Faxing Berlin

"Faxing Berlin"
General information
Artist(s)	deadmau5
Album	Random Album Title
Released	October 25, 2006
Genre	progressive house
Length	8:41
Label	mau5trap
Writer(s)	Joel Zimmerman
Producer(s)	deadmau5

"Faxing Berlin" is a single by deadmau5 featured on his third studio album, Random Album Title. Initially released on 25 October 2006 under Play Records, it was later re-released on 3 August 2007 under the newly established mau5trap. The release also featured the B-side "Jaded" and served as the lead single for the aforementioned album.

Background

Some time before the track was created, Zimmerman contemplated ending his music career altogether. However, his friend and fellow collaborator, Chris Lake, came over one day to work with him. Lake and his management team then decided to pass the song to Pete Tong, an English DJ affiliated with BBC Radio 1. The song's airplay on the station transformed it into a hit with audiences in the United Kingdom.

Originally, the track was going to have a superficial name, one of which was "Da Outer Limits". However, during a chat on AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) with Max Graham, Zimmerman decided to rename it "Faxing Berlin" after Graham mentioned needing to "fax something over to Berlin". As a result, "Faxing Berlin" became the debut release on Zimmerman's record label, mau5trap.

The song's main synth was created using FXpansion plugins called Strobe and Cypher2 before their official release. Additionally, the track utilized a sidechain compression system from Cytomic with its percussion, which was uncommon within dance music at the time.

Despite its initial success, Zimmerman later expressed dissatisfaction with the track during a 2017 livestream, stating, "Okay, first of all, there’s no clarity in the mid-low at all. Sounds like it was made in fruity loops. And what’s with that fucking cowbell? You like that cowbell through the whole fucking track? The only thing that I like about this track is the melody. Mix is terrible. And the only thing that’s even in stereo is that little weird shaker thing that happens every four bars. […] Oh god, when I listen to it now it’s just so bad, audio-wise. The melody’s good, that’s about it."

Controversy

In 2008, an artist known as DirtyCircuit allegedly faced legal threats after using the sample "LP_Faxing Berlin C_128bpm," which was included with FL Studio, and claimed to be copyrighted by Zimmerman. The sample directly mirrored a full bar from "Faxing Berlin", which Zimmerman previously provided for the software. The incident caused unease among FL Studio users, with some highlighting potential inconsistencies in the software's End User License Agreement (EULA). The case resulted with FL Studio's decision to remove all melodic samples due to legal concerns.

Releases

Download (Faxing Berlin)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Faxing Berlin"	8:45
Total length:		8:45

Faxing Berlin / Jaded

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Faxing Berlin" (Original Mix)	8:45
2.	"Faxing Berlin" (Chris Lake Edit)	8:13
3.	"Jaded" (Original Mix)	8:54
4.	"Jaded" (Ambient Intro Mix)	4:10
Total length:		30:02

Vinyl

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Faxing Berlin" (Chris Lake Edit)	8:13
2.	"Jaded"	8:54
Total length:		17:07

At Play Promo CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Faxing Berlin" (Original Mix)	8:45
2.	"Faxing Berlin" (Radio Edit)	2:59
Total length:		11:44

Trivia

• "Faxing Berlin" was remastered in 2015 and played exclusively at The Guvernment.
• In addition to Chris Lake, Zimmerman attributed the track's success to others such as Johnny Williams, James Zabiela and Nic Fanciulli.

Gallery

Deadmau5 explains how Faxing Berlin got its name April 2nd, 2015