77. Francis Davila

Francis Davila

For Francis Davila, his inclusion in the Top 100 is more than just an ego boost. “Being voted in the Top 100 this year means a lot to me, but also to the people in Guatemala and Latin A...



 

Style: Screw genres... Big room tracks.
Best known for: Being a pioneer in the electronic scene in Central America.
Tune of 2011: Michael Woods 'First Aid'.
Breakthrough DJ/Producer of 2011: Alex Kenji

What's the future of DJing? A technology attack that threatens the true art of DJing resulting in a world full of DJs.
Favourite app? What's App for messaging.
Discovery of the year? “The Uyuni Salt Flat in Bolivia. It is the most enigmatic place I've ever been to.” Rediscovery of the year?
Rediscovery of the year? “Chakachas 'Jungle Fever'. It's an ideal song to play when you finish a set, it's a perfect invitation for people to leave the club, go home and do the nasty!”
Awkward Moment? I was in the ER having a respiratory attack and I had one of the doctors come up to me and ask for a picture and autograph!
Style or substance? “Definitely substance. Sometimes style is very hard to describe, however substance can easily be perceived by others.”
Pet Hate? “When people leave their fingerprints on the CD sleeves or booklets... Why? Because they mess up my CD collection.”

For Francis Davila, his inclusion in the Top 100 is more than just an ego boost.
“Being voted in the Top 100 this year means a lot to me, but also to the people in Guatemala and Latin America,” says the Guatemalan DJ and producer. “It means that the barrier which existed between what happens in Latin America and the rest of the world is no longer there, and now the rest of the world can pay attention to what is going on in our countries.”
There are a number of possible reasons why the man from Guatemala has cracked the Top 100 this year, first and foremost being the release of his full-length album, 'Shine'. It's an album that produced five local No.1s, topped the charts in his home country for weeks on end and received plenty of support from Istmo Music - a label that promotes only Latin American music.
“As well as that, I was able to take my music to many different places thanks to the innumerable gigs I did in the last 12 months, and therefore people got to know my work not only as a music producer but also as a DJ,” he tells DJmag.
People in this instance include Paul van Dyk who, when interviewed for Global Gathering, cited Davila as a DJ he'd include on his dream festival line-up. Props indeed for the man who just played in Mexico, Bolivia, his home country and others in Central America during 2011, as he has done since first emerging on the scene in 1998 at the tender age of 19. Rest of the world, you'd better watch out… KRISTAN J CARYL