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Dillon Francis
Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), known professionally as DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He played a key role in popularizing moombahton and later developed its heavier variants, moombahcore and EDM trap.
Dillon Hart Francis was born on October 5, 1987, in Los Angeles, to an American father who works in alternative medicine, and a Serbian-Croatian mother. He described his upbringing as sheltered, noting he did not learn swear words until the age of 15 and was only allowed to watch television after viewing two hours of Sesame Street.
He attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he took a course that emphasized creative expression across various art forms. He then briefly enrolled at Santa Monica College before leaving to pursue a music career. With $500, he moved to Atlanta to work with a friend but later returned to Los Angeles to focus on DJing. He credited his parents for their support while also encouraging financial responsibility by requiring him to pay rent, which they later returned when he moved out.
Francis gained recognition after American producer Diplo noticed him, leading to their collaboration on the track "Que Que" featuring Maluca. His song "Masta Blasta," originally a 130 BPM house track, was transformed into a moombahton track inspired by Dutch DJ Munchi. In 2010, Francis released the Swashbuckler EP on Play Me Records. In 2012, he released singles including "I.D.G.A.F.O.S." and "Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)" and released music through labels such as Dim Mak Records, Mad Decent, and Owsla.
In February 2012, he became the first moombahton artist to reach number one on the Beatport releases chart with his EP Something, Something, Awesome. Later that year, he toured North America on the Wet & Reckless tour and supported Nero and Flux Pavilion on their respective tours.
In 2013, he announced the headlining Wurld Turr tour across the US and Canada and confirmed his debut album for release that year, though it was delayed. He was listed by MTV Clubland as an artist to watch in 2013 and performed at several major music festivals including Camp Bisco, Electric Daisy Carnival, Coachella, TomorrowWorld, Ultra, and Electric Zoo. Francis also formed the comedy duo Meowski666 with Kill the Noise. In October 2013, he ranked number 73 in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll.
Francis released his major-label debut album, Money Sucks, Friends Rule, on October 28, 2014, through Mad Decent and Columbia Records. The album featured collaborations with artists such as Twista, Brendon Urie, and Major Lazer. His single "Get Low" with DJ Snake was released in February 2014. He toured extensively in support of the album during the Friends Rule Tour.
In early 2015, Francis announced plans to produce a sketch show pilot for MTV. That year, he released the EP This Mixtape Is Fire, returning to his moombahton style with collaborations from Skrillex, Calvin Harris, and others. The EP reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
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Dillon Francis
Dillon Hart Francis (born October 5, 1987), known professionally as DJ Hanzel, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He played a key role in popularizing moombahton and later developed its heavier variants, moombahcore and EDM trap.
Dillon Hart Francis was born on October 5, 1987, in Los Angeles, to an American father who works in alternative medicine, and a Serbian-Croatian mother. He described his upbringing as sheltered, noting he did not learn swear words until the age of 15 and was only allowed to watch television after viewing two hours of Sesame Street.
He attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, where he took a course that emphasized creative expression across various art forms. He then briefly enrolled at Santa Monica College before leaving to pursue a music career. With $500, he moved to Atlanta to work with a friend but later returned to Los Angeles to focus on DJing. He credited his parents for their support while also encouraging financial responsibility by requiring him to pay rent, which they later returned when he moved out.
Francis gained recognition after American producer Diplo noticed him, leading to their collaboration on the track "Que Que" featuring Maluca. His song "Masta Blasta," originally a 130 BPM house track, was transformed into a moombahton track inspired by Dutch DJ Munchi. In 2010, Francis released the Swashbuckler EP on Play Me Records. In 2012, he released singles including "I.D.G.A.F.O.S." and "Bootleg Fireworks (Burning Up)" and released music through labels such as Dim Mak Records, Mad Decent, and Owsla.
In February 2012, he became the first moombahton artist to reach number one on the Beatport releases chart with his EP Something, Something, Awesome. Later that year, he toured North America on the Wet & Reckless tour and supported Nero and Flux Pavilion on their respective tours.
In 2013, he announced the headlining Wurld Turr tour across the US and Canada and confirmed his debut album for release that year, though it was delayed. He was listed by MTV Clubland as an artist to watch in 2013 and performed at several major music festivals including Camp Bisco, Electric Daisy Carnival, Coachella, TomorrowWorld, Ultra, and Electric Zoo. Francis also formed the comedy duo Meowski666 with Kill the Noise. In October 2013, he ranked number 73 in the DJ Mag Top 100 poll.
Francis released his major-label debut album, Money Sucks, Friends Rule, on October 28, 2014, through Mad Decent and Columbia Records. The album featured collaborations with artists such as Twista, Brendon Urie, and Major Lazer. His single "Get Low" with DJ Snake was released in February 2014. He toured extensively in support of the album during the Friends Rule Tour.
In early 2015, Francis announced plans to produce a sketch show pilot for MTV. That year, he released the EP This Mixtape Is Fire, returning to his moombahton style with collaborations from Skrillex, Calvin Harris, and others. The EP reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.