4x4=12
Encyclopedia
4×4=12 is the fifth album by Canadian
electronic
artist deadmau5
(his third mainstream album). It was released worldwide (except in the U.S.) on December 6, 2010 through Virgin Records
. The album was released in the United States
on December 7, 2010 through Ultra Records
. The album's name, '4x4=12', was not predetermined but realized after deadmau5 was talking on Ustream
explaining his set up for his live shows stating, "Yeah, [the setup] is in four banks of four, and that equals 12," then everyone at Ustream responded to his remark, "Dude, that's 16!". From that point on, "everyone started saying it over and over again, and it just caught on." Drawing from a suggestion from one of the listeners on his live Ustream to name a track as "4x4=12", he then instead named his latest studio recorded album as that.
touted the album writing, “4x4=12 is audacious, mixing generic house grooves with electric fare.” Many reviewers praised the album for its universal appeal to a diverse audience. Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press wrote, “The collection is mostly instrumental tracks, ranging in style from insistent progressive house to watery techno…Without vocals to provide structure, 4x4=12’s variety stems from deadmau5’s sense of dynamics and pacing, as well as his diverse sonic influences”. However, some critics seem to be wanting more from the artist whose man-behind-the-mask intrigue may be upstaging his albums. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post states, ""4x4" is a breakthrough album that doesn't feel like a breakthrough album. Not accessible or crowd-pleasing enough to court non-electronic music fans, not adventurous enough to satisfy die-hards, it pleases, but it rarely dazzles." Dave Simpson of The Guardian UK shares in Ms. Stewart's sentiments by noting, "Undoubtedly, the deadmau5 appeal hinges on the astonishing live show in which Zimmerman performs in a giant, illuminated mouse's head, but it wouldn't work without his tracks. His third production compilation again shows that he is a master at doing simple electro house music very well: humongous beats and basslines blend with straightforward chord progressions and, when interest may start to lag, sonic diversions."
as well as on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, where deadmau5 played himself in the episode. "Animal Rights" was the second single and was a collaboration with Wolfgang Gartner. It was released exclusively on Beatport on September 6, 2010 and followed by general release on September 17, 2010. The third single was "Sofi Needs a Ladder
", which became available on 31 October 2010. It features vocals from SOFI and is the highest charting UK single from the album, reaching #68. "Sofi Needs a Ladder
" is also featured on the soundtrack of The Hangover Part II. The song is played in the club scene of the flashback.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
electronic
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
artist deadmau5
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman , better known by his stage name deadmau5 , is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto...
(his third mainstream album). It was released worldwide (except in the U.S.) on December 6, 2010 through Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
. The album was released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on December 7, 2010 through Ultra Records
Ultra Records
Ultra Records is an American independent electronic dance music record label. Ultra was formed in New York City in 1995 by former Polygram and Virgin Records executive Patrick Moxey, who is still currently the owner...
. The album's name, '4x4=12', was not predetermined but realized after deadmau5 was talking on Ustream
Ustream
Ustream is a website which consists of a network of diverse channels providing a platform for lifecasting and live video streaming of events online. Established in March 2007, the site has over 2,000,000 registered users who generate 1,500,000+ hours of live streamed content per month with over ten...
explaining his set up for his live shows stating, "Yeah, [the setup] is in four banks of four, and that equals 12," then everyone at Ustream responded to his remark, "Dude, that's 16!". From that point on, "everyone started saying it over and over again, and it just caught on." Drawing from a suggestion from one of the listeners on his live Ustream to name a track as "4x4=12", he then instead named his latest studio recorded album as that.
Critical reception
The album was generally well received among music critics. Will Hermes of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
touted the album writing, “4x4=12 is audacious, mixing generic house grooves with electric fare.” Many reviewers praised the album for its universal appeal to a diverse audience. Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press wrote, “The collection is mostly instrumental tracks, ranging in style from insistent progressive house to watery techno…Without vocals to provide structure, 4x4=12’s variety stems from deadmau5’s sense of dynamics and pacing, as well as his diverse sonic influences”. However, some critics seem to be wanting more from the artist whose man-behind-the-mask intrigue may be upstaging his albums. Allison Stewart of The Washington Post states, ""4x4" is a breakthrough album that doesn't feel like a breakthrough album. Not accessible or crowd-pleasing enough to court non-electronic music fans, not adventurous enough to satisfy die-hards, it pleases, but it rarely dazzles." Dave Simpson of The Guardian UK shares in Ms. Stewart's sentiments by noting, "Undoubtedly, the deadmau5 appeal hinges on the astonishing live show in which Zimmerman performs in a giant, illuminated mouse's head, but it wouldn't work without his tracks. His third production compilation again shows that he is a master at doing simple electro house music very well: humongous beats and basslines blend with straightforward chord progressions and, when interest may start to lag, sonic diversions."
Track listing
International CD Edition (mixed)
International iTunes LP Edition
U.S. & Canada iTunes edition
Singles
"Some Chords" was the first official single from the album and was released on 3 May 2010 exclusively on Beatport. It was featured as a track in the game The Sims 3The Sims 3
The Sims 3 is a 2009 strategic life simulation computer game developed by The Sims Studio and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims 2. It was first released on June 2, 2009 simultaneously for Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows...
as well as on an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, where deadmau5 played himself in the episode. "Animal Rights" was the second single and was a collaboration with Wolfgang Gartner. It was released exclusively on Beatport on September 6, 2010 and followed by general release on September 17, 2010. The third single was "Sofi Needs a Ladder
Sofi Needs a Ladder
"Sofi Needs a Ladder" is the third single taken from deadmau5's album, 4x4=12. The song features vocals from Sofia Toufa, also known as SOFI. The song was originally an instrumental track entitled "You Need a Ladder," which deadmau5 previously performed, but vocals were added on afterward. The song...
", which became available on 31 October 2010. It features vocals from SOFI and is the highest charting UK single from the album, reaching #68. "Sofi Needs a Ladder
Sofi Needs a Ladder
"Sofi Needs a Ladder" is the third single taken from deadmau5's album, 4x4=12. The song features vocals from Sofia Toufa, also known as SOFI. The song was originally an instrumental track entitled "You Need a Ladder," which deadmau5 previously performed, but vocals were added on afterward. The song...
" is also featured on the soundtrack of The Hangover Part II. The song is played in the club scene of the flashback.
Other references
Deadmau5 was the house DJ at the 2010 MTV Video Music Award show hosted by Chelsea Handler in Los Angeles, California on September 12. He opened the event with “Some Chords”, then as the night progressed, he played “Sofi Needs a Ladder”, “Cthulhu Sleeps”, and “Animal Rights”.Promotion
iTunes exclusively released 4 promotional singles from the album which were released each week preceding the release of 4x4=12.Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
56 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
7 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
34 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
48 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
47 |
| U.S. Dance/Electronic Albums | 2 |
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Sales | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
60,000+ | Silver |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide (except U.S. & Canada) | December 6, 2010 | CD, LP LP album The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry... , digital download |
Virgin Records Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... / EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... , mau5trap |
| U.S. & Canada | December 7, 2010 | Ultra Records |