With the illuminated big head and all, Canadian producer Joel Zimmerman's Deadmau5 alias is a blast to see live, but you can also bring quite a bit of that tech-house-meets-slammin'-electro excitement home with 4x4=12. As bad as the masked one is at math, he's conversely just as good at making you dance, as this unmixed but almost non-stop set of big room tunes throbs and snaps with that Daft Punk sense of style. Rabid fans should be warned, though, that they've already heard the big highlights, as tracks like "Some Chords," "Sofi Needs a Ladder," the wicked "Animal Rights," and others had been previously released on 12"s, but the remaining cuts are hardly filler. Unheard numbers such as the creepy "Cthulhu Sleeps" and the Wendy Carlos-like "Right This Second" help to turn a club-oriented set of tunes into a well-rounded album, and when the one-two punch of "Raise Your Weapon" and "One Trick Pony" introduce the Mau5's newfound love of dubstep, you've got just enough variety. Miss Sofi (Sofia Toufa) and Greta Svabo Bech contribute vocals, while producers Wolfgang Gartner and Michael Woods skillfully help with the knob twiddling. ~ David Jeffries
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone - 3 stars out of 5 -- "4x4=12 is audacious, mixing generic house grooves with eclectic fare like 'Bad Selection,' a kinetic jam with dog-whistle synth builds."
Spin (p.66) - "Punchy progressive house predominates....'One Trick Pony' and 'Raise Your Weapon' offer Deadmau5's approximation of dubstep's wobble and buzz."
Alternative Press (p.100) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Scattered voices scat and chatter throughout highlight 'Bad Selection,' which has the jittery cut-and-paste feel of Basement Jaxx..."
Paste (magazine) - "Deadmau5 unfurls chameleon colors, zipping from more Teutonic house-oriented long-jams like 'Some Chords' or 'Everything Before' to more hook-hop inflected cuts like 'Sofi Needs A Ladder'..."
