Cougar Microbes

September 13th was a difficult day for me. I was trying to recover from my weekend at Bestival when I opened my laptop to be confronted with the horrible news that Dj Mehdi had died during the night. He was actually performing at Bestival two earlier but I decided not to go see him this time because, being part French, I was sure ‘I could see him whenever‘. The circumstances of his death where also dismaying if not entirely clear; all we know is that he fell to his death whilst celebrating the birthday of his close friend Riton.

I highly respect Mehdi for his contribution to music and especially for his ability to successfully bridge over between hip-hop and electronic music where most would have easily failed. His influence over the French scene is undeniable, be it during his hip hop era where he collaborated with leading French rappers such as Booba or McSolar or when entering the Ed Banger clan which led to some of the most amazing electronic tunes such as ‘Signatune‘ or ‘ I Am Somebody‘.

Ed Banger, arguably the best electronic label at the moment, has lost one of its stars and all my thoughts go to his family and friends. I hope that his devotion and love for music will be remembered and inspire a new generation of talented DJs both in France and worldwide who are able to bridge the gap between genres in the way that he did.

R.I.P. DJ Mehdi
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Post by Olivia
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TRACKS:

Carte Blanche – Gare Du Nord

DJ Medhi – Lucky Boy feat. Fafi

Summer is slowly approaching…and it’s time for beers from plastic cups, daytime partying and wellies( or flip flops for the lucky ones): yes indeed it’s time that festival season again. If you are looking for a festival to kickstart your summer take a look at Springfestival.

Located in Graz, Austria), this festival offers a strong taste for electronic music and is host to an impressive lineup this year. From minimal and house gurus Steve Bug, Apparat and Sebastien Leger to the currently hip Caribou, Aeroplane, Hercules and Love Affair and Crystal Fighters, the festival definitely sounds like an awesome electronic experience.

French electronic label Ed Banger will also be represented by Carte Blanche ( Dj Mehdi/ Riton ) and Dj Feadz, who will be there for the obligatory touch of french electro, along with other french djs Noze, and singer Yelle.

Other performances not be missed have got to be Hot Chip‘s Joe Goddard performing solo as well as Finnish dj Huoratron and Atari Teenare Riot who will no doubt cater for those seeking a proper hardcore hit.

Spingfestival offers a massive lineup in an idyllic location and  kicks off from the 1st until the 5th of June. Tickets are available here

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Post by Olivia

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TRACKS:

Jarvis Cocker was announcing his new role as Cultural Ambassador for Eurostar‘s Culture Connect this friday and a handful of bloggers and myself got the chance to exchange a few words with him.

Although our time with him was limited we managed to touch on a few topics and he was definately a likable and, as expected, well spoken character. In summary:

• Jarvis does not believe that online music magazine and blogs are acting as a substitute to real life. People may want an engineered experience (“such as in Avatar“) or retouch photos but that personally he enjoys the accidental nature of stumbling across thing while moving from A to B. “Personally I like to get side tracked“.
• Outside of the big museums involved in the Culture Connect promotion he recommended the smaller galleries London has on offer as well as the ICA. “Me, I’m in London‘s trendy Hoxton area… just go look at haircuts. There’s many interesting ones round there, they’re a culture all to themselves“
• He explained how he became the Cultural Ambassador for Eurostar because for the past 7 years he has divided his time between London and Paris so he feels he is in a reasonable position to thin about the differences between the 2 cities. “Paris is like a very pretty woman, but you are never going to get off with her“.
• He discussed the green credentials of travelling by train versus travelling by plane and admitted he likes the idea of travelling on the Eurostar because it allows him to wander around and observe people.
• He joked that ‘there are no good French and Belgian bands” before adding that the French stuff he finds interesting at the moment leans towards the electro stuff by the Ed Banger label as well as Dirty Sound System.
• He joked about his Sony Radio Academy Award nomination saying that ” at the age of 46 to be nominated as a rising star is quite weird“.
• Finally  he stated he was not giving up on 6Music yet and encouraged people to contact the BBC trust to register their displeasure. “It doesn’t really make sense to me….It seems it is doing what the BBC is supposed to do which is provide something that you wouldn’t get otherwise. There is no way that a commercial station would play alternative music all day because there is no money in it. But i don’t think its a forgone conclusion and i think its something worth fighting about”.

Thank you to Eurostar‘s Little Break, Big Difference for organising this event.

TRACKS:

Jarvis Cocker – Running The World