Interview: Francois K

One of the highlights of 2004 was the night in November when Francois K made his first appearance in Nottingham.

Danny Donnachie had already set pulses racing with a prolonged selection of electronic fluidity; which traversed Detroit classics with fever inducing acid, as well as enough trouble funk for the feet. It was then time for the native New Yorker to rock The Bomb. Prior to this I was able to grab a chat with the great man, made possible after picking up the DJ from Birmingham airport at around 8.45am. Francois slept all the way back to Nottingham, however after patiently waiting during the sound check I managed to speak with him at his hotel.

What are your impressions of Nottingham so far? 
"I’ve not been here before. It looks nice so far, yes so far it has been ok. All the pedestrianised bits make the city centre look nice."

How are you feeling about tonight? Do you get excited about a gig?
"Of course I get excited before gigs, I love it, that’s why I’m doing this and doing it."

How is the Deep Space project going? What’s in store?
"It’s going ok. We have an LP coming out by Beat Pharmacy, they have done a 10” for it. That’s coming out in February. I have just completed a mix that will come out too. Deep Space Media will be dub and reggae orientated with the music well the music will be dub orientated in spirit. I’m trying to keep the first releases as consistent as possible; taking time over what is released, making sure everything is right. I’m being very, very selective, it’s taking some time, but I’m getting the atmosphere right. The first Deep Space compilation, Deep Space NYC Vol. 1 is coming out very, very soon. Actually we might have some copies by early January 2005, which will give a clear idea of what Deep Space is about."

How have you looked after your ears having been in loud clubs for so long?
"Ear plugs…but they have a habit of traveling. [Francois shows me his empty case, then finds them in his pocket] When performing I try take 15 minutes out of every hour to rest. You have got to look after them. Music can be very, very loud! I take care with music. If you care, then you do something about it, if you don’t then you’ll do nothing about it. When they break you’ll go to the ear shop and buy yourself a new pair! Yeah right."

Have you any ambitions? Is there anything in your past career that you would change if you could?
"I have never had any ambitions. Ambition is something for people who are very successful. It leads you if it is something you think about all the time. I try not to be lead. I’m happy, if I could work less that would be nice, but I enjoy music. There are ways of working harder at that time, or doing something differently. I’ve done what I’ve done with the cards I’ve been dealt. Personally I’m very happy with my family and I’m very blessed."

In relation to your sound when performing, such as sets at Deep Space, how prominent are Jamaican influences?
"They are very prominent, but it is not exclusively so. There are different details. The origination from Jamaica of a style, or production was not something I had deeply researched in the beginning, I have read about it now. The sound systems in Jamaica were concerned with specific things for that time. It was architecture of sound. They played back the records in mono and the sound systems were about massive power; having one wall of speakers at one side of a room. The records and the music; dub, reggae, I love. I really… I have to play them."

When growing up your Essential Mix release was hugely influential for me. It’s meant to be a New York retrospective, does that mix stand the test of time?
"I think so. There were a few people who didn’t like it though. You do something that is a little bit different and people become disorientated. They expect something that is consistent, all one tempo like many mixes; at landscape level, one kind of music most of the disc. They don’t want surprises, nothing drastic. There is no luxuriant variety. I picked things that made major contributions to the sound of New York and are very important, but some people didn’t get it. People, journalists, they want to pigeon hole you, if you fit out of it a little bit, they’re not prepared to give it a chance. There were however lots of people who caught on."

In an interview with Steven Harvey (1983), you said: “it's much harder to make people dance if you don't have that constant poom..poom..poom" Do those sentiments apply even more so today?
"This quote is from an old interview, let’s get that straight. When this interview was done it was following on from the glory days of disco, from the time of great orchestral flourishes going into the beginnings of proto house. This was also a period which was to become house music. What I was referring to was music that was having more impact. Things like Moroder were very popular in clubs, the heavier songs. I mean we’re talking about a totally different time now. There has been a split between dance music and music. Take trance for example that is very hard, but there is the melody and there is the hard beat, very fast. I think it is about 140 bpm; damn fast. Then you have techno and the people like it hard and fast maybe all the time. But this was a specific quote to music at that time. It is too fragmented today to apply to music. There is a broad range of music that applies, but it also doesn’t."

How did you feel about the death of John Peel?
"We heard straight away and it was sad, of course. To be honest I only met him at Sonar last year, the tenth anniversary of Sonar, 2003. We played a set together and I think we shared it and got about 22 minutes each. I was sharing with Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier and John Peel I think. I have to be honest I was not a fan of his music completely; I mean it would be ludicrous to say I was into everything he did. He came from an indie and rock perspective and that is slightly alien to me. I am electronic music first. I mean I liked bits he played and over the years. I have to be honest, meeting him would not be the same as if I go to Berlin and how fulfilling it is to meet Basic Channel, but…He had vision, he was unique, and he could find the unknown qualities in a lot of bands. There will not be any one like him again because of the commercial factor; he was a very original person. People reacted to him favorably and he had such an influence on pop. Today it is too corporate focused and group orientated, there are no eclectic tastes. It would be very hard for someone to do what he achieved today; he had wonderful taste and belief in the music he played."

When I read about you playing progressive rock in previous interviews I’m fascinated. Who were the big artists for you?
"I was playing in a bar, this was a place where you couldn’t dance you were supposed to drink. This was 1973 and 1974. If people started dancing they weren’t drinking and I would get in trouble. I played a lot of jazz funk and fusion, but this was before I went to New York. I was hanging out in Strasbourg with a couple of members of Gong, I didn’t know them, but we used to hang out. I was playing Santana, Jeff Beck, Billy Cobham, Yes, Traffic, Soft Machine, Gong, I really liked Robert Wyatt. There was also Kraftwerk and especially Can. Can were a massive part of it, they were hugely influential."

Did you vote?
"I’m not an American citizen; I’m a French citizen so I couldn’t vote. 82% of New York voted for Kerry. That’s it! [Francois looks at me despondently] I mean New York is a world of its own. I venture out into the rest of America sometimes, but not often. I mean obviously it affects New York, but it doesn’t matter too much; with other states it would make a difference."

How was Fahrenheit 9/11 received?
"I saw the film. I believe Michael Moore makes a point, but he I feel he is far too bombastic with it. He could have made people ask themselves questions. There were a lot of borderline voters who he could have made a difference with, but instead he made them clam up. For sure, there is a point to be made, but it was not the best way to use the tool of the media. It was far too confrontational. I think Michael Moore bends the facts a little too much and a more impartial view needs to be taken."

How do you get the chance to listen to all the new music out there, as well as listen to your favourites? Do you get music overload?
"I hear of DJs with people to listen to records for them! (Francois’ despondent look returns, but he is also disgusted at the thought of doing this practice). I mean I have to have a day a week to listen to new stuff, which is a very time consuming thing. I mean I don’t restrict my musical taste so there is a lot of music to listen to. You have to know your tastes and then compare notes with your friends, find out about stuff on the web. You can read about what other DJs are playing."

The clichéd question: Is the emergence of great music slowing down?
"No way. There is tons of incredible stuff out there, it is just having the time to ferret it out. There are so many people with easy access to technology, but they are just producing your average, pseudo filler. They have the tools, but no talent."

How did it feel at the time to be exposing such a glorious array of world music in the 70s such as Fela Kuti? The buzz could be less intense when everything is available and accessible in a record shop.
"There’s no question that discovering that music today would be just as good. When you find new music today and you can’t help but get off on the power; that is something which compares to the feeling in the 70s. At the time this was just great great music, as it is today."

Music first and foremost seemed to be what Francois Kevorkian was about, though genuinely not in the clichéd sense. A band may claim to be only about the music, but will enjoy the lavish trappings that accompany such fame. Music in its purest form concerns FK and not the commercial gain, or personal advancement. With this I was elated for with him for fulfilling my expectations. Whether it be from jet lag, his disregard for me as an insignificant cog in the workings of the music machine, a lack of stimulating questions, or his conscious interview technique; he avoided certain questions and often responded with an effortless malaise.

However, with some questions he would delightfully open up. Though obviously tired having undertaken a long transatlantic flight and therefore keen to rest in the hotel after his sound check, he remained in a comical mood. A comment about some weed at the sound check provoked FK to fake short term memory loss; I also had his ear plugs flicked at me when I asked how seriously he took looking after his vital organs. At many times, he showed he had an arid sense of humour.

However, from dry, uncompromising wit, he would also be childish and innocent; as the languid drones of Brian Eno floated through The Bomb sound system, FK chirped “cool” in his NY accent. The sound check was eventful with the wrong piece of equipment being ordered; prompting more amusing comments to come from FK such as “these don’t speak the same language”. This happened once at another club he explained, “we did the show, we left, nobody died”. His anecdotal style left you wondering when to laugh.

The thing that cheered me up most after this taxing interview was FK’s belief that great music never dies. It is just as exciting to discover Fela Kuti nowadays as it was in the 70s according to him and he values a Maurizio track in the same bracket as a Tower of Power hit. For music lovers it is there for us still, it just takes a bit of digging. The first Deep Space Media release will be where I’m looking next.