4×4=12

Did You Know?

• Deadmau5 was the house DJ at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, opening with "Some Chords" and later playing "Sofi Needs a Ladder", "Cthulhu Sleeps", and "Animal Rights".
• At the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012, Deadmau5 performed with Foo Fighters on "Rope" (Deadmau5 Remix) and then played "Raise Your Weapon", wearing a second, more advanced and safer variation of his LED mau5head.

Release

4×4=12 was released internationally on December 6, 2010 by Virgin Records, and in the United States on December 7, 2010 through Ultra Records and Mau5trap. A Japanese version, renamed Deadmau5, was released on February 23, 2011 by Ultra Records, bundled with the earlier singles "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" and "I Remember". On iTunes, the international mixed CD version lists "A City In Florida" as "City In Florida", "Cthulhu Sleeps" as "Cthulhu Steps", and "Raise Your Weapon" as "Raise Your Weapons"; it is unconfirmed whether these changes were intentional.

Singles

"Some Chords" was the first official single, released on Beatport on May 3, 2010 and later on iTunes on November 7, 2010. The second single, "Animal Rights", a collaboration with Wolfgang Gartner, came out on Beatport on September 6, 2010 and on other digital stores on September 17, 2010. "Sofi Needs a Ladder", featuring vocals from Sofi, was the third single on October 31, 2010 and became the highest-charting single in the UK at number 68. The fourth single "Right This Second" was released on November 14, 2010, peaking at number 79 on US charts and 100 on UK charts. "Bad Selection", the fifth single, charted at 137 on the UK charts. The sixth and final single, "Raise Your Weapon", featuring Greta Svabo Bech and co-produced by Cydney Sheffield and Skrillex, was released on May 23, 2011; it became Deadmau5's first song to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached 117 on the UK charts.

Critical reception

Critical response to 4×4=12 was generally favorable. Metacritic assigned an average score of 66 out of 100 based on 13 reviews. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone described the album as audacious, mixing generic house grooves with electric fare. Annie Zaleski of Alternative Press noted that the collection is mostly instrumental, ranging from insistent progressive house to watery techno, with variety stemming from Deadmau5's sense of dynamics and pacing. However, Allison Stewart of The Washington Post wrote that the album does not feel like a breakthrough, being neither accessible enough for non-electronic fans nor adventurous enough for die-hards. Dave Simpson of The Guardian remarked that Deadmau5's appeal hinges on his live show, but that the album shows him as a master of simple electro house music with humongous beats and basslines.

Commercial performance

4×4=12 became Deadmau5's first studio album to chart on the Billboard 200, peaking within the top 50 and spending 66 weeks on the chart. It reached number two on the Billboard Electronic albums chart. Internationally, the album charted within the top 40 of various European nations, but in the United Kingdom it missed the top 40, a lower peak than his previous albums which had all entered the top 20.