François Kevorkian (born 10 January 1954), also known by the stage name François K, is a French-born,

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

-based DJ, producer,

remixer A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

and

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed ...

owner of Armenian descent, who started his career DJing in clubs such as the

Paradise Garage Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a New York City discotheque notable in the history of dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. The club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody, and ...

and Studio 54. Kevorkian has produced and remixed work by a diverse range of musicians including

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

Adam Ant Stuart Leslie Goddard, better known as Adam Ant (born 3 November 1954), is an English singer, musician, and actor. He gained popularity as the lead singer of new wave group Adam and the Ants and later as a solo artist, scoring 10 UK top ten ...

, Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan and U2, and is considered one of the forefathers of house music.

Biography

François Kevorkian ( hy, Ֆրանսուա Գեւորգեան) was born and raised in France, with

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

heritage. He played the drums in his adolescent years. He moved to the United States in 1975. At that time the competition to be a drummer was very high, so around 1976 he became a DJ in

underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground ...

clubs in New York City. DJing soon became his full-time occupation, including some work at more commercial venues such as the club New York, New York in 1977. He taught himself tape editing and started making disco medleys, such as Rare Earth's "Happy Song". He was offered a role in A&R for a nascent dance independent record label,

Prelude Records Prelude Records was a New York-based independent record label that was active from 1976 to 1986. At one time, François Kevorkian held an A&R position at Prelude. The label's owner was Marvin Schlachter. History Prelude was first launched in 1 ...

, which allowed him to go into the studio and do remixes. His first remix, of "In The Bush" by Musique, became a club and radio hit, and was followed by further hit remixes including "You're The One For Me' and "Keep On" by D-Train, and "Beat The Street" by Sharon Redd. He left Prelude in 1982, and in the same year had the most #1 singles on Billboard's Dance Music Chart, including his remixes of tracks such as "Situation" by Yazoo, and "Go Bang" by Dinosaur L. Kevorkian also performed as a DJ at

Club Zanzibar Club Zanzibar was a dance club that opened in 1979 at 430 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Its presence in Downtown Newark was noted for its influence on house music and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. in the same building as Studio 54. The studio soon became a major commercial operation. He stopped DJing around 1983 to focus on recording and mixing full-time, but started again in early 1990. Due to the new international popularity of dance music, he gained exposure overseas and began performing abroad. He toured Japan with

Larry Levan Larry Levan (; born Lawrence Philpot, July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992) was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern da ...

in 1992 on the 'Harmony Tour' before Levan's death in November that year, and also appeared at London's Ministry of Sound and

Fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...

, Japan's Spacelab Yellow, Ibiza's Pacha and

Space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...

, Italy's Angels of Love and many large festivals. In 1995, he started an eclectic independent record label, Wave Music, on which he released his own work, including the ''FK-EP'', as well as records by Abstract Truth, Floppy Sounds and other electronic music releases. In 1996, with partner John Davis, he launched Body&SOUL, a weekly party held every Sunday afternoon at Club Vinyl, 6 Hubert Street, playing alongside co-resident DJs Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell and Danny Krivit. The 'Body&SOUL' sound, a soulful mix of organic and spiritual dance music, led to the release of a compilation series by the same name. He continued his career as an artist, returning to a more electronic sound, and the release of his Sonar Music set in 2002 marked an edgier and more futuristic style, more closely related to

Techno Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

and Dub than the House sound he was identified with as a DJ. In 2002, he also started touring with Derrick May, playing sets together as the Cosmic Twins at Berlin's Tresor, Manchester's Sankey's Soap and London's Fabric. Kevorkian released a new compilation CD in 2006, entitled ''Frequencies''. In April 2003, he started a residency at a new weekly Monday night event in New York City called "Deep Space NYC", an eclectic night focused on dub music and related styles. He mixed ''Deep Space NYC Vol. 1'', a compilation featuring several of his own productions, along with Jamaican dub artists

Mutabaruka Allan Hope (born 1952), better known as Mutabaruka, is a Jamaican Rastafari dub poet, musician, actor, educator, and talk-show host, who developed two of Jamaica's most popular radio programmes, ''The Cutting Edge'' and ''Steppin' Razor''. His ...

and

U-Roy Ewart Beckford OD (21 September 1942 – 17 February 2021), known by the stage name U-Roy, was a Jamaican vocalist and pioneer of toasting.Jo-Ann GreeneU-Roy Biography, AllMusic. Retrieved 11 April 2013. U-Roy was known for a melodic style ...

. He also provided remixes for

Moloko Moloko () were an Irish-English electronic music duo formed in Sheffield, England, consisting of vocalist Róisín Murphy and producer Mark Brydon. Blending elements of electronica and dance music, they are best known for their UK top 10 sin ...

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

Cesária Évora Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011), more commonly known as Cize, was a Cape Verdean singer-songwriter. She received a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album ''Voz d'Amor''. Nicknamed the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without ...

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...

, as well as for his own label. In 2005, he was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame as both a

and DJ. Kevorkian has subsequently performed at events around the world, including

Midem Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...

(France),

Sónar Sónar is a festival dedicated to music, creativity and technology, founded in Barcelona in 1994 by Ricard Robles, Enric Palau, and Sergi Caballero. The festival has been divided into two parts since its inception: Sónar by Day and Sónar b ...

(Spain),

Global Gathering Global Gathering was an annual dance music festival by Angel Festivals Limited. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronic music artists from around the globe. The festival ran ...

(UK), Exit Festival (Serbia), The Big Chill (UK),

Bestival Bestival was a four-day music festival held in the south of England. It had been held annually in the late summer since 2004 at Robin Hill on the Isle of Wight. In 2017 the festival relocated to the Lulworth Estate in Dorset. The event was organ ...

(UK) and

Electric Picnic Electric Picnic is an annual arts-and-music festival which has been staged since 2004 at Stradbally Hall in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland. It is organised by Pod Concerts and Festival Republic, who purchased the majority shareholding in ...

(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

* 'Electro-Choc', the Dance radio station in ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...

'' (Rockstar Games) 2008

As a producer

* ''

Snake Charmer Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake (often a cobra) by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerou ...

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

, Holger Czukay, and

Jaki Liebezeit Jaki Liebezeit (born Hans Liebezeit; 26 May 1938 – 22 January 2017) was a German drummer, best known as a founding member of experimental rock band Can. He was called "one of the few drummers to convincingly meld the funky and the cerebral". ...

(Island Records) 1983 * ''May The Cube Be With You'' Dolby's Cube 1985 * ''

Species Deceases ''Species Deceases'' is an extended play by Australian rock music group, Midnight Oil, which was released on 26 November 1985 under the CBS record label. ''Species Deceases'' debuted at No. 1 on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Cha ...

'' 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 Eric Kupper is an American keyboardist, arranger, songwriter, remix artist, DJ, and record producer of French descent. Biography Eric Kupper began playing in bands in his formative years, and got his real start in the mid-1980s working as a keybo ...

'' * "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 Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

(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

) * "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 "This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record label Rough Trade, it is defined by Mar ...

" The Smiths (Rough Trade) 1983 * "Dissidents" Thomas Dolby (EMI Records Ltd.) 1984 * "

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

" 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 * "

Eaten Alive ''Eaten Alive'' (known under various alternate titles, including ''Death Trap'', ''Horror Hotel'', and ''Starlight Slaughter'', and stylized on the poster as ''Eaten Alive!'') is a 1976 American horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, and written ...

" Diana Ross (Hot Extended Dance Mix) 1985 ''co-mixed with Ron St. Germain'' * "

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that sys ...

" Diana Ross (Special New Mix) 1985 ''co-mixed with Ron St. Germain'' * "Experience" Diana Ross (Special Dance Mix) 1985 ''co-mixed with Ron St. Germain'' * "Zoolookologie"

Jean Michel Jarre Jean-Michel André Jarre (; born 24 August 1948) is a French composer, performer and record producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and new-age genres, and is known for organising outdoor spectacles featuring his music, accompanie ...

(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 * "Apollo 9 (Francois Kevorkian 'Splashdown' 12" Mix)" Adam Ant 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'' * "Dirty Looks" Diana Ross (Remix Version) 1987 ''co-mixed with Ron St. Germain'' * "

Don't You Want Me "Don't You Want Me" is a song by British synthpop group the Human League (credited on the cover as The Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album, ''Dare'' (1981). The band's best k ...

" Jody Watley (MCA) 1987 * "

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

" Pet Shop Boys (Parlophone/EMI) 1987 * "My Bag" (dancing mix)

Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Lloyd Cole and the Commotions were a British rock/pop band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 1982. Between 1984 and 1989, the band scored four Top 20 albums and five Top 40 singles in the UK; it also had success in several other countries in ...

(single b-side, Polydor) 1987 * "Forever Tonight" (Extended CD Mix) Jan Hammer (from the MCA album '' Escape from Television'') 1987 * "My Bag" (dancing mix)/"My Bag" (dancing dub)

(Capitol Records) 1988 * "

Personal Jesus "Personal Jesus" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released as the lead single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), in 1989. It reached No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 28 on the ''Billbo ...

" / "

Enjoy the Silence "Enjoy the Silence" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. Recorded in 1989, it was released as the second single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), on 5 February 1990. The single is certified Gold in the ...

" / "

Policy of Truth "Policy of Truth" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 7 May 1990 as the third single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990). It is the only Depeche Mode single to chart higher on the US ''Billboar ...

" / "

World in My Eyes "World in My Eyes" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was released on 17 September 1990 as the fourth and final single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990). The song peaked at number two in Denmark and ...

" / "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 Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

(Arista) 2001 * "Swollen" Bent (Ministry of Sound) 2001 * "Josephine"

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart" known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which t ...

(Warner Bros.) 2001 ''co-mixed with Eric Kupper'' * "La La Land"

Green Velvet Curtis Alan Jones (born April 26, 1968), better known by his stage name Green Velvet, is an American singer, record producer and DJ. He is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori. Early life Curtis Alan Jones wa ...

(Music Man) 2002 ''co-mixed with Rob Rives'' * "Community" Audio Soul Project (NRK) 2002 ''co-mixed with Rob Rives'' * " Forever More"

(Echo) 2003 ''co-mixed with

'' * "

Walking on Thin Ice "Walking on Thin Ice" is a song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. She and John Lennon concluded the recording of the song on December 8, 1980. It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota (their home in New York City) that Lenn ...

(Twisted) 2003 ''co-mixed with

'' * "Aborigine's Jam"

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

(Cirque du Soleil) 2003 ''co-mixed with

'' * "Aero Dynamik" Kraftwerk (EMI – Astralwerks) 2004 * "Welcome Dub" Herbest Moon (Soundscape) 2004 * "Disco Infiltrator" LCD Soundsystem (EMI UK) 2005 * " Ride a White Horse"

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

(Mute) 2005 ''co-mixed with

'' * "

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

(EMI UK) 2005 * "Here Comes the Sun" Nina Simone (Columbia) 2006 * "The Picture"

Hubert Kah Hubert Kah is a German synthpop band, led by Hubert Kemmler (born 22 March 1961 in Reutlingen). Kemmler is a German musician, composer, songwriter and producer. Biography Kemmler's career began as a member of a trio named Hubert Kah, consis ...

(Soundcolours) 2011

As an editor

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

References

External links

Wave Music

Deep Space NYC

RA: Resident Advisor – Francois K DJ Page

Interview & Playlist for ''Resident Advisor'', 2007

Six Million Steps FRANCOIS KEVORKIAN SPECIAL radio show from April 2009

RBMA 'fireside chat' with François K.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kevorkian, Francois 1954 births Living people People from Rodez French record producers French people of Armenian descent French DJs Post-disco musicians Deep house musicians Electronic dance music DJs