Petit Biscuit in Concert
The classically trained French musician Mehdi Benjelloun is not your typical DJ and producer. As Petit Biscuit, the precocious Benjelloun takes from his years of cello playing to give his electronic compositions depth and texture. He started on the cello at age 5; got his first synth at the age of 11; taught himself how to record, edit, and mix; and hasn’t looked back since. By age 15, he released his debut single, the lush, dreamy “Alone,” followed by sun-soaked groove “Sunset Lover,” the latter of which quickly clocked in millions of streams on SoundCloud before finding its way to No. 13 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.
Around the same time, he formed ethereal electro-pop duo Mount Dreams with Belgian friend Romain Bauthier (who also performs as LUUUL). But it was as Petit Biscuit that he began to rise, especially after the release of his self-titled debut EP in 2016. The five-song collection is a hypnotic study on ethereal tropical house; Benjelloun shows off his chops on piano and guitar, then folds these crisp, natural lines into woozy synth effects, blissful beats, and fidgety voice manipulations.
The following year, Benjelloun would expand on this sound with his 2017 debut album, ‘Presence,’ released just in time for his 17th birthday. The album explores more of his warm and intimate mix of ambient, techno, and house, this time with some guest appearances, including Lido on “Problems,” which hit No. 49 on the Dance chart, and Panama on “Waterfall,” which made its way to No. 40. The overall feel is warm and reflective, a sound that’s ripe for hot festival summer days and nights. And that’s exactly where Petit Biscuit found himself—performing on some of the biggest stages in the world, including Coachella and Lollapalooza, and then headlining his own world tours—while still just a teenager.