REVIEW: Dillon Francis

Dillon
Dillon Francis can be seen looking small amidst a large stage at the Royal Oak Music Theatre.

I had high expectations walking through the doors of the Royal Oak Music Theatre Wednesday night to see Dillon Francis kill the game with his different musical personalities. He can do it all. I was pleasantly surprised to hear literally everything Dillon can be good at. From cranking up the deep house (“now, we will gone one deeper”), consisting of heavy pulsating base, to mixing in raps, and then trapping out to extremely twerkable music, his full range of style was explored. The range of genres is well demonstrated through his current album and previous work. Whereas many electronic music producers stick to one niche, he is one of the few that constantly prove his versatility at the mixing table.

Dillon kept the energy of the house high all night with his expert production skills in his musical choices and his visuals done by his visual team. Funny, exciting, and overall trippy images were projected on his elaborate set up that featured screens in the shape of mountainous rocks with him in the middle of it. The energy was contagious, and I could not stop moving to the beat. By starting off with “Not Butter” which features a looping “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter,” he set the set tone on the up. He played the entirety of his “Money Sucks, Friends Rule” album which features many collaborations with producers like Martin Garrix on “Set Me Free” and Major Lazer and Stylo G on “We Can Make it Bounce.” By having the artistic freedom to mix up his awesome album, you could easily tell that he wasn’t just pressing play up on stage. He created a unique experience for the audience based on the energy of the crowd and what kind of atmosphere he wanted us to experience. My favorite part of the night was when he remixed Ginuwine’s “Pony,” a 1990s sensual classic and super fun to dance to.

The interesting part about his production were that dedicated fans could instantly recognize what part of his persona he was emulating through his musical choies. The trap beats and inclusion of hip-hop, drum n’ bass, and rap are DJ Rich As F**k’s specialty, while DJ Hanzel is devoted to deep house. What Dillon does outside of production is super smart. Through highly entertaining and scripted videos, he shows his fans that he can do a lot more than making fun music. He’s a great self-promoter, the furthest thing from shy, and it only adds to the larger than life feeling you get when you see him in person. He loves to have fun, which makes you want to follow along and have fun too.

After his signature “Get Low” featuring DJ Snake, Dillon ended with “Love in the Middle of a Fire Fight,” a perfect anthem ending to the show that put everyone in a satisfied mood. I was left with the album ringing through my head on the way home, but it was extremely worth it.

 

PREVIEW: Dillon Francis

Dillon’s promotional banner for his tour

Who: Dillon Francis with Trippy Turle and DJ Hoodboi
What: Money Sucks, Friends Rule Tour
When: December 3, doors open at 8 p.m.
Where: Royal Oak Music Theatre
Tickets: $29.50 plus service fees or $40 at the door

Dillon Francis is coming to Royal Oak to headline his Money Sucks, Friends Rule Tour and perform music off of his new album of the same name. One of his best albums to date, Dillon keeps you engaged throughout his wonderfully crafted electronic music tracks. You might have heard his collaboration with DJ Snake called “Get Low” that goes “get low when the whistle blow” and proceeds into a hypnotic beat. Get low with Dillon tomorrow night for this not-to-be-missed night out, and excellent mid-week break from studying for finals. Dance your stresses away.

For tickets, visit the AXS website here. Like Dillon on Facebook. Turn up for his Soundcloud. His YouTube channel is also quite the comedic feat and highly recommended on any day where you need a lift.