305: François K b2b Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy - Open to Close

Join us on Valentine's Day for a very special François K b2b Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy open to close experience!

Born in Rodez, France in 1954, François Kevorkian is a man of many talents, Producer, Remixer, legendary DJ, Studio owner, Immersive audio pioneer, and AI authority.

He has been a prominent figure in the New York City music scene since relocating there in 1975. Renowned for his exceptional career as a DJ, remixer and producer, François began his journey in iconic clubs defining the culture of dance music like Studio 54, The Loft, Paradise Garage, Better Days, Zanzibar as well as New York, New York and many others.

His expertise in studio editing and mixing led him to an influential A&R role at Prelude Records, shaping the 12” single versions for many of the disco hits of the early 80’s. His tenure there was a key component of the success of artists such as D-Train, Musique, Sharon Redd and The Strikers. During that time, he also remixed some era-defining club smashes like Yazoo "Situation" and Dinosaur L's "Go Bang" that still get played and namechecked to this day as they’re often considered to be some of the foundational pillars of the modern dance music aesthetic.

His prolific and diverse contributions extend beyond the dance floor, including hosting his monthly ‘World of Echoes’ radio show on Gilles Peterson’s WorldWide FM for over five years; And since the start of the pandemic, amassing over 1,200 hours of live streaming content on Twitch. During lockdown, FK was one of the pioneers who adjusted to the tough circumstances – and in the process tirelessly building a vast and thriving ‘World of Echoes’ namesake online community on both Facebook and Discord.

François, known for his innovative approach, invented his own method of DJing he describes as ‘Live Stems’ Mixing. He uses AI to separate individual elements of classic songs, which allows him to then perform live remix versions using an array of multitrack mixing hardware and signal processing. This allows him to create refreshingly unique improvised performances of some of the music he plays, ensuring that no two DJ sets are ever the same.

He is currently developing Subculture.NYC, a documentary project that aims to chronicle and share the many riveting stories of the rise and development of NYC's unique and groundbreaking underground dance music scene from its inception until today.

Far from slowing down after recently celebrating his 70th birthday, François K still performs at select events around the globe, something which allows him to share half a century worth of unrivaled experience in the field. He stands as a true musical visionary, his pioneering spirit continues to help in bridging together electronic and global sounds with a unique innovative spirit and passion that has been widely acknowledged as inspirational by many of his peers and followers.

In between her extensive DJ travels, Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy hosts her bi-weekly Balearic Breakfast radio show. It's an unbound adventure into psychedelia, rock, jazz funk and beyond that is consistently one of the most-listened-to shows on Mixcloud with a clued-up community of like-minded music lovers tuning in every week. Naturally, the show's reach has expanded into an on-going compilation series on Heavenly Recordings that has taken on a life of its own and also includes a residency at London’s NT’s Loft as well as a Pike’s takeover in Ibiza as part of Colleen's All Night Long residency.

For Murphy this is not a career, “it’s a quest.” Underpinning everything is her longing to build a community and uplift like-minded music lovers. She's been doing this since 1982 when she debuted on high school radio in Massachusetts, and a love of the medium has endured ever since. In 1986, she relocated to New York to study sound and radio at the NYU Film School and became the first female program director at WNYU, one of the most significant college stations of the era. After graduation, she continued to work in radio and her syndicated show, Music View, went out to over 200 college stations across the country.

Her musical curiosity later took her to David Mancuso’s Loft party, where the eclecticism made an immediate impact. A friendship with Mancuso was cemented and he became a life-long mentor. With him, Colleen co-produced The Loft compilations on Nuphonic, co-founded the London Loft party with David, Italy’s Last Note Loft party and they continued hosting parties together until he died in 2016, at which point she became Chairperson to protect Mancuso’s legacy and continue the Loft for the next generation.

A true music obsessive, Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy’s standing in the global dance music community has never been higher. "I will never stop discovering music," says Murphy. "You always have to be looking ahead, expanding your horizons.”

With her at the helm, the culture is in safe hands.

Needless to say you don't want to miss this - spend your Valentine's Day with us!

February 14th - 10pm.