Dred And Karma

Dred and Karma
Genres	House
Years active	1999
Labels	Awesome Records
Associated acts	deadmau5
Members	Joel Zimmerman, Derek Caesar

Dred and Karma was a duo comprised of Joel Zimmerman and Derek Caesar. The name of the group reflects their respective aliases; Zimmerman went by Karma (as in Karma K), while Caesar was known as DJ Funky Dred.

You can download their record here.

History

Zimmerman and Caesar met while working on a local radio show in Niagara Falls called The Party Revolution. When Zimmerman wanted to release music under his own name, he collaborated with Caesar to create two songs at Caesar's home studio. These songs were pressed onto vinyl and sold locally in Niagara Falls, Canada. As a result, the duo remained unnoticed by the public and other musicians for at least thirteen years.

Discovery

During a Stickam livestream in 2009, Zimmerman started a rework and/or remix of "I Don't Want No Other". While it was never officially published online, recordings of this track's progress can be found on YouTube.

During January 2013, members of the Random Forum Title fan community noticed that the vinyl was entered into the Discogs database. At this point in time, Dred and Karma, their single, and their record label were previously undocumented. Users speculated about Zimmerman's involvement, after noticing the prototype mau5head on the record. They also linked "I Don't Want No Other" to a track on the compilation album deadmau5 Circa 1998-2002 that shared the same title.

The record was uploaded to Discogs by user Richgatkow, who listed several copies for sale. After being inquired, Richgatkow explained that he acquired his records from Nice Music, formerly Canada's largest dance vinyl distributor, from their remaining unsold stock. He also confirmed that the A-Side was indeed the song featured on deadmau5 Circa 1998-2002. Additionally, he noted that he had already sold five copies of the record before listing it on Discogs.

The following month, in February 2013, a user named Zaffa from the Random Forum Title community ripped his vinyl upon receiving it and uploaded the songs to YouTube. This was the first time fans got to hear "Suck This", which was a French House style track. It wasn't until March 2023, nearly ten years after the record's discovery, that lossless WAV files of the songs were ripped from the vinyl.

Zimmerman himself, while never directly addressing Dred and Karma, has occasionally acknowledged its existence. In July 2013, Zimmerman shared a flyer for a 2000's DJ event in Niagara Falls on Instagram. The flyer displayed the names of DJ Funky Dred and House Arrest, backed by the aforementioned mau5head design. On January 16th, 2014, Zimmerman uploaded "Suck This" to the suckscription service, claiming it was the first song he ever finished. Interestingly, the song appeared to be a completely different mix albeit still within the French House genre.

In January 2015, the Toronto Rave Collective website published article revealing more insight into the Dred and Karma record. It revealed that Eugene Tam, owner of the Play De Record shop, sold the vinyl and knew Zimmerman during his early producer days. The article further affirmed that Dred and Karma was a collaboration between Zimmerman and Derek Caesar. Additionally, it revealed that Tam gifted Zimmerman a copy of the record, as even he did not possess one.

Later, Zimmerman shared a remix he produced back in 2002 during a livestream in April 2015. This remix was of "I'm Electric" by Revenge of the Egg People, credited under the alias Karma K, confirming his identity as "Karma". Then, in November 2016, Zimmerman shared a screenshot of the original mau5head model from 3D Studio Max on Twitter. Notably, the file was named "karmahead".

In October 2016, Zimmerman confirmed the release date of the vinyl when responding to an article commemorating a decade of deadmau5. He corrected the author's statement on Twitter, emphasizing that "Suck This" was his first release in 2000. However, during discussions about the Retro5pective shows in 2024, Zimmerman asserted that "I Don't Want No Other" was actually released in 1999.

In January 2024, Zimmerman discussed Dred and Karma during an interview with Shawn Ryan. He mentioned working at Play De Record and Derek Caesar's connection to Asim Awan, who managed Awesome Records and offered to press the single. Zimmerman also admitted to finding the songs cringeworthy in hindsight.

Discography

Singles

1. "I Don't Want No Other" (1999/2000)

Trivia

• The record was originally sold for one dollar, according to a price tag left on its sleeve.
• Both songs on the record sample "My Forbidden Lover" by Chic.
• Besides DJ Funky Dred, Derek Caesar also used to go by the name House Arrest.
  • Oddly enough, Zimmerman might have claimed to be House Arrest as implied by his Instagram post.
• According to a Facebook post by Play De Record, only 500 copies of the vinyl were made.
• On Discogs, 32 people currently claim to own the record.

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