Forever in our hearts, and in Joel’s too.
Melancholy and a hinge of bittersweetness hit deadmau5 Trivia connoisseurs this past weekend at the Brooklyn Mirage, venue which was graced by the mouse-helmet legend’s most recent tour date, retro5pective: 25yrs of deadmau5. While his show’s title nods to the past and promises to be a walk down Memory Lane, Joel, being the multifaceted artist he is, was sure to tease new and unreleased material, test it even. And that’s how this song came to the speakers.
‘input_output’
deadmau5 allegedly wrote this ID as a tribute to the life and legacy of Garrett Lockhart, known professionally as i_o. For those who didn’t get to know him, he was an absolute legend of Techno, having one of the most rocket-like rises to fame I can remember. He was just that good, dropping bangers far and wide, and captivating audiences from a handful of homes and labels. Although I met him through his remix of Above & Beyond’s ‘Alchemy’ — which I’m lucky enough to say I heard live as an ID back in 2019 —, one of the circles he had the closest bonds with was mau5trap.
We sadly lost Garrett in 2020 to complications with his Hashimoto Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease he suffered. In times when music became an essential part of our locked-down lives, his passing made the world even more grim and grey for a while. We, his fans, friends, family, all felt the silence so loud. As fast as he’d come to grace our lives, he was gone.
Among the many artists who publicly spoke in memory of i_o, deadmau5, mau5trap label head and close friend of his, memorably dedicated an entire mixtape to his work in late 2020. But also, he created ‘input_output‘ to honour Garrett’s life.
retro5pective in Brooklyn
Although an unreleased track for at least two years, attendees of his NYC retro5pective gig might have spotted Joel himself throwing his heartwarming tribute at the show. Here’s a clip of that:
And even though it won’t change things and the void Garrett’s absence left in the Dance music industry, it does warm our hearts a fair bit to acknowledge people still remember him, his work, and his way. It’s quite more than just a bittersweet tear rolling down your cheek.
On a side note, the internet — as unexplainable as it often is —, somehow holds a clean version of ‘input_output’ for the world to enjoy. In true deadmau5 fashion, just press play and let the saws fly you away. It is a beautiful track, for a beautiful soul.
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Cover image credit: Bryan Kwon
