By Karen Whaley

Fans of the French electro scene are having the best week ever. First, DJ duo Justice arrived in Toronto to play a sold-out concert at The Sound Academy on Monday, and now their friend/artistic collaborator So Me is opening an exhibition, Portraits, this Friday, March 21 at Studio Gallery (294 College Street, above the Savannah Room).
So Me is Bertrand de Langeron, the man behind Justice’s outstanding music videos for “D.A.N.C.E.” and “DVNO. He is currently the artistic director at Ed Banger Records, a label masterminded by former Daft Punk manager Pedro Winter, which features acts like Justice, Uffie, and DJ Mehdi. According to Black Book, Ed Banger “has become known almost as much for So Me’s funky visuals as it is for introducing buzz acts.” His graffiti-inspired style easily translates to fashion: recently, he has designed limited-edition t-shirts for the Ed Banger’s roster, Japanese clothing label Revolver, and H&M’s AIDS campaign.
But perhaps So Me’s most notable moment of fame was when he accepted a MTV Europe VMA for best video in 2006, and was rudely interrupted on stage by a ranting Kanye West. West, apparently, believed that his flashy video for “Touch the Sky” should have trumped So Me’s quietly genius “We Are Your Friends,” even though West had never seen it. Once he did, West immediately hired So Me to direct the video for “Good Life.” Awwww, snap.
Image courtesy of Studio Gallery, edits by Karen Whaley.