Deadmau5 vs. James Hype: The EDM Feud Explained.
Why is Deadmau5’s X account set to private? It might be the recent feud with James Hype.
The electronic music scene is buzzing with the latest clash between Deadmau5 and James Hype, a beef that’s sparked debates across social media. Here’s a concise rundown of what went down, based on the events reported on May 2, 2025.
It started when Deadmau5, known for his outspoken takes, called out James Hype on social media, criticizing his production style as “cookie-cutter” and overly commercial. Hype, a rising star with hits like “Ferrari,” fired back, defending his creative process and accusing Deadmau5 of gatekeeping the scene. The exchange escalated with Deadmau5 posting a meme-heavy rant, while Hype clapped back with a video showcasing his live mixing skills, implying Deadmau5’s critiques were outdated.
Fans are split. Some back Deadmau5’s push for originality, citing his genre-defining work like “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff.” Others argue Hype’s mainstream appeal and technical prowess, honed through years of club residencies, make him a fresh voice. Posts on X reflect the divide, with some calling it a publicity stunt and others seeing it as a clash of old-school versus new-school EDM.
Deadmau5 uploaded a video showing how he can sync CDJ’s to a any video game.
In a recent interview with We Rave You, UK DJ and producer James Hype expressed frustration with DJs who rely on pre-recorded sets, arguing that the practice undermines the authenticity of live performances. Hype emphasized the importance of real-time mixing, stating, “I want to see someone actually DJ, not just press play on a pre-made set.” He highlighted his own approach, which involves live track selection and manipulation to adapt to the crowd’s energy, calling pre-recorded sets “a shortcut that kills the art.”
Hype’s comments sparked debate within the electronic music community, with some fans and artists supporting his stance on live creativity, while others defended pre-recorded sets as a practical choice for complex performances. Deadmau5, known for his elaborate live productions, responded indirectly via social media, saying, “Some of us are building entire shows with visuals and lights synced to the music. Try doing that while beatmatching on the fly.” He argued that pre-planning allows for a polished experience, especially in high-production shows.
https://www.instagram.com/deadmau5/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f0739881-c45d-4a7d-8987-21d895262495
Neither artist has hinted at reconciliation, and the feud is fueling anticipation for their upcoming festival sets, where subtle shade might spill into their performances. Stay tuned for updates on the latest EDM news.
‘We all hit Play’ – Deadmau5
Back in 2012, On the Deadmau5 tumblr blog Joel made a post about DJs who claimed to do special things when playing live DJ sets.
Zimmerman argues that beatmatching isn’t ever a f**king skill” and confesses that, at times, he simply shows up with a laptop and a MIDI controller, selecting tracks and pressing the spacebar to perform.
His core argument seems to be that his and other major artists’ true talents lie in studio work, and he finds it frustrating when mainstream DJs claim to be doing something extraordinary outside of the studio.
More intriguing, however, is Zimmerman’s brief explanation of his live setup during his rant—about how he uses a streamlined Ableton Live rig to send MIDI data to a few synthesizers and timecode information to sync lighting and visuals.
“I think given about 1 hour of instruction, anyone with minimal knowledge of Ableton and music tech in general could DO what I’m doing at a deadmau5 concert.”
we all hit play.
its no secret. when it comes to “live” performance of EDM… that’s about the most it seems you can do anyway. It’s not about performance art, its not about talent either (really its not) In fact, let me do you and the rest of the EDM world button pushers who fuckin hate me for telling you how it is, a favor and let you all know how it is.
I think given about 1 hour of instruction, anyone with minimal knowledge of ableton and music tech in general could DO what im doing at a deadmau5 concert. Just like i think ANY DJ in the WORLD who can match a beat can do what “ANYONE else” (not going to mention any names) is doing on their EDM stages too. have a look, then let me explain:
okay, so heres me, in a big silly mousehead.. twiddlin a knob or somethin… okay so heres how it works…. Somewhere in that mess is a computer, running ableton live… and its spewing out premixed (to a degree) stems of my original producitons, and then a SMPTE feed to front of house (so tell the light / video systems) where im at in the performance… so that all the visuals line up nicely and all the light cues are on and stuff. Now, while thats all goin on… theres a good chunk of Midi data spitting out as well to a handful of synths and crap that are / were used in the actual produciton… which i can tweak *live* and whatnot… but doesnt give me alot of “lookit me im jimi hendrix check out this solo” stuff, because im constrained to work on a set timeline because of the SMPTE. Its a super redundant system, and more importantly its reliable as FUCK! And obviously, ive done the show a couple hundred times easily by now, so the focus over the past few runs with the “cube show” has been more revolved around adding new audio / visual content to keep it current.
so thats my “live” show. and thats as “live” as i can comfortably get it (for now anyway) of course itll evolve, and change up, but im sure a few key principles will always remain the same.
Im just so sick of hearing the “NO!!! IM NOT JUST DOING THIS, I HAVE 6 TABLES UP THERE AND I DO THIS THIS AND THIS” like… honestly. who gives a fuck? i dont have any shame in admitting that for “unhooked” sets.. i just roll up with a laptop and a midi controller and “select” tracks n hit a spacebar. ableton syncs the shit up for me… so no beatmatching skill required. “beatmatching” isnt even a fucking skill as far as im concered anyway. so what, you can count to 4. cool. i had that skill down when i was 3, so dont give me that argument please.
my “skills” and other PRODUCERS skills shine where it needs to shine… in the goddamned studio, and on the fucking releases. thats what counts… because this whole big “edm” is taking over fad, im not going to let it go thinking that people assume theres a guy on a laptop up there producing new original tracks on the fly. becausje none of the “top dj’s in the world” to my knowledge have. myself included.
you know what makes the EDM show the crazy amazing show that it is? you guys do, the fans, the people who came to appreciate the music, the lights, all the other people who came, we just facilitate the means and the pretty lights and the draw of more awesome people like you by our studio productions. which is exactly what it is. But to stand up and say youre doing something special outside of a studio environment, when youre not, just plain fuckin annoys me.
Deadmau5 continues in another post..
here, is what i dont get.
about these fucking CD playing dipshits.
so, this guy, makes a fucking “banger” on some pirated software, sends it to spinnin records or whoever the fuck, gets it up on beatport, sells a few thousand copies… makes a little capital, great. thats totally fine. THAT i have no problem with. why the fuck not. doing what you can with what you got, making some moves, bringin in some revenue so your mom and dad get off your fuckin back for turning down that job or whatever.
ive fuckin been there. i get it. thats totally fine.
so your banger makes some waves here n there… so you fuckin rinse it. shit. makes 4 more like it or whatever, do an “EP”. make a whole fuckin album. thats your sound (even if it sounds like some other twat) didnt matter. also fine.
bookings come in, playing club x and y…. welcome to fuckin stardom hero. time to micromanage that shit and make it last. maybe do some outsourcing, who fucking knows. doesnt matter. deliver product. make waves. GET HYPE.
alright, so by now everyone in US/CAN/EU knows your fucking name…. your headlinning this and that…. you show up to X shitfest, and play a CD.
STOP.
I AM CONFUSED. are you or are you not a guy who can use a comupter to make music? because youre making in upwards of 200K to play a fucking CD…. so… wait. why?
With all the resources you have attained in the past X years of getting to where you are now…. WOULD IT FUCKING KILL YOU, to be able to add some sort of modularity, performance, showmanship BEYOND putting a fist in the air, telling people to make noise, and or playing the top line on an invisible keyboard in the air to show the crowd “HEY! EVERYONE! THIS LEAD GOES HERE! WATCH MY HAND. IT GOES DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT”
so with an inexhaustable amount of income from all the good fine folk who gave you way too much money to be up there…. you couldnt even be fucked to plug in a keyboard to play 4 fucking notes from time to time?
look, you MADE the fucking track, you HAVE the stems (at least you BETTER have them fucking stems) DO SOMETHING. ANYTHING. Youre a fucking act. youre beyond a CD player. at least YOU FUCKING BETTER BE if im going to pay 100 bucks to watch you.
So you cant pllay a keyboard? COOL! ME NEITHER! MIDI bro. its been around since the 80′s which is about 11 years before you were even fucking concieved. and it STILL works great.
wanna get even cooler about it? OSC is the latest fuckin craze. get your script on bitch. OR, bank out your stems, throw down some smpte on another track to sync some tailored visuals too… because your VJ is sick of trying to figure out when youre going to hit the sync button and let the last CD fade before you pull in the other one.
Some of you get it. i know. Stage design…. if you cant do any thing above this line _________________________ then shit…. wrap it up in a cool stage… and get some performers up there with you…… nope! wont sound like the fuckin CD…. in fact, itll likely sound worse…. perhaps out of tune / time…. BUT HEY! people arent stupid, you are… they notice nice little nuances like that, but instead youre sitting there trying to think of when the best time to say “put your fuckin hands up” is…. or your worried you might have said it 16 bars ago and just forgot… now youre all self concious and thinking “fuck… i really say that alot”
i think this hits the core of what Noel Gallagher was hinting at. Not EDM in general.
SADLY 4 U. you might not get paid as much :*( :*( because of ALLL THAT EFFORT you have to do *sigh* to put on a show…. but in the end, people will notice…. and the respect you’d gain from ACTUAL MUSICIANS (and people with actual brains) is priceless.
so, please, stop fucking up “EDM” with your fucking bullshit lazy CD playing and get to fucking work like the many others who are… then, the people who do put forth the bits when they can, dont look as fucking stupid as you.
DANKE!
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