- 05
- Dec
DJ Mehdi - Lucky Boy feat. Fafi
Those of you who have been reading MFR for a while know that we've been doing our best to follow along with the booming dance-music scene overseas in Europe, specifically with the rise of the new-Parisian scene that includes the folks at the Kitsuné label, the Institubes label, and the Ed Banger label.
If you're familiar with the Ed Banger visual aesthetic, you may even recognize the artwork of their in-house designer, So_Me, without my having to tell you that this Lucky Boy is a new EB release (and is actually first full-length artist-album) by veteran Parisian producer, Mehdi Faveris Essadi, aka DJ Mehdi. Mehdi has been involved with music for a decade: in the mid-90s, he was working as a producer of French hip-hop, and in the late-90s as a dance remixer (I've got his dope remix of Cassius' "Feeling For You"), and has been releasing his own work since the early 00s, including his first full-length (The Story Of) Espion (which is another of his aliases, and also just so happens to appear as the B-side to the original Justice vs Simian 12").
Anyway, the point being that DJ Mehdi knows what he is doing when it comes to booty- and party-rocking beats, and his new album is full of jams. When I first heard it, I was literally compelled to listen to the whole thing twice in a row because there is so much going on. Mehdi swings between electro, hip-hop, pop and disco-tech-house styles so effortlessly, it seems everyone else in the game must be missing something. The album features appearances by Feadz - a solid producer and DJ in his own right, who's been linked, production (and otherwise) with Ed Bangers' Lucky Girl, Uffie - Parisian MC Xanax, the NYC-Toronto duo Chromeo, and Fafi, Mehdi's wife, whom he thanks profusely (and, from the romantic in me, I will say very touchingly) in the amazing liner-notes.
Speaking of the liner-notes, Mehdi makes it clear that the album's title, Lucky Boy, refers to him - he is clearly thankful to be able to make music, and to be surrounded by the Ed Banger crew and their associated friends, musicians, artists, and producers. I am really glad to know that he has been hard at work for this long, pushing things forward and keeping a love of music and dancing at the forefront. When he DJ-ed with the Ed Banger crew here in NYC earlier this year, I got to talk to him for a minute, and thanked him for coming to rock the party - he seemed genuinely grateful to be in the city and get to do what he loves, so I wish him, and the Ed Banger crew, well.
Lucky Boy is available from our friends at Turntable Lab and anywhere fine dance music is sold - very highly recommended. Also be sure to check his myspace page for more music and information, as well as info on this amazing upcoming party on December 16th Ed Banger and Institubes are putting on, featuring Busy P, Das Glow, Justice, Orgasmic, Para One, Sebastian, Surkin, Tacteel, Uffie & Feadz, DJ Mehdi and surprise guests... anyone want to get me a plane ticket to Paris? Oh, also be sure to check out the new issue of XLR8R, with Justice on the cover as their pick for best of 2006 - heyo!