Canadian DJ/producer deadmau5 insists he was just having a laugh when he tweeted shade at The Chainsmokers.
On April 14, deadmau5 tweeted a link to a New York Times panel discussion titled “How Do You Solve a Problem Like The Chainsmokers?” and offered a response.
“Easy. You suck a s**tload of Grammy d**k and pay a ghost producer. Next question.”
His comment made headlines and seemed to get the attention of The Chainsmokers’ Alex Pall and Drew Taggart.
“We catch lots of heat but we are doing what we love and have the best fans,” they tweeted the same day. “And that's all that matters. Not everyone is gonna get it or like it but a lot of you guys do and that's what pushes us.”
But, early Monday, deadmau5 tweeted “stfu, its a joke” before taking another shot at the pop EDM duo.
“Im fairly certain these err.. the one guy in the group is perfectly capable of operating complex systems like ableton,” he wrote, referring to a popular brand of music production software.
The Chainsmokers are having the last laugh, though. Their debut album Memories… Do Not Open is No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and they have two tracks in the Top 10 on the Hot 100 chart. They are currently on a world tour that stops on May 30 in Toronto, on June 1 in Montreal, July 8 in Surrey, B.C., and on July 9 in Calgary.
Over Easter weekend, The Chainsmokers tweeted: “Just shows never listen to the negativity. Everyone thinks they know why they are talking about but they don't have a Damn clue.
“This music isn't for anyone else but us and you.”