Concert Review: DJ Mehdi And Busy P At New York’s Santos Party House

DJ’s often act as robotic mannequins, rocking or bobbing back and forth, plain clothed, and mostly looking as if a nightclub is the last place you’d find them. DJ Mehdi, however, has as much fun dancing and singing up on the decks as much as the crowd below him does. It was no surprise then that the Parisian-based DJ tore into the dance floor along with Ed Banger label head and former Daft Punk manager Busy P Thursday night at New York’s Santos Party House.

The show, dubbed Ed Banger night, was bought about thanks to Parisian party promotion company Respect Ete D’Amour, who have been commissioning the best DJs at underground clubs in Paris since 1996. On the heels of Ete D’Amour seeing its special weekly party in New York close for the Summer of 2008, Ed Banger night proved the second to last fete went on without a hitch.

As DJ Mehdi, nee Mehdi Favéris-Essadi, took to the decks on the second level of the East Village club around midnight, so joined him Busy P (Pedro Winter) who like a proud father hoisting his children’s trophies, held up Ed Banger t-shirts and records from other artists on the labels high above Mehdi’s head and showcased the sign of the cross with his forearms in tribute to Justice’s 2007 album during a play of their latest single “Stress.”

While Mehdi’s hour and a half set bought about a house/electro mix that included Chemical Brothers, Italy’s Crookers DJs and the always welcome Daft Punk, Busy P showed his love of hip hop, which unnecessarily cleared the dance floors to nearly half full when he hit the turntables. After his hour-long solo set however, Mehdi returned to the decks to tag team DJ with Busy P, clearly proving the nights highlight.

Bouncing between Busy P’s hip hop influence and the electro musings of Surkin’s “White Knight,” both DJs spun each others turn under the friendliest of fires with Mehdi’s single spin of “Windowlicker” from drum-and-bass deity Aphex Twin getting the crowd fully re-revved past 2 a.m. With Santos’ doors releasing the nights most devout dancers around 4 a.m., it was clear Mehdi and Busy P’s set has set New York streets a-buzz with their French electro dance party.