This is Dave’s beautifully written tribute to Mehdi in its unedited entirety. This past week we’ve been seeing a series of similarly touching responses that demonstrate what happens when a truly tight knit community of artists loses one of its own. No trite truisms, no false sentimentality, no sensationalist media attention, just real love and remembrance of someone who has clearly affected the lives of everyone he was around.
“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:
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”:
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:
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:
Mehdi also asked us to perform at the “Lucky Boy” release party and here’s footage from that night:
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:
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:
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.
Hommade à DJ Mehdi par 2many DJ’s NAME 2011
It’s been a heavy week, and 2manydjs delivers a fitting tribute.
DJ Mehdi, who has died aged 34 in a fall at his home, was a gifted club DJ and music producer, who rose to international prominence after he signed to the Paris record label Ed Banger. His album Lucky Boy (2006) – the title reflecting his characteristic positivity – was the label’s first LP release, though Mehdi’s own career had begun a decade and half earlier.
He was born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi to a Tunisian family in the north-west suburbs of Paris. Music was in his blood. Both his father and uncle had been DJs, and Mehdi was proud of his Tunisian ancestry – he dedicated a DJ mix to the recent uprising.
He began his career as a hip-hop DJ and producer at the age of 15, joining a trio called Idéal Junior; they later changed their name to Ideal J. Their albums Original MCs (1996) and Le Combat Continue (1998) gave Mehdi credibility on France’s burgeoning hip-hop scene.
Mehdi went on to become a member of Different Teep and Mafia K’l Fry, and worked with increasingly influential French rap artists,including MC Solaar and the hip hop group 113, for whom he produced the albums Ni Barreaux Ni Barrières Ni Frontières (1998) and Les Princes de la Ville (1999).
The 1990s saw a wave of Parisian electronic artists with hip-hop roots break through to success, and Mehdi’s profile rose with them. He worked with acts including Cassius and Etienne de Crécy and by 1997 had started collaborating with Pedro Winter (aka Busy P), manager of Daft Punk and future boss of Ed Banger Records. The pair hosted nights at Le Pulp in Paris, while Mehdi continued his studio work, releasing his debut album, The Story of Espion, in 2002.
By this time Pedro was hatching plans for his new record label. The imprint would usher in a new era of French electronic music – and a brash electro style that has influenced dance music ever since. Mehdi’s involvement with Ed Banger was a canny move. He brought diverse influences and an open attitude to the label. The singles Pocket Piano and Signatune were followed in 2007 by I Am Somebody, a collaboration with the Canadian act Chromeo, which became a hit in the US after featuring in a radio commercial.
Meanwhile Mehdi continued making remixes, moving in wide circles. The artists he worked with included Joakim, Etienne de Crécy, Asian Dub Foundation, Architecture in Helsinki, New Young Pony Club, Sam Sparro, Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Miike Snow and Zombie Nation. Other collaborative activity included contributions to the Coolcats blog.
Technically he was a highly skilled DJ and was universally admired by his peers. He was a natural performer, who could energise a sleeping crowd within a few beats of an opening track. “As a DJ he was exceptional,” said Damien Harris, his friend and co-founder of Skint Records. “He had that old school DJ aesthetic of how to get a party going. Being so confident technically allowed him to incorporate many genres effortlessly … One of his natural qualities was that he’d make you feel welcome – he was never moody.”
As a person he was easy to take to. He overflowed with good will, and his diminutive stature often struggled to contain his good-time energy. During concerts it could literally propel him up festival speaker stacks, lifting the crowd’s mood as he ascended.
In his most recent project, he joined up with the British producer Riton (aka Henry Smithson) to form the Carte Blanche outfit. It was under this guise that he played his last UK gig, at Bestival on the Isle of Wight, on 11 September.
Mehdi died at a party celebrating Riton’s birthday. In circumstances that are not clear, the roofing they were standing on shattered, causing him and three friends to plummet seven metres. He is survived by his wife, the video director and graffiti artist Fabienne Fafi, and their son, Neil.
• Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, DJ and music producer, born 20 January 1977; died 13 September 2011
(via The Guardian UK)
Cœur de Pirate - Wicked Games (The Weeknd cover)
Two tracks. You are about to hear ten plus minutes of straight up I’m stuck in a sweaty nauseatingly dark warehouse in the middle of some cold fucking city barely watching some shady DJ in a black suit kind of techno music that’s meant to blare out of big boomy sound systems. You will not hear any wobbles, fistpumps, lyrics, or “-step” suffix influences. This is the Litmus EP.
THIS.
Happens all the fucking time, most frequently by some anonymous slut with bad taste. I usually just nod.
Portishead - Glory Box
(Live at Vredenburg Utrecht 2011)
There is nothing else.
October 1 ATP IBYM, Asbury Park, NJ
October 2 ATP IBYM, Asbury Park, NJ
October 4 Hammerstein Ballroom NY
October 5 Hammerstein Ballroom, NY
October 7 Jacques Cartier Pier, Montreal
October 9 Sound Academy, Toronto
October 10 Sound Academy, Toronto
October 12 Aragon, Chicago
October 15 Mexico, Corona Festival
October 18 Shrine LA
October 21 Greek, Berkeley, SF
October 23 WaMu, Seattle
October 24 PNE Forum, Vancouver
October 27 1st Bank Center, Denver
If you follow this blog or know me at all you would already understand that Richie Hawtin is my musical hero if I ever had one and is the ultimate techno icon. He had the distinct privilege last weekend at EDC to perform twice, one as himself doing a DJ set and the other as Plastikman live, both of which are breathlessly exhilarating yet skillfully nuanced performances. My very beautiful friend and talented writer/socialite Marie Cravens had the honor of interviewing Richie before he went on. I was lucky enough to contribute a few questions as well. From the source:
It may not be the most talked about, blogged about, photographed or purchased, but minimal techno is arguably the longest-lasting genre of electronic music there’s ever been. Its fans are loyal to the core, and if there’s one man who serves as the godfather of minimal, it’s Richie Hawtin.
The 41-year-old pioneer of Detroit techno sound has been producing music since his teens under numerous aliases, as well as touring the globe with others and as himself. His latest side project, Plastikman, is unlike anything many EDM fans getting into the scene today have ever seen, though it’s not something they’ll soon forget.
The Arcade was lucky enough to catch Plastikman live at Coachella 2010, and again last Friday night at the Cosmic Meadow stage of the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. Most ravers at first caught the set while sitting on the one grassy part of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway venue, relaxing for a bit and enjoying the minimal lights and beats. The dark, slow and churning sounds soon became more and more intricate and intense, and many stood up, mesmerized, to better view the two-story LED-wall light show. We overheard one attendee remark that they needed sunglasses — at 2 a.m.! That is the kind of show Plastikman live is.
One of the few coveted artists asked to perform on two separate occasions during the three-day festival, Hawtin also played a DJ set Saturday night on the Circuit Grounds stage. I had the chance to briefly catch up with Hawtin backstage right beforehand, to talk about the festival, the evolution of the Plastikman show, and the future of techno. Enjoy!
SO, HOW’S EDC TREATING YOU SO FAR?
So far, so good! We were here until nearly 6 a.m. this morning. We did the show, then we were walking around, and we wouldn’t get onto the main stage — they wouldn’t let us — so we actually drove a golf cart. I don’t know how we did this, but we told the driver we wanted to go to the front of the main stage and he drove through like five thousand people. I don’t know how he did it but it was quite an experience and then we hung out there. It’s a great experience to just check out a really huge variety of electronic music, you know?
Whose sets did you check out last night?
I was over there for Steve Angello, and then I saw Calvin Harris hanging around, and then there was someone after I played, I don’t remember who it was, but it was more of a drum & bass thing…
Yeah, Sub Focus. With the MC?
That’s it, yeah, I don’t know who they are, but they had such a great energy, and they destroyed it! The whole scene over here is exploding and that’s why we came, we wanted to see what was happening and also be a part of it somehow. We do quite a different, weirder, more subtle thing, and it’s not for everybody but we’re happy to show it to people. You know, we’re happy to be here to do what we do.
What’s the difference between playing your show here in America versus in Europe and the rest of the world? How is the response different?
Well, here we’re on a small stage. Over there we’d be on the main stage packing it! (Laughs) But I don’t know—we’re doing something a little bit weird wherever we are. We have more people in Europe, but more people doesn’t necessarily mean better, you know? We’re just going around the planet and doing what we do.
You’re playing EDC this year as both Richie Hawtin and as Plastikman. What is your different approach to the two sets?
Yesterday as Plastikman was much more cerebral, deeper, darker. There’s no compromise. Plastikman is my alter ego, so when I do that it’s like, “this is what it is, and if you don’t like it, fuck off.” Tonight, as a DJ I can move a little bit more, you know what I mean? I love house music, I love techno, I love it hard, I love it soft, and every time I play as a DJ you’ll get all of that, but it can be weighted and balanced in different ways. In that way, as a DJ, it’s a little bit more of a party atmosphere. So we’ll see how it translates tonight!
How has the Plastikman show evolved in the last year? For example, since Coachella in 2010?
Well it was funny, we’ve had a lot of shows since and the most technical problems we’ve had during a show was at Coachella, and last night! But I think we’ve really updated the show a lot — we’ve added songs, we’ve changed over the visuals, and we’ve tried to have some visuals where we have a camera inside where people can see me on the screen and connect a little bit more. Because that’s still the thing — as Hawtin, like I said, I’m there, I’m with my drink, I’m with the people. Plastikman has to be pulled back. It has to be disconnected from the people. But we noticed over the last year that maybe I was a bit too disconnected. And now, with the changes and cameras, you can see me on the actual screen. We’re trying to bridge that gap a bit more. But we don’t want to bridge it too much, you know? Like, I come out at the end, but I’m not gonna come out for the whole show.
That had an awesome effect at the end with the spotlight!
Yeah it was also bright! I think I got a tan from it! (Laughs)
Of course, there is a big crew of people behind the Plastikman show. Can you tell me how everyone works together to bring the show to life?
There’s ten of us traveling — lighting, sound, video, technical — and we all come together. It’s a really complicated show because the very important thing you have to realize which may not be so obvious is you see a lot of these type shows with flashing lights and cool visuals. But 99 percent of the shows you see — any concert, but especially electronic ones — they’re timeline-based, which means everything is pre-programmed. They press start, and for the next hour, every time you see that show it’s going to be the same. We have all these guys, and we create a system that’s flexible. What you’re experiencing is really being generated at that moment for you. So it can be very, very powerful and personal. But it takes a lot of people and a lot of networks and wires and bullshit to make it happen. So it’s a bit of a pain in the ass.
When can your fans expect new Plastikman material? You’re busy touring right now, but are you doing any studio work along the way?
We’re just deciding if we’re going to do some more dates. We’ll probably do a couple more dates at the end of the year in Europe and then shut down the show until next summer. And then in between that time, actually do some new music. Because we’ve been doing the show now for about a year, and it’s been a great reintroduction — but it’s also time to make some new, totally updated shit.
Where do you see techno music going in the next decade?
That’s hard — mainstream, in a way, but you know, honestly I don’t think it’s mainstream. All these acts like David Guetta, Skrillex, and Deadmau5, they’re making some amazing — well, some of it is too pop for me honestly, but some of it’s really cool! But it is all fucking pop music. And I hope that as that expands, as people get into electronic pop music, we’ll have a little bit more people into underground music. I’m not going to make pop music. Even if I tried, I couldn’t make pop music. But hopefully it will make people gravitate toward some cool, underground shit.
Electro-Pop. The gateway drug.
Yeah, exactly! (Laughs)
What advice would you give to other people who don’t want to make this pop music? DJs that want to make the music they love but also crave success?
That’s easy, just don’t be in a rush. It’s very easy to jump on and do something that’s gonna make you big really fast, but there’s been people and pop stars and musicians that have come up really fast over the last 20 or 30 years, and then disappeared. Stick to your guns, learn your craft, learn your turntables, learn your keyboards, learn your computers, whatever. Do your 10,000 hours of fucking working at it — then when you find it and you have your hit, you’ll be there on your own terms. There’s no shortcut.
West Coast Arcaders make sure to catch Richie Hawtin this weekend! He’ll be playing DJ sets at the Mezzanine in San Francisco Friday and The Music Box in Hollywood Saturday.—Marie Cravens
(via Arcade44.tv)
It’s actually happened.
And damn they look good doing it.
“Rock & Roll marriage.”
(via The Daily Mail: click through to see all photos)
Style Of Eye & Magnus the Magnus - The Antidote (Pleasurekraft Remix)
Tech house is a touchy subject for me. The tracks that self-proclaimed tech house producers crank out are invariably hit or miss. It can sound like the big dark room filling, emotionally magnetic soundtrack of highs and lows speaking equally loud with unreal amounts of space between parts, OR it could sound like elevator music drivel. This one falls somewhere in the middle, closer to that big gray area called GOOD. I wouldn’t go anywhere near the original Antidote - one of 2010’s best tracks. Pleasurekraft has gone for it though with notable aplomb. Their strongest point in this remix is the manipulation of that vocal stem, reminiscent of Claude Von Stroke’s “Vocal Chords.” Though it lacks the tension and release of the original, this remix rumbles along just fine and on the right set of woofers it’ll bang.
Duck Sauce - Big Bad Wolf (Annie Mac first radio play)
A day or two late on this one because honestly it’s a bit underwhelming. It’s as simple as it gets (and that seems to be Duck Sauce’s MO) but it lacks the maximum impact from the least parts effect that Barbra Streisand nailed so perfectly. Of course everyone will be roused right up when they drop this track but I’ve come to expect more from these guys. A-Trak or Armand individually could produce a stronger track than this. When they come together I’m expecting fireworks every time.
Radio Soulwax has gone live.
The MEGA ambitious continuous 24hr radio project is finally up and running after about a year of speculation and planning. I shudder to think how long this actually took to do. As far as I can tell, it’s the entire Dewaele record collection (and much more I’m sure) in a continuous mix with the signature 2ManyDJs record sleeve animations in the back. This is the tiniest snippet of about 30 seconds of Radio Soulwax. It’s all done seamlessly, covering almost every conceivable genre of music, like having the ultimate discourse about one group’s taste in music upon being invited into their home. If there’s been music made that has a beat, it’s probably getting played on Radio Soulwax. I could listen to this for a week straight and get excited every time I recognize something. It all happens SO fast - an absolute masterclass in genre smashing. I’ve gotten chills from completely separate moments once every few seconds and it never stops. It never stops.
RADIOSOULWAX.COM
Monster Magnet - Space Lord (Boys Noize Remix)
Uh what.
Too exhausted to say much but this is confirmed to be an authentic Boys Noize remix of Monster Magnet (really, of all possible artists) from around 2003-2004.
“SPACE LORD MOTHERFUCKER” x many times.
