Interview: NYC's Top DJs On Their Favorite Gigs, Best After-Hours Spots, And More!

Franco V

These days it seems like everyone who owns an iPad is a DJ, but Franco V is the real deal. The native New Yorker has played music his whole life before becoming a rock-star DJ—literally. Back in the early 00's, he was in a band called The Sexy Magazines, who played at clubs all throughout downtown Manhattan, in addition to major festivals and concerts. After getting tired of the New York circuit ("We could be sandwiched between a death metal band and a country band. It didn't make sense, like why would our friends come pay $15 at the door to see our band play when there's no other music like us there?") Franco decided to start throwing his own parties. Eventually, when he realized all the work of hosting parties didn't pay off, he was offered a bar-backing job at a friends soon-to-be opened bar called the Beatrice Inn. Bar-backing turned to bartending, which soon became DJing before the storied venue closed, but that was just the start. "Other places wanted all the Beatrice DJs so it was very easy. I was making more money than I am now, it was crazy. Everybody wanted us to DJ." After Beatrice, Kenmare, the Bunker Club, and even Lollapalooza were a few of the stops Franco made while becoming the sought after DJ he is now. Stay up to date with Franco V at @francovnyc Where can we see you DJ? Tuesdays at Acme is my new favorite spot. I do Tribeca Grand once in a while. Sometimes King & Grove in Williamsburg, and then just popping around and doing event work. Favorite album of 2013 so far. I don't think I've listened to a full album. Yeezus was maybe the only album I listened to all the way through. Favorite song of 2013 so far. "I Got Barz" by Bishop Lamont. It's awesome. It sounds like Jay Z. Song we'll never hear you play. Anything by The Smiths or The Cure because I don't have anything by them. I don't like whine-y music. Anything else is fair game. If I don't like something I probably won't play it but nothing is totally off limits. I mean I downloaded "Call Me Maybe" and I have it, and if I was in the right situation where I thought it was appropriate, which I haven't been yet...I have it in case. If I do a wedding or something. Song we'll always hear you play every time. I like "Headbands" by B.o.B featuring 2 Chainz. It doesn't get the best response from the crowd but I like to hear it. I'll try and play it as much as possible. What song do you trust to turn the crowd up? It's always different, I have a million go-to's. It could be "Jump In The Line" by Harry Belafonte, it could be Rihanna, whatever. It's about reading the room and knowing what song will illicit the biggest response. When I'm in a place where people are dancing, and them having a good time is my responsibility, I care a lot. And then I always try to do the best job that I possibly can. I really like mixing hip-hop and oldies and trying to seamlessly transition between as many genres as I possible can, and still make it work. Your all-time favorite gig. The Vitamin Water release party in Valparaiso, Chile. I was DJing, Al Doyle from Hot Chip was DJing, Devendra Banhart was playing, and it was on this pier that went all the way out into the sea. Valparaiso is so beautiful, it was amazing. I was so fucked up...I could barely stand, I had to have people like prop me up in the DJ booth. The next day the promoters from the show were like we've never seen somebody DJ like that. I had to like go back the next morning to see what songs I actually played; I usually at least remember the beginning. What's your dream event? I think I just told you that. If I could travel...the only one good thing about DJing is getting paid to travel to different spots around the world. There are a lot of places in the world I want to go, but I don't think of it in terms DJing. I might do something in Buenos Aires...that would be a dream.