March, Thursday the 26th. On my way to Paris’s CDG airport, flying to Miami at 10AM.

Fuck I have no camera, how am I going to immortalize those Miami moments?

I have no Twitter account either, but this is what it’d look like if I did.

Just landed. Weather nice. Proverbial line at passport check. Taxi to Gansevoort Hotel.

Meeting Surkin in hotel lobby. En route to the Apple Store for his iTunes session show.

My BFF Riton is joining us there as well. Let the Miami brodeo begin.

Turntable Lab’s Gina Turner gets in a cab with us. Off to André’s Belvedere party at the Raleigh.

Damn, André really knows how to throw a party. Models and free alcohol help for sure.

I want to play House Music this year. The crowd here seems to agree with my acid ambition.

Next up: DIM MAK at Blade, Fontainebleau Hotel.

Always a pleasure to rock it with the homie Steve Aoki and his crew.

Armand Van Helden in the house. He’s of the nicest man I’ve met in this business. Legend.

Meeting A-trak and Diplo at Laidback Luke’s show at Louis, G-Voort.

Luke’s mix of ‘White Knight Two’ is peak time of the night. Copy that.

4AM already. 3 shows planned tomorrow. Better call it a night.

March, Friday the 27th. Early interview with The Rub Radio. Love them guys.

Riton’s set at Annie’s party is pure House Music as well. Ideas for a mixtape together surface.

Stole a whole set of VIP wristbands. Meeting with Erol Alkan, BoysNoize and Busy P in my room for dispatch.

Annie Mac’s poolside afternoon party is a big success. Fake Blood’s an amazing DJ.

A-Trak and DJ Mehdi tag team, part 1. Alex Gopher’s mix of Kid Sister’s new joint is ace.

‘It’s Over Now’ by Matthew Dear is going to be my most played record for this conference.

Next up: Diddy’s main event at Cameo. Excited but don’t know what to expect.

No turntables for A-Trak. No headphones for SMD. Late show-up for Junior Sanchez.

Had to play for 3 hours straight, waiting for the big man. The bartenders applaud as I step down.

Annie and Lucy Mac take the heels off as we walk down Collins to hit Windish at Shore Club.

This is pure Miami Beach crowd. I’m exhausted. I let Trizzy rock it on his own, he kills it.

4AM. Time for my daily Seinfeld dose. Quick call to the Fafster in Paris and crash. Good Night.

Steve rocks the Sigmund T like no other.

March, Saturday the 28th. My last day here, let it be a blast.

Lunch with Martje Kremers, my bodyguard agent. Stone Throw’s annual WMC showcase next.

Dave1, Chromeo, rocks the decks, all 90’s New-York hip-hop. Peak: ‘Time’s Up’ by OC.

Dinner with the Fools Gold posse aka my US fam before hitting the big show at White Rooms.

All House beats again for me, i love it and the crowd response is amazing. My best set so far.

The FG party is the perfect ending to this Miami magical mystery tour. 7 shows. I am alive.

Peace to all you peeps that came to those gigs.

This scene really is something, I hope it sincerely shows.

Let these posts vouch for my genuine appreciation to be part of it.

    DJ Mehdi, Ed Banger, 2009.

PUFF DIDDY

FELIX THE HOUSECAT

A-TRAK&DJ MEHDI

     SEE YOU THERE,

         M.

   My peoples,

 Une fois n’est pas coutume, pardon me for using this blog for therapeutical purposes.

 These two productions I’ve just did and not satisfied with, I just need to get it out.

 1-First, my remix for Buraka Som Sistema’s SOUND OF KUDURO. I called it ‘DJ Mehdi Sound Of Terror Mix’, and it’s true: it sounds terrible. I loved the original track, and I had many ideas for it. But I fucked up the dead-line and had to mix it on headphones while touring Australia in December. The result: there’s almost no kick-drum, nor logical acoustic disposition between the elements. One lesson I should learn: never print a final mix-down on the road, using only headphones as a reference. Never.

  2-Second, the PUBLIC ENEMY track off of Mapei’s COCOA BUTTER DIARIES EP (which you should get on iTunes US asap by the way). This is a song we did in 2 hours tops, only to check the equipment plugs and the microphone disposition. Turned out to be one of our favorite. Only, I didn’t save anything, because, like I said, it was just a test-one-two-one-two, microphone-check-microphone-checka. Thought I’d be able to fix the original distortion of the beat and gain some sound quality at the mastering? Nope, and there you go with a second lesson I learned: always save a beat before switching the MPC off. Always.

   Been haunting me for a hot minute, had to let you know.

       M.

Tabatha from MOB, super cute @ St-Patty’s day party at Submercer

   Peeps,

 I’m back from my US trip part I.

 Studio B with A-Trak and St-Patrick with the MOB were of the best parties I’v ever played at. Thanks to the Fools Gold posse and the Most Official Bitches for the greeting, family style. I get a kick out of you guys, word to Cole Porter.

 Austin, wasn’t as good for me unfortunately, my set at the Fools Gold SXSW night went disastrous when the club owners suddenly turned the lights on and asked me to stop the music at 2AM because of Texas drinking laws. Sadness.

 I’ll be back in The Big One this week for the Miami Winter Music Conference, playing at Annie Mac Presents, Fools Gold big thing, Dim Mak party, Windish Agency showcase, and a dozen of other gigs. 

 Couple of things I want to plug you onto though:

 -This incredible book by Tony Visconti, full of stories about those days they’ve been telling us about. Must-read.

-And this Bernadette song by The Four Tops, which will get you through any kind of monday morning. If James Jamerson is the best bass player the world has ever seen, this one performance could well be the proof. I just been playing it over and over for the last three hours, you really should do the same, seriously.

    Peace to my PNC So-Me and to all my New-York peeps,

       Mehdi.

   Nick Catchdubs is one of them cats I associate with New-York like peppermint goes with chocolate chips. Perfect DJ, check, co-founder of Fool’s Gold Records, check, momentous blogger, check. He’s also my go-to peer when I have an urge to know the name of the assistant engineer to Smif-N-Wessun’s second album or when I need to track ID song number 18 on Mister Cee’s GHETTO CLASSIC mixtape. He basically knows. They call him NICKIPEDIA, or THE ALMANICK. 

    Nick, see you in Austin my friend,

        M.

PS: Nick produced an amazing mixtape with WALE last year, THE MIXTAPE ABOUT NOTHING.

PPS: I stole this picture from last saturday party at Studio B on Nickydigital.