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Dillon Francis | |
|---|---|
 Francis in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dillon Hart Francis |
| Also known as | DJ Hanzel |
| Born | (1987-10-05)October 5, 1987 (age 37) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | dillonfrancis |
Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), also known by hisalter egoDJ Hanzel, is an Americanelectronic music producer and DJ.[1][2] By deejaying and collaborating, Francis helped to popularize themoombahton genre, and in 2012 he adapted it further intomoombahcore andEDM trap, giving the music a harder sound, as heard on his extended play (EP),Something, Something, Awesome. (2012). He expanded into EDM genres with his debut studio album,Money Sucks, Friends Rule (2014), which peaked at number two on theDance/Electronic Albums chart, and shifted toLatin music with his second album,Wut Wut (2018), a Spanish-language set that won aLatin Grammy and aLatin American Music Award.[3] His 2018 single, "Sexo" (withResidente featuring iLe), peaked at number 43 on theBillboard Latin Airplay chart.[4]
Francis was born inLos Angeles,California,[5] to an American father and a Serbian-Croatian mother.[6] Francis has stated that his father, Robert Drew Francis, is an "alternative medicines doctor". He has made a recurring Internet joke about being unable to find his father. Francis has stated that he had a sheltered upbringing, claiming that he did not know any swear words until he was 15. He also claims that he could not watch TV unless he watched at least two hours ofSesame Street a day.[5]
Francis first rose to fame after gaining the attention of American producerDiplo and eventually collaborating on the song "Que Que", with featured Latin-pop artistMaluca. His song "Masta Blasta", originally a 130BPM house track, was edited after inspiration fromDutch musicianMunchi and eventually ended up as themoombahton track.[7] In 2010, Francis released hisSwashbuckler EP on Play Me Records.[8] In 2012, he also released two singles "I.D.G.A.F.O.S." and "Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)". He has released works on multiple labels includingDim Mak Records,Mad Decent[9] andOwsla.[10]
In February 2012, Francis became the firstmoombahton artist to achieve the number-one spot atop theBeatport releases chart with the release of hisextended playSomething, Something, Awesome.[11] In late 2012, he embarked on hisWet & Reckless tour across North America, as well as supporting the English electronic-music trioNero on theirWelcome Reality tour and English musicianFlux Pavilion on his Standing on a Hill tour.[12]
In 2013, he announced a headliningWurld Turr[13] across the US and Canada, as well as confirmed that his debut album would be released in 2013, but later experienced various delays. He was announced as one of MTV Clubland's Artists to watch in 2013,[14] alongside acts such asKill the Noise andOtto Knows. Francis was labeled byMTV as an "artist to watch" as of September 9, 2013.[15] Francis performed at music festivals includingCamp Bisco,Electric Daisy Carnival,Coachella,TomorrowWorld,Ultra andElectric Zoo.[16] Francis also created the comedy production duo Meowski666 alongsideKill the Noise.[17] In October 2013, he was announced as number 73 in theDJ Mag Top 100 poll.[18]
In 2014, his major label debut album,Money Sucks, Friends Rule, landed on Rolling Stone's "Top Electronic Albums of 2014" list and featured collaborators such as Twista, Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco,Major Lazer, and more. His single "Get Low" withDJ Snake was released on February 11, 2014.[19] On March 22, 2014, Francis announced via his officialTwitter account that his debut album, titledMoney Sucks, Friends Rule,[20] would be released on October 28, 2014, onMad Decent andColumbia Records.[21] In August, Dillon released his second single off of the album, which was a collaboration withSultan + Ned Shepard featuringThe Chain Gang of 1974.[22] Beginning in February 2014, Francis embarked on the Friends Rule Tour supporting his debut album. Dates for the tour were booked through January 16, 2015, in 18 different cities across the United States.
On January 1, 2015, Francis revealed to Australian radio stationTriple J that he was working on a sketch show pilot forMTV. Francis stated that the show was set to go into production in January 2015.[23] On June 28, 2015, Francis announced his EPThis Mixtape Is Fire, which would mark a return to hismoombahton roots. The EP features collaborations fromSkrillex,Calvin Harris,Chromeo,Bro Safari, andKygo with James Hersey, along with a remix of "I Can't Take It" from his albumMoney Sucks, Friends Rule by Party Favor. He released the first track from the EP, "Bruk Bruk (I Need Your Lovin')" the same day.This Mixtape Is Fire peaked at number one onBillboard'sTop Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
In 2016, he released three new singles: "Need You" in collaboration withNghtmre, "Candy" in collaboration with GTA and Snappy Jit, and "Anywhere" with vocals byWill Heard.
The music video of his single "Not Butter" won theBerlin Music Video Awards in 2016, while its director,Brandon Dermer, took the 2nd place for the "Best Director" category.
On April 5, 2017, Francis released another single "Say Less" in a collaboration with rapperG-Eazy. A few days after the release, Francis made it official through a live stream[24] that he had parted ways withColumbia Records mutually and was looking forward to release music as an independent artist. He has also revealed to his fans that he will be releasing an album as an independent artist, and also stated that he would return to hismoombahton roots.
Francis has created different personalities or alter egos, including "Emo Preston". Francis performed as "Emo Preston" at Emo Nite in Los Angeles in 2017.[25]
In 2018, Dillon returned to his moombahton roots with the release of the Spanish-language studio album,Wut Wut. The album went on to earn Francis a Latin American Music Award nomination and a Latin Grammy nomination respectively for the song, "Sexo" with Residente and iLe. On February 21, he released the single "We The Funk" in collaboration withFuego. On April 13, he released the single "Sexo" in collaboration withResidente andiLe. "Sexo" was nominated for Best Short Form Music Video at theLatin Grammys and theLatin American Music Awards for Favorite Video.
On May 9, he released the single "BaBaBa (Vete Pa'Ya)" in a collaboration with Young Ash. On July 12, he released the single "Never Let You Go" featuringDe La Ghetto. In August, he remixedMartin Solveig's single "My Love". He also was one of the headliners forHard Summer Music Festival in August 2018. On September 12, he released the single "White Boi" featuring Lao Ra.Wut Wut is Francis' second studio album, released through IDGAFOS on September 28, 2018.
He also appeared in the first season ofTaskmaster US alongsideLisa Lampanelli,Freddie Highmore,Ron Funches andKate Berlant.
Dillon Francis released a seven-episode comedy series titledLike and Subscribe in 2018, available exclusively on Funny or Die and Amazon Video. The show follows Skyy Goldwynne (Dillon Francis), Hollywood's biggest manager who locks 4 of his influencer clients in a house with a camera crew.
On December 7, 2018, Francis released "LFGD" featuring Chris Melberger as part ofAstralwerks' compilation album with livestreamerNinja,Ninjawerks Volume 1.[26]
On January 25, 2019, he released the single "Lost My Mind" in collaboration withAlison Wonderland, and embarked on the Lost My Mind Tour in the beginning of the year throughout the United States.[27]
In March 2019, Francis released "Change Your Mind", featuringLovelytheband.[28]
Francis also contributed to the soundtrack ofThe Lego Movie 2: The Second Part with "Catchy Song", featuring rappersT-Pain andThat Girl Lay Lay. Following the first film's "Everything Is Awesome", the song principally features the repeated phrase "This song's gonna get stuck inside your head!" According to songwriterJon Lajoie, he found "Everything Is Awesome" "extremely catchy" and wanted to outdo the song by "dialing the songup to 11".
On May 8, 2020, he performed at theFortnite Party Royale premiere withSteve Aoki andDeadmau5.[29] In 2023, Francis released a collaboration song titled "Free" with Swedish DJ and producerAlesso and English singer-songwriterClementine Douglas.[30] Francis stated that the purpose of the song was to promotehappiness, dedicating it to listeners who "[want] to feel like agolden retriever living the best day of its life."[31]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | We Are Your Friends | Devin Andrews | |
| 2015 | Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse | DJ | |
| 2016 | Succeeding at Life | Background Actors | Television film |
| 2017 | What Would Diplo Do? | Jasper | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Taskmaster (US) | Himself / Contestant | |
| Public Disturbance | Himself | ||
| 2020 | The Sauce | Himself / Judge | Episode: "Miami Heat" |
| 2022 | Saints Row | Himself | |
| 2023 | Trolls Band Together | Kid Ritz | First animated film role |
| Award Ceremony | Year | Nominee/Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin Music Video Awards | 2024 | LA ON ACID | Most Trashy | Win |
Media related toDillon Francis at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
