Few DJs have done more to champion the rich diversity of electronic music as Francois Kevorkian. A veteran of the scene for close to three decades, having started his career at playing at legendary venues Paradise Garage and Studio 54, Francois K’s latest endeavour is a new compilation for Renaissance's much-revered Masters series. Here, Defected’s Ben Lovett discusses the mix, musical evolution and a great deal more besides with a true great.
“No man is an island” dance music deity Francois Kevorkian opens. “All of this is about the people; it’s always been about the people. There are networks of passionate fans, crate-diggers, party people...and they all bring the music back to me. It’s the same with my new record.”
The record in question is K’s sublime two-disc contribution to Renaissance’s weighty (and rather self explanatory) The Masters Series compilation strand. It offers a beautifully condensed version of his jaw-dropping approach to the DJ booth, which is to take revellers on a deep, wide-ranging, massively epic and emotive aural journey. It’s also an accurate snapshot of where K is now, musically speaking. Hence, disc one blends soulful licks from Jazzanova and rude bass-house courtesy of Maceo Plex with the maverick dubstep ‘n’ tech sensibility of Blawan, Scuba and Objekt. Disc two is similarly panoramic, corralling everything from vintage house to razor sharp techno via a whole host of 4-4 talents including Luca Bacchetti, Gary Beck, Adam Beyer and an utterly ruthless Trevino.
“That aspect of shared knowledge is so special and important to me” K explains. “I thought about all the people that support what I do when I last released a compilation, so this time round I really wanted to offer them special thanks. I’ve express my gratitude to them in the album’s liner notes; they’ve provided me with some special, special gifts. Of course, I’m still soaking up my own influences too... record shops, wherever I go. I can’t really explain process, it just happens naturally....”
Considering his many years in the game and immense global standing he must be exceptionally picky about the mix projects he takes on. There has to be hundreds of requests a year, how on earth does he filter them? “Again, it’s natural intuition. There have been times when I’ve decided to do something and then you get a certain way down the line and you’re like ‘oh no!’ But the longer I’ve been doing this my intuition has sharpened. Basically it’s down to how a project is presented to me. As long as I feel I can do something with cohesiveness, real integrity and creativity then I’m going to be interested.”
Francois K’s back story needs little recapping, featuring as prominently as it does in the official annals of clubland history. He moved from France to New York in the mid-Seventies seeking to advance his opportunities as a drummer. Intense competition, however, forced him to consider DJing at underground clubs instead and a new career rapidly emerged. Guest spots at famous venues including The Loft, The Paradise Garage, Studio 54 and New Jersey’s Club Zanzibar complimented a defining A&R role at disco imprint Prelude. In subsequent years, K’s ever-snowballing DJ commitments have left a significant global footprint, his impressive remix portfolio has effortlessly stretched itself from Dinosaur L and Yazoo to Kraftwerk and U2 via Depeche Mode, Moloko and Sir Mick Jagger, and solo EPs such as the FK-EP (for his label Wave Music) and Time & Space (for the now defunct NRK) continue to resonate with today’s nocturnal cognoscenti.
That’s not forgetting pivotal parties Body & SOUL (something of a DJ Avengers’ Assemble what with K alongside Danny Krivit and ‘Joe’ Claussell) and Deep Space (his own deliciously dubbed-out delight), and the success of booking agency Forward (K is co-owner, ‘Wild Pitch’ grandee DJ Pierre and Detroit kingpin Juan Atkins among his esteemed ‘clients’). “Body & SOUL is doing the ‘Grand Sunday Finale’ set at Southport [the Weekender, May 10-12] which I’m excited beyond words about; they’ve wanted us there for a long time now” he remarks. “And Deep Space celebrates its 10th anniversary this year which I’m really proud of. We keep bringing in these very different guests, looking to respect sounds across the entire clubbing sensibility. Next up, we’re working with the Red Bull Music Academy for a special night which will see Giorgio Moroder making his first ever New York DJ appearance [May 20, Cielo]. I can’t wait to see what he does... he’s got an open brief.”
Deep Space will also provide a platform for K’s imminent project with Dimitri From Paris, Super Disco Experience: “We’re still at an early stage but the cat’s gonna be out of the bag soon enough. Dimitri and I will use Deep Space as a pilot for the partnership and we’ll see where it goes from there.” The title says it all, at least for now....
K, 59 in January, continues to push the boundaries. But is he finding that more difficult in today’s radically different industry? Attempting to keep pace with electronic music’s rapid change can prove distracting in terms of maintaining consistent profile, output and creativity. “Yes, the music is constantly, powerfully evolving, but I don’t actually think that much has really changed” he reflects. “The original NYC clubs were doing some pretty amazing things, especially with technology, back in the day, and so there were similar perceptions about change. Technology is a big deal today but I’m fairly agnostic about it. A lot of technology today is just storage devices; back in the day, it would have been a reel-to-reel tape deck. The key is not to get bogged down in the detail and to remember the common threads throughout. Sure, the flavour of the moment is different but the basics and motivations are essentially the same. People still want to go to parties and we still present music to those people in broadly the same way. People have always been worshipped as DJs.”
But is it not ever more difficult for DJs and producers to surprise their audiences? The skyrocketed rise of the internet and downloads has given audiences around the world a better-than-ever knowledge of new artists, releases and trends; instant knowledge at insane 4G speeds....
“I feel like the kid in the candy store, regardless of whether the records are new or old,” K suggests. “Perhaps our music is more exposed today but take Body & SOUL, we’re performing the music not just slapping it on. I might be playing something whilst Danny is manipulating the EQs or isolators and ‘Joe’ is finding something new to cue up. There are constant surprises in that set-up; same with Deep Space. The records may be known but the way we’re playing them is totally unique.”
K continues: “To be honest, I think sharing knowledge with your audience is really good. I’ve actually felt funny that people don’t always know what I play. I’m not threatened by giving them that detail because the way I present music is unique; every DJ is different.”
Such is his fervent love of the booth and club, studio time has dwindled. K, it is clear, sees much potential in the blurring of music production and live performance and has focussed his efforts on the improvisational process accordingly. “I agree that my remixes and productions in the studio have been scaled back” he says. “Where there is now something like Native Instruments’Traktor Remix pack, the DJ has the ability to perform a one-off remix for the crowd, in the absolute moment, rather than producing static sounds in the studio. I find that process far more challenging and exciting. It’s marvellous. Back in the day, Larry Levan and I use to discuss our DJing wish lists and I remember Larry telling me once that it’d be great to have ‘a wireless thing’ to easily control music while being on the dancefloor. We’ve got some of that here now today; being able to make these real-time interactions is so exciting....”
But, rest easy, K hasn’t given up his studio just yet. He continues to chip away at a debut solo album – Mystic Lady (featuring keys maestro Terry Burrus), one of two exclusive new K cuts on the Renaissance compilation is set to feature – but will not be rushed into releasing or pushed, on our phone call, into giving more detail. “I’ve no fears that it won’t happen” he reassures. “But I’m being very picky because this is something very dear to me. Conceptually, I want it to have the right atmosphere and there are lot of ideas being thrown into the hopper at the moment. It’s taking time because of all the touring and other commitments I have but things are slowly taking shape.”
There’s also the small matter of his “deliberate” studio collaboration with Atkins: “It’s not finished, we’re right in the middle of things. But it’s extremely interesting; we’ve got a real kick-ass approach to the production.”
For how much longer does the great man think he can maintain this furiously productive level? How, for that matter, has been able to maintain it for the past 38-odd years? “I really don’t know how I’ve done it up to now” he ponders. “There’s no secret, it’s just sticking to the basics... sleeping as much as you can, allowing time to recharge, trying to follow a healthy lifestyle... and, of course, embracing music fully. It lifts you. Looking ahead, I realise that things will need to evolve for me. I’ve actually been asked to lecture a fair amount recently and I enjoy that; I can imagine doing more and it comes back to connecting with younger people and sharing information, which is so important and provides new opportunities. I’ve also accepted an offer to write a pretty comprehensive autobiography, and continue to develop this highly open-minded surround sound project of mine. Projects like this offer different opportunities for the future; I think it’s important to realise we’re not going to be here forever.”
Back in the moment, however, and it’s full, gorgeous tilt. “I’m just back from playing this packed rooftop party in LA, where the people were really open-minded and giving everything” he enthuses. “It was inspirational. Before that Gilles Peterson invited me to Paris and, again, there was this hair-tingling momentum; I found myself playing a black rock set and feeling absolutely amazing. How, if you love music, can you deny these opportunities to yourself? There are so many magical, intense moments, and that’s all the motivation I need.”
Words: Ben Lovett
Francois K – The Master Series is released by Renaissance on April 22. London Electronic’s A Night With Francois K, at London’s Loft Studios (NW10), follows July 6.
