French DJ Phillip 'Zdar' Cerboneschi dies after falling off building

“He made an accidental fall, through the window of a high floor of a Parisian building,” his agent Sebastien Farran says.

Cerboneschi formed Cassius with Hubert Blanc-Francard (aka Boom Bass) in 1996. They produced for bands such as Phoenix, Beastie Boys, Franz Ferdinand and French hip hop star MC Solaar. The two had met a few years earlier when Cerboneschi was already working as a sound engineer for artists like Serge Gainsbourg and had created Motorbass, the first duet with French DJ Etienne de Crécy.

Zdar’s solo production for other artists earned him a reputation in his own right. He stepped in to save Phoenix’s debut album, United, when sessions with the initial producer went awry. His next fully-fledged work with the French soft-rock group was with their 2009 breakout album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, which won the Grammy award for the best alternative music album in 2010.

Cerboneschi was awarded a 2010 Grammy Award as a mixer and producer for French indie pop band Phoenix’s fourth best-selling album.