DJ Mehdi Dead at 34

DJ Mehdi at last year's Electric Zoo Festival In New York City.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

French DJ and producer DJ Mehdi has died at the age of 34. Mehdi, born Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, was a key figure in the French electro scene and a lynchpin of the Ed Banger label along with Justice, SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo, Uffie, Feadz and Cassius.

Photos: Random Notes
The details of Mehdi's death have not yet been revealed, but news of his passing spread quickly over Twitter this morning following a tweet by French hip-hop DJ Cut Killer.

Update: According to MTV News, DJ Mehdi was celebrating his 34th birthday on his rooftop at the time of his death. Some reports suggest that he fell from a collapsing mezzanine.

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Song Stories

“Push It”

Salt-N-Pepa | 1987

Originating as a B side to their cover of the Stax classic “Tramp,” Cheryl “Salt” James, Sandi “Pepa” Denton and Dee Dee “DJ Spinderella” Roper came up with the goods on this career-making, Grammy-nominated platinum single about working it on the dancefloor. “Push It” has been sampled and spliced to death since it debuted in 1987, yet the original track is as fresh and fly as when SNP — among the few original women of hip-hop — debuted it. “Most men will never believe ‘Push It’ was never about sex,” said James. “And that’s why the record went to Number One,” said Denton. “Everybody thought it was about sex.”

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