Mitch McCann's review of Deadmau5's 4X4=12...

I was made aware of this 'review' yesterday just before I had to catch up on some beauty sleep, so I couldn't write yesterday. However.. Hi, I'm here today. Before I start, it's better you read the review for yourself.

*Waits for you to come back*

So, lets break this down shall we. Starting with on major error in the first sentence.

"Ever since Daft Punk broke down the doors of what a techno group could do with their late 2000 single “One More Time”

 If you're going to write a review on a certain genre... You should probably research into that genre... Stating with it's proper title. Which would be 'House' in this case. Or at the very least 'Dance', that way, you've broadened your scope. Also, in the line following this, he mentions that "technology’s place in music has increased exponentially" ... Err... Hasn't it everywhere? Since the birth of music, musicians have been using the newest technology available, it hasn't just happened since 'One More Time'.

My next issue is this line...

"Their epic tapestries of music forced techno into the mainstream and not only presented themselves to the world, but paved the way for others to do so as well."

 And my problem is this. Daft Punk were very well established a long time before 'One More Time', in fact I'd say about 5 years before that with their debut single 'Da Funk' and the follow up 'Around The World' which was huge. Those are the songs that put Daft Punk and French House on the map. I'm not sure whether Mitch was around in the 90's, or whether he was genetically frozen from 1990 to 1999, but I seem to remember a huge chunk of it being all about Dance music. In fact, so was the 80's and 70's - More-so if anything. Daft Punk didn't bring Dance music to the lime-light. Without Funk, we would not have House. Anyway, I'm going off course. Also.... There's that 'Techno' mistake again.

Next is this... Which doesn't make much sense in my opinion...

"However, not all press is good press and sometimes just because you can produce music, doesn’t mean you should."

 Pretty sure it does, Mitch. Unless you want people who can't produce music to do it?  A word to any producers who can do it properly... You definitely should. Because I'm sick of Will.I.Am. Oh and the first line "Not all press is good press"... Where is this press coming from Mitch? If you're talking about press involving Deadmau5, I'm pretty sure most of it is good press mate. And if it isn't, it's usually people who are ill-informed of the genre *cough* or people who think he's a 'sell-out'. But whatever right? He's got the cash to do what the fuck he wants because he's been a success. I wonder why that is.

Now. If you are someone who listens to and knows about Dance and it's sub-genres. The next few lines are a direct hit to the gonads. Or vag. Whatever.

"but to those who are able to listen to his music while not under the influence and away from the glamour and stigma of the genre are able to see that these trance, Tech-House, electro, dance, dubstep (or whatever the fuck you want to call them) beats belong alongside Ke$ha in some trashy club, not on your iTunes."

First of all. I have never been to a gig/rave/party/club where everyone is out of their fucking nut and thats the only reason they enjoy the music. Actually, most of the people I know who listen to dance are under 20, a lot who are under 18 and CAN'T go to clubs and gigs. And guess what... they're what built these artists up from the ground. They're the ones who have gone out and bought the albums, the singles, the tee shirts and spread the word about them. So maybe, Mitch, in the future, you'll actually stop to think about who is actually listening to these artists on their itunes. Unless you wanna go by ugly stereotypes and spread that shit all over the internet... Oh and Ke$ha? You really have no idea about this genre do you?

For a genre that has and will continue to gain considerable ground and no doubt continue to inch its way into the mainstream, “performers” like deadmau5 will soon be idolized, the Springsteen in a genre that will one day be king, and that makes me terribly, terribly sad.

Does it? You wanna know what makes me sad? Bullshit popstars who don't write their own songs, mimes on stage and are pretty much only famous because society deems them 'Pretty' filling up the charts with their crap. Thats what makes me sad. So bring on the 'Trance, Tech-House, electro, dance, dubstep (or whatever the fuck you want to call them)' artist who have some fucking talent to fill up to top 40.

Mitch then goes on to attack then listens of Deadmau5 (or House, I still can't tell whether he just ranting about a genre he will never understand)

"These derivative beats are solely for hipsters that consider themselves too hip to be hipsters to bump in their car or in their over-priced, over-sized headphones."

Wrong. We sit on the internet all night talking about how much we hate people like you. We don't even have cars. And my rather small headphones were £25. Cheap compared to what 'Hipsters' actually buy, which is probably something ridiculously over priced from Apple.

"I almost pity Zimmerman, because the tough thing about techno is you’re either “it” or you’re nothing"

And heres the track that Deadmau5 is most famous for...



And there's Daft Punks 'One More Time'...




And finally...

"and when your contemporaries are the likes of Daft Punk, Justice and LCD Soundsystem, it’s hard not to look like just another guy with a gigantic foam mousehead and a laptop."

So... Where exactly are these other guys with giant foam mau5heads? I only see one. And he's done a lot better then you with just 'a laptop'. Which by the way, turns out to actually be, a G5 MacBook Pro, Apoge Ensemble soundcard, a 16×16 Monome DJ controller, a Pioneer DJM 800, a Pioneer EFX 1000 and two ipads to replace the Lemur that broke.


So, my advice to anyone planning on 'reviewing' an album. Firstly get the artists genre right. Secondly.. Don't mention Daft Punk if it's a 'dance' artist and thirdly.. Actually review the album. I dunno if you noticed, but Mitch didn't actually do that.