Must Watch : DJ Mehdi : Made in France Arte documentary series
By Alexandre Trochut
A self-taught composer, turntable prodigy and visionary producer, DJ Mehdi was the only French artist to straddle the divide between two seemingly polar opposite music worlds: rap and electro. Known for his contributions to both rap and electronic music, DJ Mehdi collaborated with artists like Cassius, Daft Punk, and Justice before his untimely death at the age of 34.
He won to impose an ambitious, adventurous and eclectic sound, which was hailed even abroad (Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Drake and Katy Perry expressed their sadness at his death). He was even nicknamed "the French Quincy Jones".
Normally, when you have a nightmare, you wake up. For me, I woke up, and the nightmare began.
Pedro Winter
Ed Banger label founder
A Prodigious Career Cut Short
Thirteen years after his sudden death, this gripping six-part documentary series, directed by his childhood friend Thibaut de Longeville, highlights the role of this free spirit in the emergence of these two music scenes in France in the 1990s and 2000s and delves into the remarkable rise and tragic death of French music sensation DJ Mehdi.
The film captures the extraordinary life and career of DJ Mehdi, whose sudden death shocked the global music community. Directed by Thibaut de Longeville, the series offers a poignant reflection on Mehdi’s legacy, with the director admitting that the memory of the tragedy still haunts him.
DJ Mehdi, born Mehdi Faveris-Essadi, enjoyed a meteoric career that spanned nearly two decades. As a music producer and composer, he became a bridge between different musical worlds, forging collaborations between artists from the French rap scene and the burgeoning electronic music movement.
The documentary features unpublished archives and exclusive testimonies including iconic figures from the French Touch era, such as Daft Punk, Justice, and Cassius who tell the story of this extraordinary epic, from Paris to New York, and offer a glimpse into the private life of an artist who is little known to the general public and who helped forge the careers of great talents.
“Normally, when you have a nightmare, you wake up. For me, I woke up, and the nightmare began.” These are the words of Pedro Winter, founder of the Ed Banger label and former manager of Daft Punk, as he recalls the tragic morning of September 13, 2011. On that day, DJ Mehdi died in a freak accident, falling through a glass roof during a gathering at his home. This is the heartbreaking climax of DJ Mehdi : Made in France, a documentary series now available HERE and on streaming for free on arte.tv.
There were eight of us left, and we decided to go up on the roof. Four of us were sitting on a section of the roof that was partly made of glass. We were laughing, joking around, hugging. It was a great night. As we stood up to leave, the roof collapsed beneath their feet. We looked down into the gaping hole—it was a scene of horror.
Riton
British DJ & Producer
