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François Kevorkian

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François Kevorkian
Also known asFrançois K
Born (1954-01-10) 10 January 1954 (age 70)
Rodez, France[1]
GenresGarage[1]
Club/Dance[1]
House[1]
Post-disco[1]
Occupation(s)DJ, music producer,[1] remixer, record label owner

François Kevorkian, alias François K (born January 10, 1954), is a French DJ of Armenian origin, remixer, producer and record label owner. Having started his career in renowned clubs such as the Paradise Garage and Studio 54, the New York City resident is widely considered as one of the forefathers of house music.[2]

Biography

Born and raised in France, Kevorkian's passion for music led him to play the drums in his adolescent years. He moved to the United States in 1975, hoping to find more challenges than those he faced at home. During that time the competition to be a drummer at most gigs was very high, so he refocused his efforts in becoming a DJ in underground New York City clubs, around 1976. His career soon skyrocketed, and as a result he quickly made DJing his full-time occupation, although some work was still at more commercial venues such as the club New York, New York in 1977. He taught himself tape editing and started making disco medleys, some of which are still popular to this day, such as Rare Earth's "Happy Song". He was offered a position doing A&R for a nascent dance indie record label, Prelude Records, which allowed him to go into the studio and do remixes. His first remix, of a Patrick Adams production, "In The Bush" by Musique became a wild success both in clubs and on the radio. It was the first of many remixes that helped Prelude define the sound of New York's dance music, including many memorable songs, including "You're The One For Me' and "Keep On" by D-Train, and "Beat The Street" by Sharon Redd. His stint at Prelude ended in 1982, the same year where he had the most number one singles in Billboard's Dance Music Chart, which included his remixes of now-classic songs such as "Situation" by Yazoo, and "Go Bang" by Dinosaur L.

During this time he decided to build his own recording studio, Axis Studios, which ironically shared the same building as Studio 54. It quickly turned into a major commercial operation. Due to the pressures of studio work, he had abandoned DJing around 1983 to dedicate himself to recording and mixing full-time, but couldn't stay away from the turntables, and started spinning again in early 1990. The scene had really become much more international, and he quickly was able to start traveling and gaining much exposure overseas, including Japan. He toured Japan, DJ'ing with Larry Levan in the Summer of 1992 (the 'Harmony Tour') right before Levan's death in November of that same year. The demand for his DJ appearances led him to start traveling to many of the best club venues around the world, including London's 'Ministry Of Sound' and 'Fabric', Japan's 'Spacelab Yellow', Ibiza's 'Pacha' and 'Space', as well as Italy's 'Angels Of Love' and many large-scale festivals.

By 1995, he decided to start an eclectic independent record label, Wave Music which allowed him to find an outlet for his own creative endeavours, including the FK-EP, as well as signing records by Abstract Truth, Floppy Sounds and a slew of other electronic music releases. Then in 1996, he (along with partner John Davis) became involved in starting what arguably became one of New York's most revered weekly parties, Body&SOUL which took place every Sunday afternoon at Club Vinyl (6 Hubert Street), playing along with co-resident DJs Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell and Danny Krivit for a mixed crowd of ecstatic and faithful dancers from all over the world. The 'Body&SOUL' sound, a unique soulful mix of very organic and spiritual dance music grooves, led to the release of a successful compilation series by the same name.

His career as an artist did not stop evolving, as he rekindled his interest for a more electronic sound, and the release of his Sonar Music set in 2002 marked a turning point; he started playing a much edgier and futuristic style, with more to do with Techno and Dub than the House sound he was mostly identified with as a DJ until that time. In 2002, he also started touring along with Detroit Techno legend Derrick May, playing sets together as the 'Cosmic Twins'. His recent appearances at Berlin's Tresor, Manchester's Sankey's Soap and London's Fabric have helped gain him many younger fans that may not have been aware of his previous work, which in turn has led to the timely Summer 2006 release of his newest compilation CD, entitled 'Frequencies', (Wavetec), which takes the listener on a grand tour of the types of electronic music sounds he has been championing of late, from Electro and Minimal to 'big-room' House and Techno.

In April 2003, he started a residency at a new weekly Monday night event in New York City called "Deep Space NYC",[3] which focuses on dub in all of its forms, and where the format is extremely eclectic, ranging from spaced-out techno to the deepest reggae, dubstep, hip-hop as well as drum & bass, house music and disco. His recent musical output has him mixing Deep Space NYC Vol. 1, a compilation featuring several of his own original productions (along with Jamaican dub legends Mutabaruka and U-Roy); he also recently did notable remixes for Moloko, Yoko Ono, Cesária Évora, Nina Simone, as well as much for his own label. In 2005, he was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as both a remixer and DJ.

Kevorkian now tours the world, taking part in many music gatherings, such as the Midem (France), Sónar Festival of Advanced Music and Multimedia Art (Spain), Global Gathering (UK), Exit Festival (Serbia), The Big Chill (UK), Bestival (UK) and Electric Picnic (Ireland).

Selected discography

As an artist

  • FK-EP (Wave Music) 1996
  • "Time and Space" (Wave Music) 1998
  • "Capricorn" (Wave Music) 2000
  • "Awakening" (Wave Music) 2002
  • "Enlightenment" (Wave Music) 2002
  • "Road of Life" (Deep Space Media) 2007

Compilations

  • Masterpiece: Created By François K (Ministry of Sound) 2008
  • Frequencies - 2 x CD - (Wavetec) 2006
  • Deep Space NYC (vol. 1) (Deep Space Media/Wave Music) 2005
  • Live At Sonar (SonarMusic) 2003
  • Body&SOUL NYC (vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) (Wave Music) 1998-2007
  • Deep & Sexy (vol.1) (Wave Music) 2001
  • Choice: A Collection of Classics (Azuli) 2002
  • Essential Mix - François K (London/Ffrr) 2000

Video game DJ Mix

As a producer

  • 'Snake Charmer' Jah Wobble, The Edge, Holger Czukay and Jaki Leibezeit (Island Records) 1983
  • "May The Cube Be With You" Dolby's Cube 1985
  • 'Species Deceases' Midnight Oil (Columbia Records) 1985
  • 'We're On The Move' Jamaica Girls (Sire) 1985
  • "Strong Enough" Loleatta Holloway (Active Records) 1992 co-produced with Yvone Turner and Alan Friedman
  • "Got To Be In Love" Barbara Mendes (Wave Music) 2003 co-produced with Eric Kupper
  • "Rootsman" U-Roy (Deep Space Media) 2005 co-produced with Russ Disciple

As a mix producer

  • 'So Red the Rose' Arcadia (EMI Records) 1985
  • 'Electric Café' Kraftwerk (EMI Records, non-USA; Warner Bros. Records, USA) 1986
  • 'Violator' Depeche Mode (Mute, non-USA; Sire/Reprise/Warner Bros., USA) 1990 (credited as Francois "Kervorkian", a typographical error)
  • 'Erasure' Erasure (Mute) 1995
  • 'Blondosaurus' Rebecca (Sony Japan) 1989

As a remixer

  • "In The Bush" Musique (Prelude) 1978
  • "I Hear Music In The Streets" Unlimited Touch (Prelude) 1980
  • "You're The One For Me" / "Keep On" / "Music" / "Walk On By" / "Misunderstanding" D-Train (Prelude) 1981-1983
  • "Beat The Street" / "Never Give You Up" / "Send Your Love" / "Can You Handle It" Sharon Redd 1982-1983
  • "Body Music" The Strikers (Prelude) 1981 co-mixed with Larry Levan
  • "Let's Go Dancin'" Sparque (West End) 1981
  • "Go Bang" Dinosaur L (Sleeping Bag) 1981
  • "Kiss Me" Tin Tin (U.S. Remix) (Sire WEA Records) 1982
  • "Situation" Yazoo (Mute) 1982
  • "Enjoy what you do (WHAM! rap)" WHAM! (COLUMBIA) 1982
  • "Two Hearts Beat As One" / "New Year's Day" U2 (Island) 1983
  • "This Charming Man" The Smiths (Rough Trade) 1983
  • "Dissidents" Thomas Dolby (EMI Records Ltd.) 1984
  • "Tour de France" Kraftwerk (EMI - Warner Bros.) 1984
  • "Lucky In Love" / "Just Another Night" Mick Jagger (Columbia) 1984
  • "Blue Light (12" Mix)" David Gilmour 1984
  • "Solid (As A Rock)" Ashford & Simpson (Capitol) 1984
  • "Sleepless" King Crimson 1984
  • "Zoolookologie" Jean Michel Jarre (Disques Dreyfus France) 1985
  • "Perfect Way" Scritti Politti UK 12" Single ((Version)) (Virgin) 1985
  • "Shiny Toys" Joni Mitchell 12" Single Version from the album Dog Eat Dog 1985
  • "Why Can't I Be You" / "Japanese Dream" / "Hot, Hot, Hot" / "Hey You!" / The Cure (Fiction-Elektra) 1985-1990
  • "The Telephone Call" Kraftwerk (EMI/Warner Bros.) 1987 co-mixed with Kraftwerk and Ron St. Germain
  • "Don't You Want Me" Jody Watley (MCA) 1987
  • "Rent" Pet Shop Boys (Parlophone/EMI) 1987
  • "My Bag" (dancing mix) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions (single b-side, Polydor) 1987
  • "My Bag" (dancing mix)/"My Bag" (dancing dub) Lloyd Cole and the Commotions (Capitol Records) 1988
  • "Personal Jesus" / "Enjoy the Silence" / "Policy of Truth" / "World in My Eyes" / "Sea of Sin" Depeche Mode (Mute / Sire / Reprise) 1990
  • "Radioactivity" Kraftwerk (EMI/Elektra) 1991
  • "Higher Love" Depeche Mode (Mute/Sire/Reprise) 1994 co-mixed with Goh Hotoda
  • "Get Another Plan" Abstract Truth (Wave Music) 1996
  • "Tom & Joyce" Vai Minha Tristeza (Delabel) 1997
  • "Tout est bleu" Ame Strong (Wave) 1998
  • "Sangue De Beirona" Cesária Évora (Lusafrica / Wave) 1999
  • "Expo Remix" Kraftwerk (EMI) 2000 co-mixed with Rob Rives
  • "Hunter" Dido (Arista) 2001
  • "Swollen" Bent (Ministry Of Sound) 2001
  • "Josephine" Chris Rea (Warner Bros.) 2001 co-mixed with Eric Kupper
  • "La La Land" Green Velvet (Music Man) 2002 co-mixed with Rob Rives
  • "Community" Audio Soul Project (NRK) 2002 co-mixed with Rob Rives
  • "Forever More" Moloko (Echo) 2003 co-mixed with Eric Kupper
  • "Walking on Thin Ice" Yoko Ono (Twisted) 2003 co-mixed with Eric Kupper
  • "Aborigine's Jam" Cirque du Soleil (Cirque du Soleil) 2003 co-mixed with Eric Kupper
  • "Aero Dynamik" Kraftwerk (EMI - Astralwerks) 2004
  • "Welcome Dub" Herbest Moon (Soundscape) 2004
  • "Disco Infiltrator" LCD Soundsystem (EMI UK) 2005
  • "Ride a White Horse" Goldfrapp (Mute) 2005 co-mixed with Eric Kupper
  • "Talk" Coldplay (EMI UK) 2005
  • "Here Comes the Sun" Nina Simone (Columbia) 2006
  • "The Picture" Hubert Kah (Soundcolours) 2011

As an editor

  • "Happy Song" (bootleg) Rare Earth (labelled as: "Happy Song And Dance")

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Allmusic - ((( Francois K))), artists. Retrieved 2011-08-09
  2. ^ IMO Records. " François Kevorkian Biography", IMO Records, Retrieved on 14 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Deep Space NYC". Deep Space NYC. Retrieved 6 August 2014.

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