DJ Mehdi Dead at 34 – Spinner
UPDATE: Reports have flowed in from France that DJ Mehdi died when his roof collapsed. According to MTV News, Mehdi was celebrating his 34th birthday with friends on his rooftop when the accident occured. We are still awaiting an official statement from his label Ed Banger.
Hip-hop and electro-house fans are in shock after news that famed French-Tunisian DJ Mehdi (Mehdi Favéris-Essadi) has passed at age 34. He was reportedly killed in an “accident” Sept. 13, according to In the Mix.
Close friend and collaborator DJ A-Trak tweeted Tuesday, “I have no words. My heart is completely shattered. Not this.”
DJ Mehdi was a visionary for urban music as he was part of the first wave of musicians to help bridge the gap between hip-hop, electro and indie rock sounds. He started his career as DJ for the group Different Teep, and found success with the legendary French rap group Ideal J. He was also DJ for Mafia K’1 Fry, a rap collective from the gritty Parisian suburbs.
His solo career was marked by a number of groundbreaking albums like ‘Des Friandises Pour Ta Bouche’ and ‘Lucky Boy,’ with the hit single ‘I Am Somebody’ featuring Chromeo. He was also known for his work with MC Solaar, Daft Punk, Chromeo, Miike Snow and many others. In 2006, his career was launched to global heights as he was signed to the French electro label Ed Banger Records. His last release came just a month ago on Pedro Winter’s ‘Let the Children Techno’ mix tape album, with the eerily foreshadowing title ‘Tragicomehdi.’
Many other musicians have expressed their grief via Twitter as well:
“R.I.P. DJ Mehdi. The void he has left behind is unbearable. Love you, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo,” said Bloody Beetroots.
“Sitting in a chair crying. My hearts broken,” said Diplo. Adding: “I can only see mehdi smiling. He was always so happy he always smiling in all my memories he did everything with so much positivity.”
“Saddest news ever I have no words,” said Mr. Oizo.
“In remembrance of a dear soul DJ Medhi. Will be sorely missed!!!! :( :( :(,” said Snow.
DJ Mehdi’s tragic death leaves his wife, renowned French graffiti artist Fafi, family and thousands of fans and friends in mourning.
James Franco and Drag Queen Art Star Kalup Linzy ‘Turn It Up’ on Dance-y Debut – Spinner
James Franco is a man of many trades, his latest being dance music maven alongside unlikely collaborator Kalup Linzy, a video artist drag queen R&B singer. Most of Linzy’s work has been in the art world — his avant-garde opera opens next month at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art — but he’s joined his famous friend in the pop-culture sphere with their recently released experimental, bass-heavy ‘Turn It Up’ EP.
According to Linzy, Franco approached him a few years ago after seeing him speak at the prestigious Art Basel Festival in Miami. The two became friends, sharing a mutual respect for each other’s work.
“There’s something different going on with him; he’s not just in the movie world,” Linzy tells Spinner of his A-list pal and collaborator. “What’s funny is that he was painting before his acting career took off and I was acting before my art career took off.”
Over the period of a year, the pair co-wrote and recorded the disc together. Initially, Linzy assumed the former ‘Freaks and Geeks‘ star would simply add some spoken-word elements to the mix but Franco had other plans, pushing to full-on sing on the release, which was co-produced by DJ/Rupture, as well as offer his own musical direction.
“He’s so talented, he might have been able to make the record on his own,” says Linzy, noting there was such a flow of output “we could even have released a double-album, but he’s so busy with all his movies.”
“The EP definitely went in an electronic direction,” he continues. “But I see it rooted in the tradition of R&B but with dubstep and also some Motown sounds — some [tracks] can be played in the club, but there are certain textures that are also meant to be listened to with headphones. I hope with that this new record will be added to the conversation of contemporary music, but as well within the conversation of art.”
The video for their current single, ‘Rising’ — which features lo-fi video shot by Franco from the set of General Hospital,’ where the Hollywood star has a recurring role as vagabond artist Franco, as well as footage of Linzy’s green screen work referencing Picasso and Basquiat — should certainly help drum up discussion. It might also tip off a few more people to the fact that Linzy, himself, did a stint on ABC’s daytime soap.
Watch Kalup Linzy and James Franco’s ‘Rising’ Video
It was Franco who pitched him to the producers at ‘General Hospital,’ who eventually brought Linzy on to play Franco’s pal Kalup Ishmael, a character that mirrors his own flamboyant art persona.
“It was a very comfortable experience,” says Linzy. “I saw they had a board set up with all my pictures and past performances with James [at various society events]. It was inspiring to see that they had really researched and integrated our lives together into the show. My character’s story line ran for four episodes.”
Appearing on ‘General Hospital’ was actually a logical career move for the artist as he’s explored gender and family issues through his own self-produced soap operas. Linzy points to his childhood in Florida where he watched daytime TV staples such as ‘Guiding Light’ with his grandmother for introducing him to the medium.
“By the time I got to junior high, I caught on to the storylines and started following the characters,” says Linzy. “They started influencing my creative thinking and I started making these soap operas as a teenager with my cousin.”
“My great grandmother used to listen to ‘Guiding Light’ on the radio in the 1930s,” he adds. “So that’s where it began.”
Sneaks Birthday Beats – Nov 8th – Coda
The Original House Gangsta DJ Sneak will be returning Coda in Toronto for the nth instalment of his birthday beats tradition on November 8th. While his Soundcloud page lists him in Toronto, I’m confused by the statement as I was told he wasn’t able to play at Digital Dreams in the summer due to border issues. Huh?? Doesn’t exactly make sense to me but I’m glad he’ll be playing her regardless.
https://soundcloud.com/dj-sneak/dj-sneak-vinylcast-episode-16
Other old school heavyweights holding down the fort and raising the cakes, will be Doc Martin whom I’m pretty sure I saw at a Phryll party at the Koolhaus in ’98, and there may or may not have been a spinning ball that you could climb into for a ride.
Love this track name. Sums up pretty much how I feel, although, I’d be lying if I wrote I haven’t considered launching my own branded Jheri Curl line.
Hennessy Artistry x KEYSNKRATES
I thought it was pretty damn cool when I got to interview Matisse and Jr. Flow for Spinner way back in 2010 for AOL Spinner at the time and other interactions right here on Shipwrckd back in 2008! I knew they were crazy talented artists creating an innovative ‘live cover band’ slash mashup performance concept at the time, but I never expected them to blow up the way they have. Signings to Dim Mak and long chains of star power events and partnerships with the likes of Hennessy have helped pushed them over the edge, so there you have it.
Keys N Krates Crank Up the ’90s Courtesy of ‘Live Remixing’ — NXNE
Courtesy of Keys N Krates
Keys N Krates are DMC World Champ DJ Junior Flow (Jr-Flo), drummer Adam Tune and soul singer Matisse. Together, they create what they call the ultimate in “live remixing” experiences, with their Top 40 mash-ups that sample liberally from the ’80s and ’90s. But more recently, they’ve actually been creating their own tracks and samples, too. No flash in the pan, Keys N Krates have been globally recognized for their unique swagger. Here, we talk to the Toronto act about why they don’t worry about lugging around tons of gear, how Canadian rapper Shad is keeping the “boom-bap alive” and why tUnE-yArDs is worthy of praise.
How do you work together as a band?
Jr-Flo: We use just turntables, keys and drums as our main instruments. Our songs start with a sample that we find. It can be from any type of music, it can be jazz, rock, hip-hop, but not limited to any of those. We build a track around that sample utilizing the instruments that we play in the band. When we do live remixing, we usually take a hook or a line from a song. From that one hook, we’ll create our own version to it. That’s what live remixing is all about, and we perform those live on the fly. Recently, we’ve been making our own samples and original tracks. We’ll still use samples but it’s not as recognizable. Some of them will be very obscure and turn into our own.
Continue reading Keys N Krates Crank Up the ’90s Courtesy of ‘Live Remixing’ — NXNE
Posted by Jesse Ship on Jun 15th 2011 11:30PM
Filed under: Concerts and Tours, News, Exclusive, RPM, Q + A
Get a chance to see them with Just Blaze on November 20th.
Drug Policy Abuse: A teenager’s plea about drugs
Did you know that according to UNICEF pot is more accessible to Canadian teens and more popular than cigarettes? Why is one legal and not the other?
Does your politician have a drug policy abuse problem? You can help.
Drug policy abuse is the intentional pursuit or promotion of a drug policy that has been shown to cause harm. If your politician suffers from this disorder, it’s time you had “the talk.” A message from the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.
Incredible Bloggers!
Wow, thanks Emily.
I’m flattered that you think I am the owner of Canada’s largest newspaper (The Toronto Star) and their digital properties, but sadly, I will have to decline, as enticing as the offer sounds. Perhaps do a bit more research before making your next offer!
Trolling Ford Nation
Ok, so the elections are over and if you live in Toronto or pay attention to our politics, you should know that the ailing Rob Ford’s brother Doug is not our mayor-elect.
During the months leading up to the election, I had been lurking in the notorious “I Support Rob Ford in his professional life, and Forgive him in his personal life” Facebook group for months, without saying much (aside from the time when I mocked offence at the term ‘retard’ claiming to have a child with Down’s Syndrome, causing a mini-brouhaha in the forum).
However, a few weeks leading up to election day, Ford had made a massive faux pas during a debate by claiming some of his best friends were Jews when asked to explain one of his brother’s infamous hate speech tirades. Ford Nation took to his defence, attempting to normalize anti-semitism of Dear Leader with the brilliant question above. I could not hold myself back and figured there was no more sense in keeping my cover. And so I spoke out. And this is what happened.
I’ve never used the FB “Ask a question” function, but I don’t think it was used properly in the situation above….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBr6ScNtOk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWpBsF3kj-g
Toronto’s freshest homegrown restaurant apps – Toronto Star
Whether you’re a fan of Steak Queen or Scaramouche, Torontonians and their smartphones are hungry for restaurant apps, and a host of developers are well aware of that. With India’s multimillion-dollar restaurant-finding app Zomato just launching in town, here are a few homegrown options for finding a bite and maybe getting a little extra service.
TAB
Cost: Free, comes with $10 promotional credit
Locations in use: 40 plus
What it does: Eliminates the hassle of waiting for the bill by having it go straight to a diner’s phone. After your meal, you receive a push notification on your phone that lets you complete a private review of your experience that only the manager has access to.
Main competitors: Cover, OpenTable
Competitive edge: A focus on payment as a hospitality experience, with carefully curated restaurants. Also, multiple party-members can easily check in and split the bill.
SMOOTHPAY
Cost: Free, comes with $1-$2 in promotional credit at most locations
Locations in use: 45 plus
What it does: With a focus on quick-service cafés and lunch spots around Toronto. SmoothPay lets customers buy meals through a mobile wallet system on your smartphone that connects to your credit card. SmoothPay also services frequent use customers with customized loyalty rewards programs.
Main competitors: PayPal mobile
The edge: The app has support from Bruce Croxon, formerly of Dragons’ Den.
MAEGAN
Cost: Free
Locations in use: Still in its infancy, Maegan offers only 15 in Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo area, with many more promised.
What it does: Diners frustrated with slow service don’t need to flag down the waiter to place their order. Instead, they can browse the menu and order directly from their phones, as well as pay. The app also lets you order food to your home or for pickup.
Main competitors: JustEat, Orderit.ca
The edge: Word nerds will love it. Maegan’s name comes from old English and means main dish, or mighty power of your hands. The app also allows you to search through dietary filters to find the right place to meet your vegan, gluten-free, lactose-intolerant needs.
TORONTO LIFE BEST RESTAURANTS
Cost: $0.99
Restaurants featured: 450 plus
What it does: You won’t find every restaurant in Toronto, but every one listed has been positively reviewed by the magazine’s writers.
Main competitors: Yelp, Urbanspoon
The edge: While Yelp is great for crowd-sourced opinions, it doesn’t offer recommendations from professional critics.
BLOGTO’S TORONTO FOOD TRUCKS
Cost: Free
Food trucks featured: close to 100
What it does: It’s not always easy to find your favourite food truck. This app lets the user connect with food trucks in the GTA by displaying their updated locations, pictures and profiles.
Main competitors: Eat Street, Street Food App
The edge: BlogTO has a considerable following in the city.
Shepard Fairey in Toronto: five things to know – Toronto Star
Shepard Fairey is a designer, political activist and artist best known in the last decade for creating the iconic “Hope” poster for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
In the late 1980s, he became an underground sensation, traveling across America with his cryptic “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” stencils, and “Obey” imagery lifted from John Carpenter’s cult sci-fi film They Live.
Fairey, 44, was in Toronto this week to unveil two murals. It’s part of a tour sponsored by Hennessy cognac, for which he designed a limited-edition bottle. One mural is located in an alley on Queen St. W. beside the club Tattoo (567 Queen St. W.), where he also performed a DJ set Thursday night. The other is on the back of the Gladstone Hotel(1214 Queen St. W.). Here are a few things we learned about him.
He embraces social media, but craves the human connection
It used to be that as a street artist, the only way to make an impact was through volume and visibility. “You had to be incredibly prolific,” Fairey says. Hence the rampant tagging, stickers and stencils you might see in the city.
Times have changed with blogging and social networks, where artists get hooked on the validation of fans “liking” their art. But while Fairey uses the Internet to promote his work, his favourite part about making street art are the encounters with the passersby. “I’ll hear them after, saying ‘holy crap, I can’t believe this just popped up! What’s the story here?’ The visceral impact is completely different from the buffer that social media interface creates.”
He owes his career partly to Kinko’s
Fairey took the Kinko’s slogan “Your Copy Store” quite literally. He would go in late at night and take over the floors, making it his studio. The 24-hour copy shop also was partly responsible for his red, black and white motif. He managed to MacGyver colour photocopiers with a paperclip to give him free product in those colours. His limited budget also forced him to focus on a style, which essentially became an advantage.
He fears Led Zeppelin fans the most
Fairey is working on posters for The Rolling Stones’ upcoming South America tour, and the band Interpol. But the most memorable rock project was possible when Led Zeppelin approached him to design album packages. “They have a much bigger audience than I do. With that comes the danger of the person who has been a fan for 40 years who says, ‘That’s not right for Led Zeppelin.’ It’s a delicate situation. I think I’d most likely be killed by a sycophantic fan of theirs.”
He succeeds through relentless trial and error
Fairey doesn’t tend to dream up an amazing vision, getting up by candlelight, putting on his beret and painting in his sleep. On the contrary, “it’s blue collar work ethic. Try this, try this, doesn’t work, doesn’t work, ah this works. The same thing applies to my DJing and learning song combinations.”
He operates a successful clothing line
Fairey is creative director of the multi-million-dollar Obey Clothing line where he has a hands-on involvement with all the visual imagery used on t-shirts and apparel. He says that mass-producing defiant shirts was always part of his plan but the street art took off much faster, allowing him to leverage his reputation when the timing was right.
“I’ve always looked at fashion as something potentially awfully shallow, but something that everyone is concerned with. It can be a dark impulse or a creative impulse. It can go either way, but it should be channeled in the best direction possible,” he says.
Green Works Muddy Puppy appearance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSmP4UjqGZI
ACTRA group rate background guys have all the fun. This was actually a hilarious commercial to be on. They told me my reaction was priceless, and it made the final cut! I’m wondering if this demands an upgrade. Hmmmm….
31/10/2014 UPDATE: I was actually close to an upgrade (yes!) but I didn’t meet all the qualifications (boooo!) At least the ACTRA stewards were cheery about it and got back to me lightning fast! Who doesn’t love a good puppy vid, right? #YourUnionAtWork
