Philippe Zdar, one-half of the influential French house duo Cassius, has died. He was 52, according to The New York Times. His agent confirmed the news in a statement sent to Pitchfork, saying Zdar accidentally fell from “a high floor of an old building in Paris.”
Cassius was a collaboration between Philippe Zdar, who was born Philippe Cerboneschi, and Hubert Blanc-Francard (known in the group as Boom Bass). Originally called La Funk Mob, they began recording and producing in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Their debut Cassius album was 1999 (released that year). Their 2016 album Ibifornia featured Pharrell, Beastie Boys’ Mike D, Cat Power, and others. Their new album Dreems was set for release this Friday, June 21.
Zdar was also the owner of the esteemed Motorbass studio in Paris. In the ’90s, Zdar was a member of a duo also called Motorbass. Outside his work with Cassius, he did production and engineering work on albums by Phoenix (Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which earned him a Grammy), Cat Power (Sun), and the Rapture (In the Grace of Your Love). He recorded Kanye West on the Cassius-inspired Watch the Throne song “Why I Love You.”
