By Daniel Peraza (Photos by Nathan Kesner)
Deadmau5 has always been a name that has floated in the higher electronic circles like Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, and The Chemical Brothers as instantly recognizable sounds. He is an artist that has held a certain image for the past 25 years that has had many imitators and popular acts but there is nothing quite like the original. Of course, he has had to alter his chord progressions somewhat from songs like “Faxing Berlin” to the current soundscape with his most recent EP and a highlight like “Input Output” but keeping his signature at hand.
Joel Zimmerman also known as deadmau5 and as TESTPILOT started the show with synth that kept revolving with the lights and kept rising until an amazing release of energy coincided with a kickdrum fully launching the experience. His first couple of words were, “Hey, I’m Joel.” It felt like a very humble start to his first show in Arkansas. It was genuine. The show continued and after 2 songs that could have gone on for the longest time, it also helped establish a base BPM that he intended. He entered one of the highLights of the show: “When the Summer Dies” a song from him and Lights released back in 2021. A song that displayed all the greatest qualities from his music work, the setting of stage at The Momentary, and the mindful production direction.
There did come a moment where the bass and kick were so strong that I could feel it from my chest to my nose.
I had been standing behind the VIP section about an hour before a spot opened on the other side of the lawn that had me standing 20 feet back. Everybody around me was anxious and just wanted to have a good time for the next 3 hours. Music started with DJ Sheep who was selected to be the opener after winning a dj contest to find out who that would be. A progression of beats per minute kept going for the next hour until the main mau5 took the stage.
If the beginning of the show was light and dance-y, towards the middle of the show, around 9pm, it got darker. The sky was now pitch black, and the music transitioned accordingly. The crowd felt like they could groove, jump, or just stand in awe of the melodies that were shooting out of the speakers. His set opened the second transitioning into techno-based, the TESTPILOT, for a stint but came to the light vocals that we had been getting used to. After some more glow sticks rained down from people in the crowd, the attention never faltered on the mainstage. The genres continued to evolve. The unmistakable snare of any good drum and bass song started to become prominent.
The mixing of two drum and bass songs transcended the set that he was having; he was in the process of making something new. He looked like he was so focused on what was going on the decks that for some minutes, he kind of forgot the crowd. We didn’t. We were there for the ride. After finishing that section, he lowered the music and just said:
“That was fun.”
The ending was something that I didn’t expect. Instead of the usual run-of-the-mill high-energy, big send off, he finished the 180-bpm section and said: “This is my first time in Arkansas…how have I missed this. I blame my agent.”
The crowd roared at this remark.
The isolated vocal of Kiesza started from his “Bridged by a Lightwave” track with her, the kick drum was about half the speed from where we had been 10 minutes earlier. He started and ended with that vocal with different backing rhythms. Kiesza voice just floated as the music died down.
One word for the ending: Ethereal.
For me: Unforgettable.