDM for their contributions to the world of music. When describing the new increasingly relevant role that EDM has come to play, MTV puts it best.

“Maybe you were at the grocery store when you found yourself singing along to Afrojack’s ‘Take Over Control’ for the hundredth time. Or maybe it was when Martin Solveig’s ‘Hello’ was suddenly on repeat on your iPod. Whatever your moment was, it’s fair to say the American appetite for electronic dance music surged in 2011, bringing ‘the rave’ to radio and festivals, touching every U.S. city (big and small). Even Grammy voters took notice this year, nominating Skrillex for Best New Artist and in four other categories.”

MTV put out the following list counting down the top 10 EDM artists of 2011. It seems pretty on point to me if we are speaking in terms of artists with the most widespread influence.

10. Martin Solveig

When Irv Gotti stopped by MTV News’ “RapFix Live” in October, he joked, “We’re just one record away from Kanye or Jay [being like]: [sings hook to Solveig's 'Hello'] ‘I just came to say hello — Hov!’ ” Gotti was kidding, but it’s true. Rap dudes beware: Songs like “Hello” and guys like Martin have seen such widespread success that the hip-hop industry, which has long enjoyed club and radio dominance, is shook.

In addition to being a technically superior producer and DJ, Solveig has also proven to the world that he has a sense of humor. His “Smash” video series — including “Hello,” “Initial S.H.E,” “Ready 2 Go” and “Big in Japan” — are some of the funniest and most well-produced clips of any genre. Kudos to Martin and his “manager” Lafaille for making us laugh and dance in 2011.

9. Tiësto

Veteran DJ/producer Tiësto might not be trance anymore, but judging by his popularity, fans don’t seem to care. How else do you set a record for the largest single DJ event — 26,000 fans attended his Carson, California, show — in U.S. history? T had hit collabos this year with Mark Knight, Hardwell, Diplo and, oh, Kanye West (sure, the Yeezy track hasn’t been released yet, but everyone’s heard it!). And if you can’t produce like Tiësto, at least now you can look like him: The EDM titan’s Club Life clothing line just hit select stores in New York and L.A.

8. Kaskade

Coming off a massive 2010 highlighted by Dynasty, Kaskade watched as his 2011 studio album, Fire & Ice, quickly became a staple in a healthy EDM diet. With features from Skrillex and Dada Life, and even vocals from rising star Skylar Grey, you’d be hard-pressed to find music lovers who couldn’t identify with or enjoy his breezy music in one way or another. The Illinois native pioneered the Identity Festival, which brought real-deal dance to America’s small cities. He also conquered Las Vegas’ day and nightlife and was named America’s Top DJ of 2011. Not a bad year for Mr. Ryan Raddon, not a bad year at all.

7. Calvin Harris

2011 was a marquee year for this Scotsman. Riding high on the success of Ready for the Weekend, Harris “Bounce”-ed and “Awooga”-ed with his adoring EDM fans the world over. He also infiltrated the mainstream by teaming up with Rihanna for a pair of hit collabos: the chart-topping “We Found Love” and “Where Have You Been.” As he gears up for his third studio album, Harris’ presence in EDM and pop culture is undeniable, and at this pace, he’ll be unstoppable in 2012.

6. Avicii

This year, Avicii underscored his place as dance music’s “Piano Man” (sorry, Bill Joel fans!). It started with “Blessed” (featuring Shermanology), continued with “Fade Into Darkness” (and Leona Lewis’ “Collide,” let’s be real) and capped off with the eagerly awaited release of “Levels.” Yes, Avicii’s keys and vocals went pop in ’11, and Flo Rida would certainly back us up on this as his Etta James vocal is sampled on Flo’s “Good Feeling.” To close out the year, Sweden’s Tim Bergling (stage names: Avicii, Tim Berg, Tom Hangs) is nominated for the Best Dance Recording Grammy with David Guetta for DG’s “Sunshine.” But before that Big Apple ball drops, Avicii will rock New York with a sold-out New Year’s Eve show.

5. Afrojack

Holland’s towering bleep-bender put on a spectacle of versatility in the past 12 months. Afro-beats scored monster mainstream U.S. radio singles for Beyoncé, Chris Brown and Pitbull. And then there’s his EDM game: Nearly a dozen collabos bearing his name charted in Beatport.com’s top 10, with Nervo, Steve Aoki, R3hab and Quintino onboard for a few. He wrapped up the year with a Grammy nom and the earth-shaking single “Lionheart,” and we can only pray he’ll deliver a video for it in ’12 … with a Jean-Claude Van Damme cameo.

4. Swedish House Mafia

Dubbed by MTV News as the “holy trinity of house music,” the rock stars of dance were everywhere this year, from “Miami 2 Ibiza,” Las Vegas to Brazil and all points in between. Not only did they succeed as a unified front, but Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso also soared as individual brands. And thanks to their Size, Axtone and Refune record labels, stellar acts like Thomas Gold, Swanky Tunes, Junior Sanchez, Third Party, Max Vangeli, AN21 and buzzworthy young rookie Alesso are on the verge of becoming household names. On the heels of a historic show at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden this week, and a 2012 Grammy nod for “Save the World,” the Swedish Flag has been firmly planted in the American EDM soil.

3. deadmau5

“4×4=12″ cranked out hit after hit after hit. He nailed well over 100 live tour dates on the Meowingtons Hax Tour, earned RIAA gold with “Ghosts N Stuff” and headlined the traditionally all-rock Lollapalooza fest. Did we mention the wonder born Joel Zimmerman turned a skyscraper into a 4-D experience in London and bid farewell to a Playmate? I mean, who else can say they did that? The dude has balls N stuff.

2. David Guetta

David Guetta’s career has definitely gone pop this year — including the radio hits “Where Them Girls At” (featuring Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida) and “Without You” (featuring Usher) — but for EDM purists, his Nothing but the Beat had plenty to offer too, like stellar co-productions with Afrojack (“Lunar” and “The Future”) and Avicii (on the Grammy-nominated “Sunshine”). DJ Mag crowned Guetta the #1 DJ on the planet, and he headlined the world’s biggest festival’s, including Belgium’s Tomorrowland, Miami’s Ultra Music Festival and Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival. Guetta’s American Music Awards performance with Minaj seems to indicate that “Turn Me On” will be the next single from Nothing but the Beat, and fans can expect a shocking new video (and much more, we’re sure) early next year.

1. Skrillex

MTV’s EDM Artist of 2011 scored a whopping five Grammy nominations this year, including being the first DJ to land a Best New Artist nod. Indeed, Skrill’s musical background — both on his own and as a member of his former group, From First to Last — has carried over into his brand of fiery electronica. Skrillex has garnered an audience the world over that includes ravers, house heads and rockers alike. In today’s laptop generation of music, Skrillex is the new “rock.” From his remix of Benny Benassi and Gary Go’s “Cinema” to the recent Avicii pop song “Le7els” (not officially released yet), Skrillex dropped massive re-workings in ’11, in addition to his More Monsters and Sprites EP. He scored video games, produced records for Korn, launched his own OWSLA label and hit almost every major festival in the States, including Coachella and Lollapalooza. An exceptional catalog of releases coupled with an incessant touring schedule has made Skrillex the biggest EDM star of the year, and in 2012, he plans to tour 322 of the 365 days.