DJ Mehdi

‘Just want everyone to know that we were all laughing our asses off 1/2 second before the accident’ were the words of Riton (aka Henry Smithson), in the aftermath of DJ Mehdi’s recent death.

The two, who together formed the group Carte Blanche, were celebrating Riton’s birthday with friends at Mehdi’s apartment in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, when the plexiglass roof on which they were stood collapsed. The man born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi was the only one to not get back up.

Whether it be his insouciant jiving onstage, his customary address to all that he met ‘t’es beau’ (you’re beautiful), or the titling of his album Lucky Boy (2006), Mehdi always arranged a sense of deep appreciation in the furniture of his mind. An elfin figure, who was universally adored, wore nothing but smiles. Close friend and fellow musician, A-Trak remarked ‘He’s the only DJ who could stand on a table and not look self-indulgent. It wasn’t look at me, it was share this with me’.

Mehdi was born in Gennevilliers, a North-Western suburb of Paris, to a Tunisian mother and French father. A testing upbringing (acknowledged in his video for ‘Signatune’), not only forged his earnest and amiable persona, but a desire to clasp any opportunity. This led to precocious initiative; he had already begun his career at the age of 15, joining a French rap trio named Idéal J. Focused and gifted, he was soon prominent within the Parisian scene and went on to work with MC Solaar, Rocé, Mafia K’1 Fry, and the hip-hop leanings of 113. It was with Idéal J that Mehdi released ‘Hardcore’; the track banned from French radio and television in 1998 for its inflammatory politics. He actively kept his beliefs with the pride-infused name Black Billionaires (2010) and dedicated a DJ mix to the recent uprising in Tunisia.

During the ascendence of Parisian electronic music in the 1990s, Mehdi worked with Cassius and Etienne de Crécy. His growing stature and technical prowess embedded him within the scene as he joined the influential collective Club 75 alongside Cassius, Pedro Winter (aka Busy P) and Justice. The foundations for Ed Banger Records were laid and Busy P immediately formed a sincere bond, describing Mehdi as ‘a thousand times more cultivated than us others’. The pair soon began to curate successful nights at Le Pulp in Paris together.

Mehdi launched his solo work with The Story of Espion (2002) and as Ed Banger’s ‘French Touch’ was taking shape, his sets evolved towards house and techno. He accredited ‘Timbaland and other labels from the US’ who helped to bridge the gap and constantly reminded how Dr Dre is one of Daft Punk’s teachers. His latest project Carte Blanche were a homage to Chicago house. Mehdi further collaborated with New Young Pony Club, Asian Dub Foundation, Erol Alkan & Boys Noize, produced a Ryuichi Sakamoto soundtrack and wrote the score for Romain Gavras’ Megalopolis. His celebrated video for ‘I am Somebody’ revealed a wit, eloquence and understanding confirmed by his posts for Cool Cats blog.

Paris Social Club closed its doors on the day in respect. Even the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Fréderic Mitterand, paid his tributes, saying Mehdi was ‘a magician of the turntables, an audacious producer and a virtuoso of blending musical genres’. On 17th September, he was buried in Père Lachaise cemetery, in the company of Chopin, Proust and Jim Morrison.

Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, DJ and music producer, born 20th January 1977; died 13th September 2011, aged 34.