illywhacker - Smokin' Aces - 2020

Week 7 welcomes a timeless, dance music classic by my favourite solo electronic music artist, Joel Zimmerman, otherwise known as 'deadmau5' (pronounced dead-mouse, not dead-mow-five, as I've heard some say). The track title is 'The Veldt' and is, in my opinion, one of the best feel-good dance music productions out there.

Initially, the track was produced as an instrumental record; it was by chance that Joel discovered the vocals sent to him by vocalist Chris James during a live video stream in which Joel interacts with his fans and other aspiring artists. The reaction in the video stream (I've attached a link to the video for your entertainment) was awesome! Joel reveals in the video stream that the track was inspired and named after a short story he had read that was first published in 1950. Chris decided to write and record lyrics inspired by the story over deadmau5's track. Watching the video stream, you realise just how lucky Chris was; you literally watch Joel debating whether or not he should even click the link sent to him by Chris to listen to the vocals. As a music producer myself, the video puts a grin on my face knowing the elation Chris must have felt when he realised deadmau5 wanted to use his vocals on one of his releases. It's not every day you manage to catch the attention of one of the world's superstar artists, not to mention end up collaborating with him!

So, now you know the rough backstory to this production; this track, one of my favourite ever records, only came to life due to a 50/50, yes or no decision to click a link received by an internet stranger. By now you all know it's a vocal track, and by my comments, that it's somewhat of an uplifting record... so check it out. Odds are you'll have heard this before, it was, and still is a huge hit. It was released in an EP format, but a version can also be found on the deadmau5 studio album titled 'Album Title Goes Here'.

Make sure you check out more of deadmau5's music, there are plenty of hits to choose from! Also, be sure to check out Chris James too!

Listen on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esYONwdKuw

Bonus Video - watch as deadmau5 discovers the vocals for The Veldt (contains plenty of swearing, maybe don't watch this at work...): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqurYVWg7-g