Photo of DJ San Fran
by courtesy of Will-W.com Photography |
Since he was very young, Francis Yee Loy (aka DJ SAN FRAN) has had a great love of music in all its forms. His earliest memory, at age two, is of dancing to Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and being fascinated by watching the 45 spin on the turntable. San Fran grew up listening to early 80's pop radio and to his uncle's extensive Disco, Funk and Soul record collection, which was an early influence on his musical taste. Over the years, Earth, Wind and Fire, D Train, Loleatta Holloway and Blondie became some of his favourite artists and he has amassed an extensive collection
of House, Soul, Funk and Disco grooves on vinyl.
In 1988, when he first heard the music of a burgeoning style called 'House', a new love was born. Listening to the new electronic sounds from Chicago and New York, House music artists like David Morales, Steve "Silk" Hurley, Maurice Joshua and Masters At Work became musical inspirations for him. San Fran listened to House played on late night radio and visited record stores to keep track of the latest songs. Although he was still too young to go out to parties, he was busy schooling himself in the music of this new Dance
music culture.
A fan of music from all over the world, San Fran began listening to Cantopop music from Hong Kong and was asked to help host a new radio show in the fall of 1995. For over 12 years, he
hosted "Full Moon", CKLN 88.1 FM's longest running Asian music and arts program.
Each show, San Fran brought to the airwaves a unique mix of new Asian music from artists in Japan, the Philippines and all over Asia. Initially airing pop songs from Hong Kong and Taiwan, San Fran gradually switched over to programming more Japanese Pop, R&B/Hip Hop, Acid Jazz and House selections.
Also known as "The Jpopcast Show", an
audio archive of the show is
available in podcast MP3 format via iTunes.
Under the early moniker of "DJ CISCO", Francis began spinning for parties, the highlight of which was a year-long monthly residency at Nasa Dance Pub. After a break to focus on work, he decided to re-dedicate himself to his love for DJing and House music.
Re-emerging as DJ SAN FRAN, Francis spins a diverse spectrum of grooves at venues around the city. The Sanfrandisco sound combines soulful House, Underground Disco,
Electro and Old School Funk, with new sounds from Asian artists thrown in for added spice! He has spun at a wide range of parties and festivals including the Reel Asian Film Festival,
Toronto Erotic Arts Festival, Pride Toronto, the No Kimono fashion parties at Design Exchange and many more. Venues played also include
The Gladstone Hotel, The Drake Hotel, Andy Poolhall, The Courthouse,
Fly, Revival and Goodhandy's.
These days, San Fran is hard at work developing his music production skills,
helping to produce two songs for the new
album "Connection" from Will-W., which is
now rising up the charts on radio stations
across Canada.
DJ SAN FRAN is also the Music Programmer
for GROOVEAST, a new International digital
station for GALAXIE, the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation's Continuous Music
Network. There, he brings to listeners
around the world the sounds of new Pop, R&B, Soul and
House from Asian artists that deserve wider
exposure.
For the latest info on DJ San Fran and to listen to his mixes and
downloads, check out his websites:
DJ SAN FRAN // SFD WEB
www.djsanfran.com
DJ SAN FRAN // FACEBOOK
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2367522162
DJ SAN FRAN // MYSPACE
www.myspace.com/DJSNFRN
DJ SAN FRAN // BLOGSPOT
sanfrandisco.blogspot.com
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