At first glance, Dillon Francis is not your average DJ. Then again, perhaps nothing the 24-year-old Californian does is just average. The overly eccentric and energetic Francis brought his act to Celebrities nightclub in Vancouver this past weekend to showcase his unique sound – something in the middle of Moombahton and hard hitting dubstep.
For all of our readers wondering what Moombahton is, it is essentially a mixture of house music and reggaeton, with the pace being characterized as usually fast paced – a gritty and thick bassline to say the least – with the occasional soft drum beat thrown in. Francis has been credited with the huge spike in interest over this new sub- genre when his EP – Something, Something Awesome – took the #1 spot on the Beatport charts.
Last Friday night at Celebrities, it was easy to see how Francis has managed to gain such massive notoriety in such a short period of time. I thought the crowd was already warmed up from a fast-paced set from the opening DJ’s. but when Francis came on, it seemed like the crowd shifted into a different gear. From all corners of the massive dance floor, vibrations could be felt, as the thick bass line from the first track seemed to reverberate off the walls and into the ground, as if the floor was going to split in half, taking hundreds of screaming Dillon Francis fans with it. Luckily, the floor stayed intact, however, the same could not be said about many sweaty t-shirts, glowsticks, and plastic sunglasses, which found new owners as the night went on.
Progressing from feeding the crowd some huge Moombahton tracks like “Masta Blasta” and “Take it Back”, Francis began to integrate some serious dubstep into the diet of his adoring fans, who were, needless to say, starving for some heavy bass! Some notable tracks included “Beautician”, “Lastitude” and DJ Chuckie’s “Who is ready to Jump” – the Dillon Francis remix. By far, the highlight of the night was when he dropped “IDGAFOS” and threw the entire Celebrities crowd into a synchronized frenzy.
Overall – not being a very big dubstep fan – I was surprised to find myself coming out of this show with nothing but positive reviews. I was pleased with the Moombahton tracks featured on the night, and felt like they transitioned well into the dubstep – I thought he controlled the pace as well as he could for such a hard bass line – that Francis played. I would recommend and encourage others who aren’t necessarily big dubstep or Moombahton fans to download/listen to a few of the tracks mentioned above, as they may be surprised as to how engaging this music can potentially be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlJ3UeKmRiA
Via @cascadiarecords at Cascadia Records | Francis Dillion Show Review (June 1, 2012)
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