François Kevorkian | |
---|---|
Also known as | François K |
Born |
Rodez, France |
10 January 1954
Genres |
Garage Club/Dance House Post-disco |
Occupation(s) | DJ, music producer,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.
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.