
As the mouse head evolved- going from a static character piece to a full digital studio, with inputs, outputs and LED light and video- so did the live show. “Joel didn’t want to just turn on the head and have lights flashing, he wanted to turn the show into a solid ticket act, which is pretty scary for a DJ,” manager Wilson says. “There’s no walkup like at a club; the only people who are going to come are the people who are going to buy a ticket.”
Now the full-scale Deadmau5 experience includes a cast of six heads, some synched to a massive DJ booth/Rubik’s Cube structure created by audiovisual specialist Bionic League (which also worked on heavily visual tours like Nine Inch Nails’ Lights in the Sky and Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark). The giant neon-rimmed ears bob to the music. The Cube spews motion and color all over the room and the shows sell out nationwide.
“He’s never had a hit single, he hasn’t had even a top 40 Billboard record, and he sells more tickets than most of the top 10 Billboard acts,” Wilson says.
“[The Head] is a simple idea; it’s marketing really” Deadmau5 says. “I would love to be able to tell people I’m a marketing genius, but it’s only in hindsight that I’m able to see the brilliance. I’m really picky about all of my design stuff, my image, my brand. I’m a Nazi with my brand.”