Gallic noise maker DJ Mehdi may have called his last album Lucky Boy, but his success owes little to luck. Being signed to Ed Banger certainly hasn’t hurt, but the spinner-turned-producer was firmly entrenched in the Parisian underground well before the label du jour went stratospheric.
DJ Mehdi’s sound, both on record and in the clubs, is defiantly his own – a bastard mix of hip hop and house that never loses sight of the dancefloor. While several of his labelmates are intent on rupturing eardrums, this boy brings some welcome funk. On the eve of his Australian tour, he talks to ITM’s Jack Tregoning about the sometimes lonely, always busy life of an Ed Banger.
You and A-Trak have been playing a string of back-to-back sets from London to Denmark. How different is that experience from DJing alongside the Ed Banger guys?
It’s been different because A-Trak has a whole other approach to DJing and party-going. More technical of course, and also definitely more hip hop, which is one of the aspects I was looking for recently. But the pleasure is all the same.
As a DJ who tours non-stop, where do you find the crowds are most open-minded? And how does the scene in your hometown Paris measure up to other cities?
My favourite cities to play in are London, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Montreal, Tokyo, Sydney…and Paris, of course. I’ve been lucky enough to have good DJing experiences all around the world, and I couldn’t really say one place I absolutely prefer over the others. As for Paris, it will always be a pleasure: from when we were underground playing to 250 peeps at Club Le Paris-Paris to now playing bigger venues with the whole Ed crew. I love my hometown.
You’ve often said DJing is your first obsession. Is there something you can capture in a club that can’t be replicated in the studio?
It’s only a question of how I came up in this business. I was always a DJ first. Then I got into composing, and producing, but record digging and scratching was definitely my first interest. Hence my name, and its initials.
What do you feel are the qualities that connect hip hop and house?
It’s the beat.
As well as producing club tunes, you’ve contributed to a few soundtracks. Do you enjoy the challenge of that kind of work?
I do, and I had interesting times working with directors like Romain Gavras or Kim Chapiron, to name only a few. But I definitely am more of a ‘track’ oriented guy.
You’ve also collaborated with an intriguing list of producers. Does working with other people drive you to take new approaches or attitudes in the studio?
Sure does, and that’s because I’m quite a lonely bloke when it comes to composing and producing. And lonely can mean boring sometimes. And who wants to be bored with making music? That’s why I will always love to take a bunch of unfinished tracks to my producers or musicians friends and ask them, “What can you do with this?”
So, following the success of _Lucky Boy, do you have an idea of what your next record might sound like?
Man, I’ve been so busy touring recently, I haven’t had a minute for me to think about the future. Same goes for remixes. I get nice opportunities to work on songs I like, or bands I respect a lot, but this non-stop tour keeps me so busy. I unfortunately can’t make music while on the road. But I take January and February off!
Which of the Ed Banger artists, if any, do you feel your sound is closest to? Does your history in hip hop set you apart?
I’ll say Mr Flash would be the one I connect with the most, sonically. We kind of come from the same place, musically speaking.
Ed Banger has a very strong visual style that compliments its releases. How important do you think image is in attracting people to music?
Well, put it this way: Madonna is the biggest-selling female artist of all time. Is she also the best singer? And I personally love Madonna.
Your last visit to Australia was for a club tour, but this time you’re headlining a few large-scale events. Does your DJing style tend to change when you’re playing to a festival-sized crowd?
To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I just don’t know. I’m working on it right now. I’ll tell you after, okay?
DJ Mehdi will be flying the Ed Banger flag in next month, so there’s only one way to find out how he rolls!
Friday 30 November – Onelove at Electric Circus, Adelaide
Saturday 1 December – Stereosonic Festival, Melbourne Showgrounds
Saturday 1 December – Ministry Of Sound Annual Warehouse Party, Hordern Pavilion, Sydney
Sunday 2 December – Ministry Of Sound Annual Outdoor Party, Supreme Court Gardens, Perth
To prime yourself for Mehdi, reacquaint yourself with the really quite brilliant film clip for his club banger Signature. Life is glamorous in the Parisian ‘burbs!
