For those who follow this blog you will understand, for those who don't let me explain.
Myself (Matt) and Dan love and still buzz about everything to do with house music. We have been djing as individuals and as a duo (F1 Djs) for over 17 years. Both in early 30's now, when we meet for a mix once a week, the energy and love for music is in every podcast/mixtape we do.
After hearing the news of DJ Medhi we have both been looking at stories and blog posts tributing his work. Trying to put something together was hard but it all made sense when i saw this post and i had to share it.
This is from Chromeo...
I wrote this text on the plane back from Paris a couple of days ago. I
first intended it to be a series of personal notes: an attempt to
retrace the chronology of our friendship with Mehdi. Then I figured I’d
share it. It’s long and perhaps too full of factoids. But that’s how
Mehdi, ever the raconteur, like his stories: starting “ab ovo” (from the
very beginning, the origins) and rife with trivia. So here it is, my
own personal Mehdipedia entry…
HOW WE GOT TO KNOW MEHDI
PRELUDE
I
first met Mehdi over 11 years ago, in the summer of 2000. But to
properly explain how this improbable encounter even took place, I must
rewind to a year or so before. As some of you may know, in the mid to
late 90s, way before Chromeo, I was a hip hop producer in my hometown of
Montreal. Along with my little brother A-Trak (whom I’ll refer to as
Alain in this text), I owned a small indie label called Audio Research,
which was distributed by Fat Beats: arguably the greatest institution in
independent hip hop culture (the Fat Beats flagship NY store closed a
year ago, I hope you got a change to visit it). In 1999, Audio Research
released its most successful 12”: “2004” by Obscure Disorder (a group
composed of three of our high school friends rapping, Alain on scratches
and myself on beats), featuring Ill Bill and Goretex of Non Phixion.
You can listen to this track here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnHB4yrj8-U .
One
day, I got a call from our Fat Beats label rep (and worldwide
crate-digging authority) Amir, saying something to the effect of: “My
man from France wants some beats from you. He loves Obscure Disorder.”
The gentleman in question goes by the name of Olivier Rosset. He owned
the indie distributor Chronowax, the Fat Beats of France, so to speak.
In our first conversation, he asked me if I had heard of DJ Mehdi. I had
no idea who that was. He said that Mehdi was one of France’s foremost
hip hop producers, that he loved “2004” and that they wanted to get
beats from me for a project they were working on. (Keep in mind that I
had never made beats for anyone outside of Montreal before, so I was
thrilled.) I was going to spend a few months in the south of France that
summer; we agreed to meet then.
MEETING IN PARIS
After
graduating from college in 2000, I got a scholarship to study for the
summer at a French Literature institute in the southern town of Avignon.
Olivier invited me to come up to Paris for a weekend, crash at his
place and get to know his group of friends. I’ll never forget getting
off the metro at Place de la République and scrambling to find the
Chronowax warehouse. When I finally got there and met Olivier in person,
we clicked instantly. (Here’s a fun fact: as the office was getting
ready to close for the weekend, a bunch of people were crowded around a
turntable, listening to a test pressing. Olivier was like: “This is
going to be huge.” I barely knew anything about house or electronic
music at the time, but thought to myself: “Cool, a house beat with the
‘Rapper’s Delight’ bass line over it.” Years later, I realized that the
test press was Alan Braxe’s “Running.”)
Olivier was anxious for me
to meet Mehdi, whom he called his brother. We all went to dinner that
night. Mehdi and I talked about sampling. I had used Arabic music on
“2004” (a record I stole from Pee’s parents’ collection, incidentally)
and so had he on 113’s hit “Tonton Du Bled”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlNsHGxYRxQ&ob=av3e .
We
talked about chopping drums. He was a hip hop nerd, just like myself.
But he was way more accomplished: only one year older than me, and he
had made beats for just about all of France’s major rappers. I clearly
remember us debating who’s doper, Jadakiss or Styles P (Mehdi said Jada
but I was like: “Nah man, the streets are feeling Styles.”) Later that
night, Olivier proudly played me a bunch of DJ Mehdi productions,
including a compilation entitled “Espion”, which they were releasing
together. Here it is on Discogs:
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Espion-Le-EP/master/105824 .
As
the record spun, I read all of Memed’s articulate liner notes. I don’t
know why some of those stuck with me to the point that I was able to
quote them back to my brother two days ago! Yesterday, in Paris, I got a
chance to look at that EP again, for the first time in years. What a
trip, or should I say, what an honor – names on the track listing that I
was barely familiar with at the time (Zdar, Boom Bass, Feadz) have
since become our friends and colleagues. All thanks to Mehdi.
STAYING IN TOUCH
So
what was this project that Olivier wanted me involved with? Well,
Chronowax had just signed a young French rapper by the name of Rocé.
Both he and and Mehdi were affiliated with the crew Mafia K’1Fry.
Eventually, Olivier offered me a sort of executive producer role on
Rocé’s debut album. They came to Montreal in the summer of 2001 and I
oversaw the mix, producing a track on the record as well. Mehdi had done
two. Here’s the video for the first single, directed by none other than
Romain-Gavras, who wasn’t even 20 at the time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi1oRiSwde4.
By
then, I was starting to stray away from producing hip hop. Without
really knowing what kind of music we were going to make, Pee and I
signed a deal with the Montreal-based electronic music label Turbo. I
played some of our early demos for Olivier during that Rocé trip and he
didn’t quite get them (probably because they weren’t quite good.) But as
always, we kept in touch. In the summer of 2002, Pee and I finally had a
band name and a handful of songs. Turbo was getting ready to release
our first single. I sent Olivier more demos, including “Needy Girl.” He
called me back and told me how much he loved that track, then passed the
phone over to Mehdi who said it was cool that I producing other stuff
than hip hop, as he was doing the same. In 2002, he released his major
label solo album, “(The Story of) Espion.”
Olivier was sending me
press clips where Mehdi charted our songs without us even having an
album out. And sure enough, as Chronowax worked out a merger with the
now defunct mini-major V2, Olivier offered us a record deal for Europe. I
couldn’t believe it when, just a couple of months ago at Le Bain, Mehdi
played the Juan McLean remix of “Me & My Man,” which was on our
first single through that label! (Olivier also released a compilation of
original songs sampled by Dr Dre, for which Mehdi wrote the liner
notes. I really encourage you to read them if you can. He has such a
sincere and knowledgeable eloquence, a truly unique prose later
exemplified by his Cool Cats blog posts.) Around the release of our
first album, we were taking a lot of trips to France, where Mehdi
introduced Pee and me to a whole network of early supporters of our
music, including his best friend and close collaborator Pedro Winter,
who is now like family to us.
I AM SOMEBODY
Right
around that time, Pedro formed Ed Banger records. When Mehdi would swing
by NY, we’d grab a bite, have a drink or go record shopping. In the
summer of 2005, he came with his girlfriend Fabienne, who was pregnant
with their son. I recall that afternoon as being particularly happy and
carefree, with Memed showing me his recently completed Lucky Boy tattoo.
That was going to be the title of his upcoming album for Ed Banger.
That same summer, he asked me if we would remix the first single.
Instead, we wrote a song to it and recorded the vocals in a Los Angeles
motel room during the fall of 2005. It became the main version of the
track, although it took a while to figure out a definitive edit; hence
the “Montreal” and “Paris” versions on the single. Meanwhile, Pee and I
were working on our own sophomore LP.
With almost half of the
album done, I moved to Paris for a year in the fall of 2006 on a French
Literature scholarship. A few days after my arrival, Memed asked me to
make a cameo in the “I Am Somebody” video. (I knew he was a fan of
leather Members Only jackets, so I wore one to the shoot and he got the
nod, or “dédicace,” right away.) Here’s the clip, directed by So-Me;
both he and the aforementioned Romain have now become two of the most
acclaimed directors of our generation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slnu6yArwLA .
Mehdi also asked us to perform at the “Lucky Boy” release party and here’s footage from that night:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFUhO_rerUc .
That’s
when I saw him DJ for the first time. Behind the decks, the friend whom
I had thus far only known as a producer absolutely blew my mind. Not
only with the impeccable tastefulness and precision of his mixes, but
also with his posture and aura. His inimitable dance, his concentrated
and contagious smile. Surely many of you are familiar with what I can
barely find the words to describe here. In the following months, Mehdi
invited me to do a few tag team DJ sets with him and each time, as I was
watching him go, all I could think of was: “I can’t wait until Alain
sees this.” (Ten days ago, at the Fool’s Gold Labor Day party in New
York, as I stood onstage while Mehdi did an impromptu set, I thought the
exact same thing: “Alain stop socializing and get over here so you can
see him killing it!”)
While I was still in Paris, friends from
Montreal asked me to suggest someone to book for their New Year’s Eve
party. I immediately recommended Mehdi. I remember picking him up in the
freezing cold and taking him to my brother’s house. The second they
started talking, it was as if I no longer was in the room. Before my
eyes, one of the most beautiful friendships I have ever witnessed was
born. That night, along with Pee and some other friends, Memed came over
to my parents’ house for New Year’s Eve dinner. He stole the show, and
not only because of the pink sweater he was wearing! During our animated
family discussions, he jokingly refuted every single point I was trying
to make, charming everyone with his customary poise. My parents were
smiling. “Finally, someone comes along and challenges that know-it-all,
smart aleck son of ours,” they probably thought. Together, we ushered in
the year that Mehdi wanted to get tattooed on his arm: 2007.
When
I came back to Paris, the city was buzzing. Ed Banger had become the
most important record label in music. Justice were getting ready to
unleash their debut album, and Pee and I also had to complete ours. I
would update Mehdi regularly and get his feedback throughout the entire
process. One night, he came to my apartment to hear the last songs we
had completed. I remember his exact words after “Bonafied” came on: “Ok
c’est bon les gars, vous avez vraiment poussé, là vous êtes prêts” (“ok
guys, you really gave it the extra push, now you’re good to go”). His
favorite track on the LP was “Waiting 4 U.” He asked to remix it early
on and I’m not sure it was ever really finished by the time it was
released. I like it because it showcases his distinctive drum
programming:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zsu_Zz6yNE.
AROUND THE WORLD
From
2007 on, we all became full-time touring musicians. We saw Mehdi more
than ever, but that’s when things become a blur: there are too many
memories to recount. Every few hours during the last couple of days,
another dinner, another joint gig, another chance meeting has come to my
mind. Another muddy European festival, another Winter Music Conference
in Miami. I can’t keep track. I remember all of us together at Coachella
2008, one of the biggest moments in our careers. I remember Memed DJing
before us when we opened for Justice at Madison Square Garden (he
knocked over one of our guitars and broke it – probably while doing his
signature dance – though I’m not sure he ever admitted it). I remember
him DJing at our biggest headline show that year: Shepherd’s Bush Empire
in London. He had worked “No Favors” by Temper into his set: a
completely random rarity from a mix CD of ours. He was like: “That’s my
joint, I love that song you guys put on there.” Pee and I were baffled:
“How do you even remember this?!” But that was Mehdi, always paying
scrupulous attention to details, making you feel special in the most
unexpected ways.
This was also the period where Alain and Mehdi’s
friendship blossomed. They went on tour together, played countless back
to back DJ sets, even traded apartments for a couple of months. Memed
was no longer just my homie: he was another older brother for my younger
brother. Alain would go on vacation with him and his family. They took
such amazing care of him, and never missed an opportunity to tell him to
put his phone down (anyone familiar with my brother knows that he
can’t). Some of my Mom’s favorite pictures of Alain in recent years are
from his vacations with Mehdi and Fafi, some of the only moments when
he’s enjoyed actual downtime. There is no possible way to express how
grateful we are for this.
Through Mehdi, we became part of a
social circle (“l’équipe,” as he called it) which now includes some of
our dearest friends. Trips to Paris without a dinner at his place were
an anomaly. Pee and I used to refer to him and Alain as the honorary
members of our band. Our Billy Prestons. Naturally, when it came time to
mix down our third album in Paris, Mehdi was the first one we invited
to the studio. He loved “Don’t Turn The Lights On” and we asked him to
remix it with Carte Blanche, his latest project with Riton. Here it is,
our last musical collaboration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_1eD2qWwJ0 .
LUCKY BOY FOREVER
As
you can see, DJ Mehdi was a fundamental part of my musical
apprenticeship. For Pee and me, he was more than a kindred spirit and a
close friend: he was someone we admired. Someone who would come up in
our daily conversations. Someone we never thought it would be possible
to live without.
Memed, we’re going to miss your smile and
unabashed embraces. We’re going to miss your greeting us with a “T’es
beau” (along with a comment on my heeled boots, your latest joke). We’re
going to miss your cooking and your long-winded stories. Your
thoughtful messages, your expressive notes. You, the social glue, the
nucleus of the crew, the most loved person we have ever met.
Such a talented musician, such a generous friend, such a beautiful man.
Mehdi, you’ll always be the Lucky Boy, but we’re the fortunate ones to have known you.
Dave One - September 15, 2011.
Some videos to finish this tribute post off
