deadmau5 further comments on pre-recorded DJ sets

Never one to shy away from sharing his thoughts, Joel Zimmerman, better known as deadmau5 to fans worldwide, followed up on his previous comments regarding DJs relying upon prerecorded sets for festivals. The most recent discussion on the topic arose after a YouTube live stream video of Zimmerman from 2021 resurfaced where he discusses the role prerecorded sets within the industry.

The controversy was reignited after deadmau5’s previous comments were utilized to defend Paris Hilton who faced hecklers at Tomorrowland, accusing her of relying upon a prerecorded set for her performance. In the 2021 live stream, deadmau5 went on to say:

[At] most major festivals you have to play a pre-recorded set. Like EDC [Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas], I would be surprised if somebody actually played a set that wasn’t pre-recorded to be honest. Because there’s such a big deal to the fucking artist in the production schedule and the timeline and all that stuff that they wouldn’t wanna fuck up.

Of course, the conversation naturally made its way to social media where deadmau5 doubled down on his own role in the industry, reinforcing his own views on himself as an artist:

The fuck do I care. I’m an engineer first, producer second, performer third. Pre-recorded, on the fly, DJs, live PAs… who cares, everyone does shit their own way. So maybe just try to have a good time?

Naturally, these notions were pushed back as commentators discussed the relevancy and artistry of those who would use prerecorded sets at festivals. deadmau5 concluded his role in the conversation by reminding the world that he doesn’t consider himself a DJ at all:

18 years later I am still being asked to prove I am a DJ,” he wrote. “Why? I am not a DJ. I do zero jockeying with discs. I don’t know how to use a CDJ. This is not news.

Image Credit: Masterclass