Deadmau5

• Genre: Tech-House

About

Sure, Deadmau5 wears a big red mouse head during his live shows, but that's not the only reason that the Toronto native is one of dance music's most popular producers, especially among DJs. It's his musical style that's truly attention-grabbing: Drawing tricks from electro-house, progressive and minimal, he composes big, burly tunes that absolutely own dancefloors. With his music, what you hear is what you get -- chugging rhythms, emotive synths and gnarly bass lines are his stock in trade, and any element that doesn't raise the heart rate gets left on the cutting room floor. But there is another level to Deadmau5 music. As talented an engineer as he is a composer, every sound in his music jumps out of the speakers and lodges itself deep inside you, with precision and ferocity. His bass lines are designed to rock stadiums, but you can feel their power right at home.

- Philip Sherburne