Deadmau5 says he will ‘unplug’ for a while because he’s ‘pretty miserable’

TORONTO – Rapidly rising Canadian electronic producer Deadmau5 says he’s going to “slam on the breaks” for a while, writing in a blog post that he’s “pretty miserable right now.”

The Niagara Falls, Ont., native — whose real name is Joel Zimmerman — has been all over the news this year, performing at the Grammy and Juno Awards, appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone and headlining the inaugural Veld Music Festival at Downsview Park in Toronto this past weekend.

But the busy year may have finally taken its toll, with the 31-year-old writing that he needs to “unplug for a wee bit” and “force (himself) to endure some quiet time.”

However, Zimmerman added that he wasn’t planning on cancelling any upcoming shows and will continue to write new music.

He even says that he’ll release something new in the near future, teasing fans to look out for “something crazy real soon like.”

But Zimmerman, who recently ranked sixth on Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid DJs with earnings of $11.5 million, still said he needed to slow down somewhat.

“I got a lot of work to do on some stuff,” he wrote. “So, best I just chill … out a bit and just get it done, and get it done RIGHT, until I’m 100 per cent satisfied with it. Then our regularly scheduled program shall continue.”