François K

François K. was born and raised in France, moving to New York in 1975 to pursue a career as a drummer. He played in various R&B cover bands and was hired by the Galaxy 21 disco to drum along with the DJ's records. This led to a strong interest in the nascent disco sound. François started DJing around New York, playing clubs such as Experiment 4 (along with John "Jellybean" Benitez), JJ Knickerbocker, the Flamingo, and New York New York.

Around the same time, François discovered studio editing and mixing. He created a series of disco medleys and re-edits (many of which are still available as bootlegs), and in 1978 landed an A&R job at Prelude Records, a small but rapidly expanding independent disco label. One of his first accomplishments at Prelude was remixing Musique's "Push Push In The Bush," a massive disco hit which sold nearly a million copies. He went on to remix and/or edit the majority of Prelude releases, including such club classics as D Train's "Keep On", "Body Music" by The Strikers as well as signing seminal tracks which helped define the dance music aesthetic, like "Double Journey" by Powerline or "Disco Circus" by Martin Circus.

Meanwhile, François continued his DJ work, spinning at legendary clubs such as Studio 54, Les Mouches, Better Days, Buttermilk Bottom, The Loft, AM/PM, Bond's, Zanzibar, and The Paradise Garage, filling in for resident Garage jock Larry Levan. He also started collaborating with Levan (a major remixer in his own right) on studio work, and soon became so busy behind the console that he decided to stop DJing in 1983.

By the mid-eighties, François had become an in-demand top remixer and producer on both sides of the Atlantic. He quit Prelude in 1982 and started Axis Productions, working with many new wave acts such as Yazoo and Wide Boy Awake, as well as U2, Thomas Dolby, The Cure, Eurythmics, Ashford and Simpson, Mick Jagger, Diana Ross, Dinosaur L, and many others. He has as well mixed albums and singles for Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Rebecca (Japan) and Erasure.

In 1987, he opened Axis Studios, which quickly became a major recording and mixing facility. Notable Axis clients include Madonna, Todd Terry, C&C Music Factory, Mariah Carey, Teddy Riley, Mary J. Blige, Deee-Lite, and many others.

François has since returned to DJ'ing , playing various guest spots in New York City at The Sound Factory Bar, House Nation, Afterlife, Roxy, Vinyl and Twilo. He has also played in the U.K. at Ministry of Sound, The End, Bar Rhumba, Back To Basics, The Blue Note and Hard Times, in Italy at Angels Of Love, Cocorico and Red Zone, and in Japan at Club Yellow, Gold, Precious Hall, Red Hot, and various clubs.

In 1996, François started the now legendary Sunday afternoon at Body & Soul, which went on for six years and three events at Central Park’s Summerstage. François, along with DJ's Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell and Danny Krivit, spun a soulful mix of everything from jazzy house to drum n'bass. Body&Soul, which is still holding events from time to time (in Tokyo yearly) has established a faithful eclectic following and has allowed him to experiment and develop his own musical vision.

He has recently started a new NYC weekly club residency called Deep Space, where every Monday night he plays Dub in all of its musical forms, from Jamaican vintage grooves to spacey and abstract new electronic sounds with anything in between.

In 1994, François established Wave Music a fully independent record label. Wave Music was created out of a need for a label with initiative to turn out lasting music with substance as well as style. It is with this mentality that Wave has established extraordinary national and international success with it's eclectic catalog of soulful music. From the jazzy vibe of Abstract Truth's "Get Another Plan", to the explosive #1 Billboard Dance Chart hit "Din Da Da" by club sensation Kevin Aviance, Wave places no boundaries on expression.

Along with a steady flow of new releases, he has managed to find time to record some of his own music, such as the acclaimed FK-EP , followed by "Time & Space", as well as "Capricorn", "Enlightenment and his newest release being "Awakening", a stunning Brazilian-flavored jazzy song featuring vocals by Barbara Mendes (with whom François previously collaborated) with more to come out in 2002.

As if this wasn't enough, he is still very much in demand as remixer today, working recently on material for the likes of Cesaria Evora, Moloko, Ame Strong, Talvin Singh, Underworld, Juan Atkins, Rinocerose, B 52's, Bent, Gloria Estefan, Big Muff and others.

Discography

FK-EP (12")		Wave Music
FK - EP The Remixes (2x12")		Wave Music
FK EP & Beyond (CD)		Wave Music
Time & Space (12")		Wave Music
Bossa Tres Jazz II Presents (12")		Yellow Productions
Awakening (12")		Wave Music
Awakening (Needs Remixes) (12")		Wave Music
The Relix EP (12")		Wave Music

More Information at Discog.com

Last Update: February 15, 2005