Carte Blanche is a new project from Riton and DJ Mehdi, and their debut self-titled EP is due to be released by Ed Banger in May.

Riton is one of the UK’s most prolific DJs and producers, and is perhaps best known for his roles in DFA-affiliated Gucci Soundsystem (with Ben Rymer) and, more recently, Die Verboten, a collaboration with Soulwax. His krautrock homage Eine Kleine Nachtmusik was well-received upon its release in 2008, and he has remixed everyone from LCD Soundsystem to Roman Flugel. Mehdi, meanwhile, is a stalwart of Paris’s Ed Banger crew, and in recent years has toured with Justice and A-Trak and remixed Busta Rhymes and Santogold.

Carte Blanche is a project geared towards rugged, Chicago-influenced house sounds. The duo will tour under the name in May and June 2010, visiting all major cities in Europe and North-America with “four decks, one mixer, and a TR 909, of course.” For an idea of what to expect you can download Carte Blanche’s track ‘In The Mix’ here.

Confirmed tour dates so far (USA and Canada tour TBC):
07-May FABRIC (LONDON, UK)
08-May REBEL VISCOUNT (BIRMINGHAM, UK)
11-May L-EKTRICA (ROME, ITALY)
12-May HIVE CLU (ZURICH, SWITZERLAND)
13-May LUX (LISBON, PORTUGAL)
14-May LOW CLUB (MADRID, SPAIN)
15-May LOLITA (BARCELONA, SPAIN)
21-May Knal (Brussels, BELGIUM)
22-May Petrol (Antwerpen, BELGIUM)
23-May THE SUNDAY FESTIVAL(holland)
4-Jun ERSTE LIGA (MUNICH, GERMANY)
5-Jun BAAALSAAL (HAMBURG, GERMANY)
18-Jun SONAR (BARCELONA, SPAIN)
19-Jun SONAR (LA CORUNA, SPAIN)