Page 13 - WRY-Magazine-Nov2024

COVER INTERVIEW > DILLON FRANCIS - THIS INTERVIEW IS FIRE TOO

Although fans may spot some differences in the styles and
sounds of both EPs, ‘This Mixtape Is Fire TOO’ is the ultimate
encapsulation of who he was in 2015 and ‘who I am now’, as
he puts it perfectly. Getting a peek into the world of Dillon
Francis, we picked his brain about the mixtape, his wacky
marketing and that undeniable brilliant sense of humour.

You’ve just very recently released ‘This Mixtape Is Fire
TOO’, the followup to 2015’s ‘This Mixtape Is Fire’. What do
you think has changed the most about your style from
2015 to now?
I don’t think too much has changed about my style, but I
do think I’ve branched out a fair amount in terms of genres
I have experimented with, collaborators and my side
projects. This album is pretty much a perfect encapsulation
of the DJ I was in 2015 and who I am now.

One thing that has remained consistent between the two
mixtapes is the variety of collaborators, this time pulling in
the likes of ILLENIUM, Alesso, Marten Hørger and more.

Can you tell us any stories that stood out to you when
working with them?
This album is a good mix of old friends and new
collaborators – Alesso is a longtime friend and it was really
fun to get back in the studio with him for ‘Free.’ Making the
‘Rainy’ video with REI AMI was an incredible experience.
Same with ‘LA on Acid’ with Good Times Ahead – it was
awesome to see the trippy visuals for that come to life.

What was it that sparked the creativity to make a follow
up to the original ‘This Mixtape Is Fire’?

I wanted to show people that moombahton is still
fundamental to the music I play but that I’ve also expanded
in all these different directions that I’m really excited about.

The project also encapsulates many different genres
whilst still staying true to the signature Dillon Francis
energy that fans love and expect.
This was my goal! I love validation.

We also have to talk about the music video for Arden
Jones collab ‘I’m My Only Friend’ which starred Billy Zane.
Can you talk us through how this came to fruition?

I’ve always loved Billy Zane in Dead Calm and Back to the
Future and one day Arden and I were talking about how
dope it would be to get him in the video for this song. My
team reached out to his team and the rest is history!

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