Deadmau5‘s techno project debut at Movement Detroit 2017 as testpilot was an overall success, despite ups and downs and a lot of technical difficulties.
Moments before his set, a rain delay and lightning spottings paused the action for a substantial amount of time. First 15 minutes, then another 10, then “a few,” and then Joel Zimmerman succumbed to the fact he was at the mercy of the festival to let him step back on the stage.
In the meantime, he busted into commentary mode to tell bad DJ jokes, do a little shit talking, and openly belch his Coronas into the mic. Here are some of those jokes (note: not verbatim but you’ll get the idea)… 
“What’s the difference between a dead skunk on the road, and a dead DJ? There are skid marks in front of the skunk.”
“What do you call a car going over a cliff with 3 DJs and 2 empty seats? A waste of 2 empty seats.”
“So, Richie Hawtin walks into a bar… and loops it for 2 hours.”
And, finally:
“I shaved my balls for this?”
“Time?” He checks back in with the crew, after joking about even if he got struck by lightning, he’d be worth more dead than alive and Meowingtons would be making out like a bandit. “I wish it was the same amount of fucks I give,” he said.
It's all just basic shit luck. Bad weather. Rain. Fucked the whole deal up. Thanks for understanding and letting me redo a couple times.
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) May 29, 2017
Thanks man. Glad you understand. 😉 I did my best to recover lol! https://t.co/kzGTc5cwfV
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) May 29, 2017
Tell you what, I'm gunna re-record that set and air on my next #r1residency show on BBC. Coz i can.
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) May 29, 2017
No shit eh? https://t.co/DiIA2ljal2
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) May 29, 2017
You loved it. https://t.co/ru0BKDoWCy
— Goat lord (@deadmau5) May 29, 2017
The set itself was a tasteful homage to the techno scene that worked in many of his own best works. Despite shortages from water damage, he powered through for my favorite of the weekend by far (thus far). Bringing “Sometimes Things Get, Whatever” in and out of his set, it definitely served as the theme for the entertainingly raw and inspired show. Ultimately, no one was at fault and Zimmerman handled himself like a pro.
Photo: Rukes | Video via Zach Dimitri
