With a transplant of his live-show mixes from Facebook to Mixcloud, "It was important for me," says Frankie, "to do my part to make sure that the artists and producers of the music I play get their credit and royalties. Mixcloud makes sure that happens, and as a music producer myself, I understand critical value firsthand." Immediately following his second live show on the new platform, he said, "I felt it went really well--it definitely exceeded my expectations!", referring to its 40-minute encore at 117 viewers just before a quarter-pass 10 p.m. Chicago local-time, with 86 "clean version" hit records curated for the entire family to enjoy. He started his set with the disco sound of KC & the Sunshine Band's 1983 No. 1 hit single "Give It Up," which peeked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March 1984; it was an even bigger success in the UK, where it held onto its No. 1 spot several months earlier in August 1983.[1]
This is significant because of the backlash that many disco artists received and felt in the early 1980s with the decline of the genre to the contemporary sound of U.S. Pop. It also was a great song for Frankie to open with due to his wanting to break from the traditional, linear progressive style and arrangement of genre-based DJ sets. "As a family show, it's important for me to listen and relate to my people and supporters through the highs and lows of our lives together. That's what makes us a family. That's the message really behind Frankie French Family Fridays, which is actually an update to my Frankie French Fridays sets at clubs, parties, bars, etc...since the Summer of 2016. We're gonna be here for one another, no matter what's going-on in the world." Speaking of those who have shown much love to Frankie over the years, Naomi Gallagher in Ireland says of his show, even before its Mixcloud debut,
Just love the whole vibe and energy of it all. Frankie's energy and natural talent to engage the crowd...genuine amazing DJ and guy. Every part of Frankie French Family Fridays appeals to me. Once I connect, I can't leave until it's over! His knowledge of the older hits is amazing, songs you would normally have probably forgotten about until he plays them.
His true fans--followers and supporters of his brand--are not afraid to share their stories and shout out their favorite songs or remember where they were in their lives when they first heard or started to fall in love again with the memories sparked by his sets. A Frankie French mix is like being invited into the private and intimate spaces of a family's home and feeling comfortable to ask difficult and life-defining questions about the soul-stirring force of music to inspire and empower each of us to overcome and persevere through the most difficult times of our lives such as our current COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice. "The more requests I get in the chat or before the show starts in my inbox, the better!" Many of us messaged and dropped "feel good" emojis and song requests with greetings and sentiments centered around our first or last time hearing the songs, and how they still move and transport us back to some of our most memorable times, in our sharing more of ourselves in the company of others whose experiences at times mirror and shadow our own in mysterious and magical ways; it's a time where we can look back over our shared human experience, to see just how far we've come in our lives. Another loyal fan, Kimmy, from Chicago expresses,
[He] is a beautiful soul that brings his joy and energy to us at a time that we can reflect on togetherness and happy times. When he says it's [Frankie French] Family Fridays, he means it. The music he plays gets the room smiling and chatting. Frankie's vibes are contagious.
To Kimmy's point, his sets organically and authentically bring us together, encouraging our input and feedback as they are being curated. His genuine, heartfelt awareness and vibe connects across the screen. His Facebook Lives, too, are open invitations to unwind and share "What's good!" for those willing to step outside their comfort zones for candid dialogue and to encounter the process of a hit record being made, or a new workout or diet being experienced. He's a brand of music and entertainment, health & fitness--so much more! His rise with Wall Port Media Group (WPMG) will definitely be something to chart over the course of his development as an artist and entrepreneur. WPMG takes exceptional pride in its family-style business approach. Frankie is encouraged at every level to think about his legacy and its impact on his family and community, not just for his generation but in perpetuity.
With one camera, tilted mid-level to his chest and face, we connected with DJ Frankie French, as his eyes met ours on the other side of the screen, his looking directly into the camera as if he was speaking to each of us personally with his "Drop your song!" "This one right here!" and "What's good?" shout outs. At one point during the second hour, he humored us by singing an off-key rendition to Biz Markie's "Just A Friend," allowing us to relax, to just be ourselves, to let our hair down for a moment, to let go of our anxieties and frustrations surrounding the racially charged murders of George Floyd by 4 Minneapolis police officers, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and a slew of other murders of black unarmed men and women by police officers just in the last 12 months in the U.S alone.
"I have an opportunity, bro, to make people feel good with my mixes. We are facing some hard times, so now is definitely an important time to play music that makes people feel good and gives them something to think about and look forward to, you feel me" says Frankie.
Though giving his best work defines his approach and talent to the art of mixing records, Frankie understands the importance and value of not taking himself too seriously. Stressing the move of his Family Friday's show to Mixcloud, Frankie acknowledges, "I was tired of my sets getting flagged and or dropped by Facebook, to be honest. With 30K+ followers between Facebook and Instagram, I felt like I wouldn't be able to either connect with or grow my fan-base on a new platform." However, as his representation, I felt it was important for him to build trust and loyalty with not only his followers but also to the sound recordings created by the artists and music we've fallen in love with. Mixcloud, subscribing to the principles of the Music Modernization Act, ensures that music creators--from the writers, producers, sound engineers and mixers, to the record labels and publishers--receive their fair share of royalties coming from live performances of their work.
A basic, $2.99/month Select Exclusive subscription to DJ Frankie French's Mixcloud channel includes:
1. Unlimited playback of all of his mixes on the Mixcloud app, including his live feeds
2. Access to his fans and supporters
3. Exclusive drops of unreleased recordings and Shout Outs
4. Track lists to his live shows
5. WPMG Membership
To inquire about Frankie French bookings, sponsorships, ad placements, or collaborations and partnerships, please email Tadhi Coulter at: inquires@wallportmediagroup.com and cc: djfrankiefrench@gmail.com.
1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 426. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
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