Hi Romain, how did you feel when you took this photo?
It’s really hard for me to say for sure, but obviously, I’m pumped up and swept away by the energy of the moment.

Tell us about the vibe behind the turntables: what’s the Ed Banger crew’s attitude—their energy, their vibe?
That night, the atmosphere was electric. It was the Social Club’s anniversary. It was a joyful chaos: DJs took turns at the turntables, everything was spontaneous, and styles blended together. The music takes precedence over anyone’s fame, creating a bond between everyone in the room.

Do you remember the song they're playing at that exact moment in the photo?
Off the top of my head, I’d say Rick Ross – “B.M.F.,” but I can’t be sure.

What’s the atmosphere like in the venue: the crowd, the energy, the vibe…?
We’re doing a “small setup” that night, meaning only the first room is open. The atmosphere is intimate; there are lots of people from the music scene in attendance, along with plenty of regulars. Everything feels spontaneous: all the ingredients for a great party are right there.

How does this atmosphere influence you when you take the photo?
As is often the case, my approach is completely relaxed. I shoot off-the-cuff, without overthinking anything. I’m both detached from myself and connected to my surroundings. It’s a mix of wandering and searching—just like what I experienced during that time.

In your opinion, what makes this image so magical?
It’s not up to me to say whether there’s magic in this photo, but I appreciate it when others say there is. I can perhaps describe why it’s interesting and build a narrative around it, but the energy it radiates will be unique to each person. It’s essential that everyone has their own interpretation, their own feelings about it. My personal interpretation should in no way influence the audience’s perspective.

So, the first thing I notice in this shot is the five-pointed star-shaped composition that forms around Mehdi. There are two lower points—Mehdi’s and Lionel de DSL’s arms—the upper point is Pedro’s face, and then there are the faces of Pone and Lionel. Here we have a constellation made up of four personalities who are all very different once you get to know them a little.

Pedro sets the stage, pointing the way to the stars, as if the magic of this musical energy in the moment were coming from some mysterious place.
Pone watches with fierce intensity, ready to explode at any moment like a top-level athlete whose life consists of being ready all the time, everywhere.
Lionel, endowed with heightened sensitivity, clinging to his bottle and his mic, absorbs the energy to improvise and let himself be carried away by the excitement.
Mehdi, finally, is the link, the connector, the interface between the real and the magical—the result and the origin—faithful to what he has been, is, and will be: a star.

Not a star in the sense of being “famous”—though he certainly is—but in the sense of an individual whose very existence illuminates, inspires, and gives meaning to life.