The jump from two days to three says something about how quickly this event has found its footing in a market that’s become increasingly crowded with dance music festivals chasing waterfront real estate and boutique branding. We Belong Here has built its identity on curation over scale, and this year’s expansion suggests that approach is paying off with both fans and talent buyers.

deadmau5 opens the weekend on Friday, marking his first solo appearance at a We Belong Here event after teaming up with Kaskade as Kx5 for the brand’s Brooklyn edition back in June. He’s deep into his third decade as a producer at this point, and he’s still putting out new material his 2026 single ‘Science’ with Stevie Appleton being the latest example that he’s not coasting on catalog. Nora En Pure handles sunset duties on Friday as well, bringing the melodic house sound she’s built her Purified brand around, alongside progressive house names Cassian and Benjamin Lloyd.

Saturday belongs to Disclosure, who are bringing a DJ set to the festival for the first time. The Lawrence brothers have stayed busy on the collaboration front this year, dropping ‘NO CAP’ with Anderson .Paak and ‘Deeper’ with Leon Thomas, on top of their newest single, ‘The Sun Comes Up Tremendous.’ Eight Grammy nominations in, they’re still one of the few acts in dance music whose influence spans both the festival circuit and mainstream pop radio. Jackie Hollander, Jay Crusoe, and JORD round out the day.

Illenium closes the festival Sunday, his first time playing a We Belong Here stage. He’s coming off his sixth album, Odyssey, which dropped in February with features from Ellie Goulding, Kid Cudi, Zeds Dead, Bring Me The Horizon, and Ryan Tedder, plus a nine-show residency at The Sphere in Las Vegas built around the record. What’s notable for dance music fans specifically is how much progressive house has crept into his recent sets and productions this booking reads like a deliberate pairing of that new direction with the festival’s melodic-leaning crowd, while still giving him room to bring the bass-heavy material he built his name on. Kasbo plays a DJ set alongside him, fresh off ‘World Is Mine’ with Lane 8 and BJOERN, part of his continued run on Lane 8’s This Never Happened imprint. Skilah and Pushman also play Sunday.

Beyond the main stage, the Lost Village stage is dedicated to house music throughout the weekend with Archie Hamilton, SLAMM, and Fletch among the names, while the Pier Stage leans into the deeper melodic sound the festival has built its reputation on, featuring Mat Zo, Helsloot, Enamour, Airrica, and DvirNuns. More than 30 local Tampa Bay artists are also woven into the Lost Village and Pier Stage bills a continuation of the community-first booking philosophy We Belong Here used for its New Orleans debut last month, where it similarly handed a stage over to local collective Set De Flo.

The 2026 edition also relocates to Armature Works in Tampa’s Heights District, putting the festival right along the Hillsborough River and Riverwalk, within walking distance of the neighborhood’s restaurants and bars.

The community in Tampa Bay’s enthusiasm around the festival and dance music in general is a huge inspiration to us, said Justin Dauman, co-founder of We Belong Here. With three days of programming and three stages, we’re excited to bring so many unique and boundary pushing artists together.

The festival’s local footprint extends past the weekend lineup, too. After last year’s event, We Belong Here funded 15 young musicians attending Girls Rock St. Pete’s summer camp and provided two scholarships for Arts Conservatory for Teens’ live production program, and the organization continues its environmental partnership with Blue Urban Project around Tampa Bay.

Fans can register now for presale access through We Belong Here’s official site, with registered fans getting first crack at tickets before the general on-sale.

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VOWWS has built its identity around mystery and darkness since forming in Los Angeles, with Australian-born members Matt James on vocals and guitars and Rizz on vocals and keyboards. The duo’s early single ‘Losing Myself In You’ was co-written with and featured nu-wave figure Gary Numan, while a remix of Under The World’s ‘Structure Of Love’ brought in Deftones’ Chino Moreno on guest vocals. Chelsea Wolfe later lent her voice to their 2022 single ‘WAIT.’ The project has picked up fans in Korn, A Perfect Circle, Billy Corgan and now deadmau5 himself.

For the Red Rocks performances, VOWWS will be joined by drummer Josh Freese, whose resume includes stints with A Perfect Circle, Foo Fighters, Nine Inch Nails and The Vandals. Freese appears on the band’s latest album, I’ll Fill Your House With An Army. Producer and bassist Danny Lohner, known for his work with Nine Inch Nails and The Black Queen, rounds out the lineup.

The two nights are billed as a full embrace of Halloween theatrics, with deadmau5 promising heavier-than-usual production and visuals to match the occasion. Expect a mix of deep cuts from his catalogue alongside unreleased material, and fans are encouraged to show up in costume. It’s a notable shift for an artist whose Red Rocks history has mostly centered on fall shows rather than Halloween itself — last year’s ‘Day of the Dead’ at the same venue saw him debut new music and early elements of a touring production that appears to still be evolving.

mau5hop Pop-Up Returns to Denver

Alongside the shows, the mau5trap camp is bringing back its mau5hop pop-up at 95 S Cherokee Street in Denver on October 30 and 31, running 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. The shop will carry specialty merch, limited-edition apparel, pins and collectibles not sold online or at the venue. deadmau5 and friends are also scheduled to stop by for meet-and-greets and signings from noon to 3 p.m. each day.

The Halloween shows come on the heels of deadmau5’s 2026 single ‘Science’ featuring Stevie Appleton, his first vocal-led release since ‘My Heart Has Teeth.’ The track hit number one on US Dance Radio and charted on both Billboard’s Dance/Mixshow Airplay and Canada’s CHR/Top 40 charts. He’s also continued building out the Kx5 project with longtime collaborator Kaskade, following their GRAMMY-nominated self-titled album and record-breaking headline show at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022.

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The venue is hardwired for 16 or more cameras feeding a purpose-built broadcast control room, which Apple says supports iPhone video capture running in parallel with traditional broadcast cameras. A 48-speaker spatial sound system surrounds the audience, and two dedicated recording and mix studios capture each performance as a multitrack recording that can be mixed in Spatial Audio live or after the fact.

According to Apple, an artist can play an intimate show and “walk out with a finished Spatial Audio recording, a broadcast-ready mix, and multicamera video.” Shows are billed as one time only, and performances will be livestreamed globally for fans outside London. The 38-foot-wide stage can also be reconfigured from a standard front-facing setup to an in-the-round layout.

“We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans,” said Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s Global Creative Director. Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content, called the venue “an unprecedented step further in our commitment to artists and fans.”

Shows and tickets

No artists have been announced yet, and Apple has not detailed ticketing or pricing. The Apple Music Hall website lists an opening date of September 28 and has an email signup for show and on-sale announcements, with updates also posting to @applemusichall on Instagram and TikTok. Apple also opened new Apple Music Radio studios in the same Battersea Power Station building.

Apple’s London live history

Apple has hosted shows in London before. The Apple Music Festival began as the iTunes Festival in 2007 and ran at Camden’s Roundhouse from 2009 to 2016. The series gave away free tickets through prize draws and streamed every show, and its bills included dance acts such as Calvin Harris, deadmau5, Avicii, Swedish House Mafia and Disclosure. Some sets also came out afterward as live releases, including Swedish House Mafia’s iTunes Festival: London 2011 EP. Apple ended the festival in 2017 after 10 years.

Apple Music’s live push

The hall also follows a run of live-focused moves from Apple Music in dance music this year. In May, the platform launched Club Live with broadcasts from EDC Las Vegas, making select sets available afterward in Spatial Audio. In August, Four Tet released his full Alexandra Palace set from November 2025 on the service.

Listen to the three live releases below.

Avicii – iTunes Festival: London 2013

Disclosure – Apple Music Festival: London 2015 (Live)

Source: Apple Newsroom

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The series debuted earlier this year and built a reputation fast. Season one pulled in more than 30,000 attendees across six weeks and sold out eight shows, including a surprise open-to-close set from John Summit that sold out within five minutes of being announced and featured guest appearances from Feid, Subtronics, and Sidepiece. The first run also gave Framework room to experiment with format, hosting the CamelPhat Experience showcase, The Martinez Brothers’ Orbita tour, and a Lunar New Year installation from Long Feng that closed out the season.

Season 2 opens with two nights headlined by ZHU on December 4 and 5, kicking off a lineup that includes Black Book Records’ anniversary show, Drumcode LA, Bedouin presents SAGA, Nora En Pure, and Duke Dumont’s New Year’s Eve set. January brings Sasha & John Digweed, a deadmau5 show billed as a special birthday celebration, Nic Fanciulli & Paco Osuna, and an extended four-hour set from Layton Giordani, among others. February rounds things out with Hot Since 82, WhoMadeWho’s hybrid DJ set, and a Lunar New Year celebration from Long Feng featuring Carlita and Damian Lazarus & Tripolism.

“With re:frame Season 1, we saw there was a real appetite in Los Angeles for an experience that sits between the intimacy of a nightclub and the scale of a major concert venue,” said Framework CEO and co-founder Kobi Danan. “re:frame Season 2 allows us to expand that idea across an entire winter calendar. Each artist can create something distinct within the space, while every night contributes to a larger community and destination that audiences can return to throughout the season.”

The venue itself is part of the draw. Reframe Studios is a production campus in Atwater Village originally built for film and television work, with two soundstages spanning 20,000 square feet each and 33 feet of unobstructed ceiling height. That kind of space gives Framework room to rebuild the room from scratch for every show — new audio, lighting, video, and staging designs are planned for Season 2, continuing the venue’s approach of functioning somewhere between a nightclub and a soundstage built for spectacle.

re:frame Season 2 Schedule

Dec 4 – ZHU (Grand Opening Weekend)
Dec 5 – ZHU (Grand Opening Weekend)
Dec 10 – Black Book Records Anniversary
Dec 11 – Drumcode LA
Dec 12 – Bedouin presents SAGA
Dec 18 – nimino
Dec 19 – Nora En Pure
Dec 31 – Duke Dumont (NYE)
Jan 1 – Chasewest
Jan 8 – Sasha & John Digweed
Jan 9 – deadmau5 (Special Birthday Celebration)
Jan 15 – Nic Fanciulli & Paco Osuna
Jan 22 – Layton Giordani (4 Hour Extended Set)
Jan 23 – Dennis Cruz
Jan 29 – Cassian
Jan 30 – Mahmut Orhan
Feb 5 – Hot Since 82
Feb 6 – WhoMadeWho (Hybrid DJ Set)
Feb 12-13 – Nylon Nights: Big Game Edition
Feb 19 – Long Feng Lunar New Year: Carlita
Feb 20 – Long Feng Lunar New Year: Damian Lazarus & Tripolism
Feb 26-27 – Closing Party

Several dates are still marked TBA, and Framework says more artists and programming will be announced closer to the season. Additional partnerships include nimino and a special extended Layton Giordani set, both produced alongside Goldenvoice.

Framework has been building out Los Angeles’s dance music footprint since 2013, with a portfolio that also includes Hollywood venues Sound Nightclub and The Spotlight. Across more than 35 venues worldwide, the company says it has worked with over 200 artists and drawn more than 1.1 million guests. re:frame Season 2 tickets are available now through Framework’s official site.

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Bouncing Red Rocks to Bounce Empire

If you have never stepped foot inside Bounce Empire, the concept itself is pretty crazy. It’s a 50,000-square-foot indoor theme park loaded with massive obstacle courses and slides. Yet the owners quietly built out a legitimate, high-end concert space inside. The room packs a 360-degree hydraulic stage alongside an insane 67-foot transparent screen. Deadmau5 will run full Dia de los Muertos visuals mapped directly to the space. To give you a taste of what’s in store, the all-ages party with Deadmau5 at Bounce Empire is set to redefine what Day of the Deadmau5 means for Colorado. Best of all, every ticket includes a full-day park pass. You can spend the whole afternoon running through the inflatables before the music starts. The venue clears out day guests by 5:30 PM. Doors reopen at 6:00 PM, and the beats drop right at 6:30 PM.

Bringing the Next Generation into the Fold

Taking Day of the Deadmau5 into an all-ages room feels like a genius move. That’s why fans are excited Deadmau5 chose Bounce Empire for this family-friendly celebration—truly bringing together kids and adults for the signature Day of the Deadmau5 show. The timing fits the theme perfectly, too. November 1st honors Dia de los Angelitos, celebrating youth during the holiday. Plenty of local heads who caught Deadmau5 back in 2010 now have kids of their own. Getting to rage while the kids burn energy sounds like an absolute blast. It gives younger music fans a genuine, welcoming taste of real dance music culture as well.

General admission tickets kick off around $110 and will climb as tiers sell out. If you want the VIP treatment, passes hit $175. That tier includes a proper meet and greet, an autograph, and park refreshments. Just remember to sign the standard venue waiver online before heading through the doors. For anyone planning to join, don’t forget: Deadmau5 is bringing Day of the Deadmau5 to Bounce Empire for an all-ages party that welcomes everyone.

Lock in your passes early here, because Lafayette is about to be packed that day!

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The partnership aims to allow the artist to focus on creating new opportunities within his growing portfolio of intellectual property.

A Deal Stretching Beyond Music

In an exclusive interview with Variety, IAG CEO Jim Osborne and President Kyle Loftus describe Deadmau5 as a “once-in-a-generation creative force.”

They go on to note that the artist, born Joel Zimmerman, represents the future of the entertainment space as he operates at “the intersection of music, technology, content and ownership.”

IAG’s plans for Zimmerman reflect the expansive nature of his career and portfolio. Included as part of the partnership’s future strategy is the reinvention of “Coffee Run” – a digital interview series – and Oberhasli Games – a video game company also operated by Deadmau5.

Additionally, live-performance software platform Auto/Pilot represents yet another of Zimmerman’s ventures that has been noted in the deal.

An Extension of Deadmau5’s Career

Over more than two decades, Zimmerman has consistently pushed beyond the traditional boundaries of a recording and touring career. Alongside an extensive catalog and his Mau5trap label – sold to Create Music Group for $55 million in 2025 – Deadmau5 has steadily grown his intellectual property to new heights.

Exactly how the artist’s existing ventures while be reshaped and what new ones may emerge remains to be seen. However, the scope of the agreement makes it clear that Deadmau5 and IAG are looking well ahead of the artist’s next album cycle or tour date as they set a precedent for diversification within the entertainment industry.

Image Credit: Joel Timothy

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Joel Zimmerman has spent more than two decades operating outside the usual recording-and-touring lane. He was an early mover in livestreaming, gaming and immersive production, and that side of his career has only grown — to the point where mau5trap’s founder now runs something closer to an entertainment ecosystem than a typical artist project, with content, software and IP ownership all part of the mix.

IAG’s strategy centers on finding film, TV and digital opportunities tied to deadmau5’s existing ventures. That includes relaunching Coffee Run, his digital series featuring candid car-ride conversations with guests like Pharrell Williams, Skrillex, Tommy Lee, Zedd and Dillon Francis. It also covers Oberhasli Games, his video game company, and Auto/Pilot, the live-performance software he built for real-time arrangement, sampling, sequencing and automation.

“Joel is a once-in-a-generation creative force who represents exactly where we believe the entertainment business is going — the intersection of music, technology, content and ownership,” said Jim Osborne, CEO, and Kyle Loftus, President of Independent Artist Group, in a joint statement. “He has been ahead of the curve for his entire career, from the way he approaches live production and streaming to gaming, software and digital experiences. Music will always be the center of what he does, but the opportunity here goes well beyond music.“

“IAG’s proven track record of creating exciting crossover content creation and ownership opportunities for musical artists is what attracted me to them,” deadmau5 said. “As my business continues to evolve across touring, music, technology and new ventures, I’m excited to partner with a team that understands our goals and objectives and can help us build what’s next.“

A Busy Stretch for deadmau5

The signing lands during an active run for the producer. Earlier this year he released ‘Science’ featuring Stevie Appleton — his first vocal single since ‘My Heart Has Teeth’ with Skylar Grey, which appeared on the Resident Evil Netflix soundtrack. ‘Science’ hit No. 1 at U.S. Dance Radio and also charted on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart and Canada’s CHR/Top 40.

He’s also spent recent years marking his own history, with sold-out retro5pective: 25 years of deadmau5 shows at the Hollywood Bowl, Brooklyn Mirage and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. His Day of the Dead performances at Red Rocks remain a fixture on the electronic music calendar, and his 2025 editions introduced new music alongside pieces of a new touring production. He continues to split his creative output between deadmau5 and his techno alias TESTPILOT.

Across his catalog, deadmau5 has built one of electronic music’s more recognizable bodies of work, including the 2x platinum ‘Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff,’ plus ‘I Remember,’ ‘Professional Griefers’ and ‘Sofi Needs A Ladder.’ He’s a multiple JUNO winner and GRAMMY nominee with seven albums to his name, including where’s the drop?, a reworking of his catalog into orchestral arrangements. He also scored his first film, Jonas Åkerlund’s spy thriller Polar, with the soundtrack released via his own label, mau5trap.

His list of collaborators includes The Neptunes, REZZ, Wolfgang Gartner, Kiesza, Lights, Foster The People, Portugal. The Man and Skylar Grey. The REZZ collaboration evolved into the ongoing REZZMAU5 project, while his long-running partnership with Kaskade produced Kx5. Their single ‘Escape’ featuring HAYLA reached No. 1 at dance radio and crossed onto Top 40, ahead of the duo’s GRAMMY-nominated self-titled album.

As Kx5, deadmau5 and Kaskade headlined the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 2022, in what was reported at the time as the largest single-day concert headlined by an electronic artist in North America. His solo cubev3 tour, built around production he designed himself, landed in Pollstar’s global Top 10 tours during its 2019/20 run.

Beyond his own output, deadmau5’s influence carries through mau5trap, the label he founded, and through TESTPILOT, which gives him a dedicated outlet for underground techno. TESTPILOT debuted alongside Richie Hawtin at SXSW and has since become a steady part of his creative rotation.

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Toronto’s Downsview Park once again played host to VELD Music Festival over the Civic Holiday long weekend. Across three stages, thousands of fans gathered for a lineup featuring artists including Armin van Buuren, Charlotte de Witte, FISHER, Illenium, KX5, Above & Beyond, Sara Landry, Subtronics, and more. The grounds also featured dozens of food vendors, a towering Ferris wheel, and a massive Circle K activation that remained busy throughout the weekend.

This year’s edition also embraced themed experiences. Friday brought Y2K-inspired outfits, Saturday leaned into Enchanted Forests, and Sunday unleashed Thunderdome. Everywhere you looked, festivalgoers fully committed to the themes and added even more personality to an already colorful weekend.

Three Stages, Endless Choices

One of my favorite things about VELD is that everyone finds their place. Main Stage fans chased festival anthems and fireworks, techno lovers packed into Sirkus, and bass heads spent their days throwing down at Bass Stage. A quick walk across the grounds could take you from melodic singalongs to warehouse-style techno and straight into a wall of dubstep.

Above & Beyond Bring the Magic Back

My favorite set of the weekend came from Above & Beyond.

The timing could not have been better. As the sun slowly began to set over Downsview Park, Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamäki guided the crowd through an emotional journey that felt effortless. The warm evening light, packed Main Stage crowd, and signature Above & Beyond sound created one of those festival moments that stays with you long after the weekend ends. Of course, they continued their beloved “Push the Button” tradition and invited fans onstage to take part. It remains one of dance music’s most unique moments. Every time it happens, the crowd reacts like it’s seeing it for the first time.

For Toronto fans, the set felt especially meaningful. Jono and Paavo returned carrying the same energy that made last summer’s Budweiser Stage performance so memorable. Their VELD set blended tracks from their newest album with fan favorites that have soundtracked dance floors for years. The result felt both familiar and fresh, exactly what Above & Beyond do best.

Illenium Delivers an Emotional Saturday Finale

If Above & Beyond owned the sunset, Illenium owned the closing chapter on Saturday. His set felt very similar to the nostalgic approach that made his recent Tomorrowland performance resonate so strongly. Rather than relying solely on new material, he pulled from tracks that introduced many fans to electronic music years ago. He blended those familiar moments with his signature melodic bass style and gave them new life.

The crowd responded exactly how you would expect. Fans sang every word. They threw their hands in the air during emotional breakdowns. Minutes later they switched gears and headbanged through massive drops. The performance constantly balanced heart and energy without ever feeling forced. More than anything, it was the people that stood out. Everywhere across the field, groups of friends stood in their own little circles wearing huge smiles. Some sang every lyric. Others simply wrapped their arms around each other and took it all in. For a few hours, nobody seemed concerned about the mud beneath their feet or the rain that had rolled through earlier. Those are the moments that stick with you.

Sunday’s Rain Creates the Weekend’s Defining Moment

Sunday’s rain created some of the weekend’s most memorable moments. Heavy rain rolled across Downsview Park and turned much of the festival grounds into a sea of puddles. Despite the weather, performances continued as scheduled, and fans fully embraced the conditions.

Sara Landry and KX5 ultimately closed out VELD under rain-soaked skies. At the Sirkus Stage, Sara Landry’s relentless techno soundtrack felt perfectly matched to the storm. The pounding kicks, flashing lights, and steady rainfall created one of the weekend’s most intense atmospheres. Meanwhile, over at the Main Stage, KX5 delivered a euphoric finale as deadmau5 and Kaskade soundtracked the final hours of the festival. Rather than leaving early, fans danced through puddles, raised their hands to the sky, and soaked in every last moment.

What could have dampened the mood became one of the defining memories of VELD 2026. Groups splashed through muddy pathways. Friends danced in soaked outfits. Strangers laughed as the rain intensified around them. By the end of the night, the weather had become part of the experience. Watching Sara Landry and KX5 close out the weekend in the rain felt like the perfect ending to a festival that refused to slow down.

Veld 2027

The countdown to next summer has already begun. VELD returns to Downsview Park from July 30 to August 1, 2027, and Early Bird tickets are available now. VIP Early Bird passes have already sold out, showing that after another unforgettable Civic Holiday weekend, plenty of fans are already locking in their return.

Between the singalongs, muddy shoes, surprise rainstorms, and endless smiles across the crowd, VELD 2026 reminded us why we keep coming back year after year. The music might bring us through the gates, but it’s the memories we make with our friends that stay with us long after the final track ends. If this year was any indication, we’ll be counting down the days until we do it all again next summer. We can’t wait to see you next year, until then stay tuned to EDMTunes.

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The producer has officially opened the public beta for AUTO/PILOT, his new DJ and live performance software that combines traditional mixing tools with sequencing, live arrangement, automation, sampling, effects, and extensive customization.

According to the official AUTO/PILOT website, users can join the Public Beta now for a discounted price of $50, gaining early access to new features and updates while providing feedback that can help shape the platform as development continues.

More Than Traditional DJ Software

AUTO/PILOT isn’t designed to simply recreate the familiar two-deck DJ software experience.

Instead, the platform brings together decks, sequencing, automation and advanced performance tools into one highly customizable environment. The official product page highlights creative mixing, live arrangements, sampling, MIDI/OSC control and native effects among its core features.

The emphasis on customization also makes AUTO/PILOT particularly interesting for artists whose performances fall somewhere between a traditional DJ set and a live electronic show.

According to Gearnews, users can arrange and edit sets directly on a timeline, while the software is also expected to support external plugins, potentially giving performers even more freedom to manipulate and remix music during a set.

Steve Duda Is Involved, Too

deadmau5 isn’t developing AUTO/PILOT entirely on his own. According to Gearnews, he has once again teamed up with longtime collaborator and Serum developer Steve Duda, who is contributing algorithms for tempo and beat-grid detection.

The publication reports that AUTO/PILOT is designed to analyze tracks extremely quickly and includes extensive MIDI and OSC integration and routing options.

For an artist like deadmau5, whose live productions have long combined music, visuals, lighting and custom technology, that level of integration makes plenty of sense.

Another Chapter in deadmau5’s Tech Experiments

AUTO/PILOT isn’t deadmau5’s first venture into performance software.

His OSC/PILOT project was built around customizable MIDI and OSC control, allowing performers and creators to design interfaces suited to their individual workflows.

AUTO/PILOT takes that philosophy further by putting the DJ performance itself at the center of the platform.

Rather than functioning only as a control surface for other applications, AUTO/PILOT brings mixing, sequencing, automation, effects and live-performance tools together in a single environment.

AUTO/PILOT Public Beta Is Available Now

The AUTO/PILOT Public Beta is available now for $50 through the official OSC/PILOT website.

The developers say the discounted beta gives early adopters access to new features and updates while allowing them to participate in shaping the future of the software. The official product page also notes that Public Beta purchases are non-refundable.

Gearnews additionally reports that the current beta supports Windows and macOS, although detailed system requirements have not yet been published. There is also no confirmed date for the software’s full release.

For DJs looking for something beyond the traditional deck-and-waveform workflow, AUTO/PILOT could be an interesting platform to watch—particularly for performers who increasingly blur the line between DJing and live electronic performance.

Whether it eventually becomes a serious competitor to established DJ platforms remains to be seen. For now, deadmau5 is opening the doors and giving DJs their first opportunity to put AUTO/PILOT through its paces.

^{Cover photo credit: CBC}

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The producer, born Joel Zimmerman, published the screenshots to Threads on July 27. His caption: “I don’t normally dox people, but I also don’t appreciate death threats. Do whatever.“

He Answered With Jokes

Zimmerman did not only post about the messages after the fact. He replied inside the DM thread itself, and the tone was mockery rather than alarm. He asked whether real gangsters use Instagram to threaten people, dismissed the weapon in the photo as a .22, questioned whether it was meant for target practice at a range, and suggested that anyone serious about threatening someone should at least bring a 9mm. He signed off by noting the gun looked small enough to fit in a purse.

The post drew thousands of likes and over a thousand replies within a day, and circulated widely across social platforms.

History with Brazil

Zimmerman’s most recent Brazilian date was at Tomorrowland Brasil, where he played the LIFE Mainstage on Friday, October 10, 2025 at Parque Maeda in Itu, São Paulo. He has no announced Brazilian shows on the books. Nothing in the posted screenshots ties the threat to a scheduled performance, and the sender’s location has not been confirmed beyond what the messages themselves claim.

Brazil has been a regular stop for him rather than a rare one. He headlined Rock in Rio’s New Dance Order stage on September 13, 2024, taking the closing slot of the night, then played Laroc in São Paulo the following evening. His first Brazilian booking goes back to Lollapalooza Brasil in March 2013.

He Has Not Always Laughed These Off

The jokes sit against a record of Zimmerman treating this category of message seriously. In his December 2016 NME cover interview, he described running his own social accounts and reading every private message that reached him, including ones from people telling him they would kill him at a show. His response to those, at the time, was that it “could be it.“

He pointed in that interview to Dimebag Darrell, the Pantera guitarist shot dead on stage in Columbus, Ohio in December 2004. Zimmerman put himself at a comparable level of fame and said there would always be one or two unstable people in the room. He was critical of venue security in the same conversation, and told Rolling Stone in a later interview that stories like Dimebag’s are why he enforces a strict rule keeping people off his stage during performances.

Zimmerman has not said whether he has taken the current messages to police, and none of his scheduled dates have changed.

Who Is deadmau5

Joel Thomas Zimmerman was born January 5, 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He founded mau5trap in 2007 and launched it with ‘Faxing Berlin’. Random Album Title broke him to a mainstream audience in 2008 behind ‘I Remember’, and the oversized mau5head became one of the few pieces of stage design in dance music recognizable without a name attached.

He has six Grammy nominations and no wins, plus three Juno awards. Outside his solo catalog he records as Kx5 with Kaskade, as Rezzmau5 with Rezz, and under the techno alias TESTPILOT. deadmau5 also scored the 2019 film Polar, and has collaborations in games like Fortnite and Rocket League.

His Cube stage production debuted at Coachella in 2010 and evolved through several builds. The touring festival version, Cube v3, arrived at Ultra in 2019 as a three-sided rig standing 21 feet tall and 22 feet wide, and was officially retired in October 2025 ahead of a new live show at Red Rocks that November. A separate nightclub-scaled build he calls The Other Cube is what he has used for his Las Vegas club dates.

His last full studio album, W:/2016Album/, arrived in 2016. A new one is due in 2026, previewed so far by ‘Ameonna’ and ‘Science’ with Stevie Appleton.

He is a 2026 resident at Wynn Nightlife in Las Vegas, playing XS Nightclub and Encore Beach Club at Night. He is booked for Nocturnal Wonderland at Glen Helen Regional Park on September 19 and 20, followed by two nights at Red Rocks over Halloween weekend, October 30 and 31.

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