- -the VIPs

DJ/Producer

Deadmau5 Mei:W.iJ •lu@•Wm:®fili@!fi#£!Ufi•Mfi!itiJfisfi\.€

FAVORITE QUOTE: "OUTSIDE

OF A BOOK, ADOG IS

MAN'S BEST FRIEND.

BUTA DOG IS TOO

DARK TO READ."

"What I can expect when I go to a nightclub is to see some DJ in a booth. Not saying that that's boring, but I like to do something with maybe the same kind of music, to change the way you would enjoy a club expe-rience."

So sayeth young Joel Zimmerman, aka Dead-mau5 (yes, that's dead mouse) , the first new star on the dance scene to master and then revolu-tionize the production and touring realms, almost simultaneously - and seemingly overnight.

Since debuting in 2006, Deadmau5 tracks have hit No.1 on digital download site Beatport.com no less than 12 times, and "Move For Me," his collaboration with Kaskade, hit No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay radio chart this year. He also released his first full-length , "Random Album Title" (Ultra) , in Oc-tober. But that's only the beginning of the story.

The mau5 is currently in the midst of a 52-stop world tour, which is sell-

6 ClubWorld Special Issue 2008 clubworld.us

ing out big and small rooms alike with enthu-siastic young faces - a sight rarely seen in the surprisingly old and staid DJ touring scene.

Yet Deadmau5 is hardly content to let DJs deter-mine his career. On tour, he uses unique equip-ment, such as the Lemur touchscreen controller, to push the limits imposed by DJ-focused clubs . There's also an entire video delivery system he and friend/collabora-tor Steve Duda (of Nine Inch Nails) created that had to sit it out this time around. Still, Zimmerman knows he's onto some-thing: "We can't show up at nightclubs and be treated technically like a DJ. We're developing more aspects that would make [our performance] something that's really great to watch , and rock out to at the same time."

Zimmerman started his career 13 years ago on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. Before production and DJ-ing , he was a bedroom video

artist , lighting designer, graphic designer and even Flash animator, gathering early sup-porters like Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee , and Duda.

Luckily, Zimmerman has managed to take time out for fun, pointing to his first experience bodysurfing at Beatport's Beta nightclub as a highlight for a year filled with extraordinary achievements. But even now, he's been easing his audience into more idiosyncratic areas of his musical persona, most notably the dirge "Creep" that ends his sets. Zim-merman knows it's his time to go big or die try-ing , and clubland can 't help but benefit for his efforts.

"I'm not allowed to dog it at all ," he says. "I have to be on top of my produc-tion . I have to be on top of my live production and just be on top of bringing fresh ideas to the plate because , once you set up your expectations, you can't go back."

-JH

Clubber's Believe It Or Not: There was a time when having a camera in a nightclub was taboo. But starting five years ago, with a few candid snips, L.A.-based photographer The Cobrasnake changed all that.

"When I started, people were not used to cameras at parties, but now they expect it ," he says. "It's funny to look back five years and remember peo-ple being so upset about me taking pictures. Now they are begging me."

The Cobrasnake's (aka Mark Hunter) snapshots of Gen Y misadventures not only landed him regu-lar gigs for clients like Diesel and LA Weekly, and spawned a host of copycat sites. They also started an unlikely alli-ance with star-power OJ Steve Aoki , creating the most visible subcultural scene in nightlife so far.

Of course , just about anybody with a point-and-click can call themselves a photographer. But ac-cording to promoter Fran-ki Chan , Hunter had a unique way of promoting himself and his site, the-cobrasnake.com (initially called polaroidscene.com before Polaroid threat-ened to sue) , which made him stand out to Chan and his then-partner Aoki .

"He was a really weird kid ," says Chan . "He dressed funny, was really goofy and was sticking this camera in everyone's face and passing out stick-

The Cobrasnake Photographer

ers with a web address on it. It became a rage in L.A. instantly and , soon enough , we all began traveling together. The reaction was overwhelm-ing. He put a window on this world that everyone was always interested in , and he did it in a way that looked cool and hip."

When capturing this world , Hunter tends to keep things simple, crank-ing out a Twitter-style flurry of images without com-ment or Photoshopped

augmentation. "I like peo-ple having fun , enjoying themselves, in the mo-ment, not posing for the camera. That's boring," he says. "So, I try to capture people off guard when they don't expect it:'

Since his beginnings, Hunter has been working on a book of his images, and has branched off to shoot fashion events and music festivals the world over, which he says is the best part of his job. And fl.S for all the copycats: "I'm

the most international and established so it doesn't matter to me," he says.

"Granted, there is some-thing to say about things not being documented, but I think we'll leave this era with the most intimate view of a scene yet," says Chan . ''The photos beget people going to the site, which lets you point them right to the next party. It encourages people to dress up, and it brings the best and worst out of them ."

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