"one could argue that De Leon is the ambassador of breaks, spreading a gospel of fun through ear-popping blends and remixes." - morethanastance.com

"Chicago has spawned one of the illest break droppers in recent history,..." - Ill Skills Magazine

"He produced music, mixed it as he played and even managed to incorporate a little live guitar into his set.  It was breathtaking work that can't just be found anywhere else." - Northern Star

"Franco de Leon...scores the show on a set of turntables and an acoustic guitar, has an unbelievable ear for rhythm." - Chicago Journal

"...and when it comes to Chicago hip-hop, he's worked with some of the city's best,..." - Chicago Sun-Times

Biography

Franco de Leon is probably best known as a break dance DJ, and is often referred to as the “b-boy equivalent of Girl Talk.”  By introducing Chicago-style quick-mixing, mash-up, and live PA techniques to the music played during break dance competitions, and combining it with his thorough understanding of fundamental funk-breaks mixing, dj set building, and crowd reading, Franco de Leon’s reputation as a premiere name in B-boy Breaks Music quickly grew.  He now regularly performs as the music headliner at major break dancing competitions throughout North America, at events like Montreal’s JFL-Battle-JPR, where the world’s greatest break dancers travel from around the globe to compete to his music selections.  Franco de Leon has released six mixed CD compilations (including the amazingly popular Hot Butter Breaks Series) that continue to sell steadily to fans around the world, as well as creating choreography mixes for some of the circuits most well known groups, like the winners of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Season 2 Winners Supercr3w.

In Chicago, Franco de Leon is a regular feature of the nightclub scene, with several select shows a month.  He can be found at some of the highest profile venues, and/or simply the hippest places to be: from parties in the uber-hip Wicker Park Area, to Chicago nightlife staples like Wrigleyville’s Smart Bar, to the new, super posh, live venues, like The Shrine in the burgeoning South Loop.  Besides his reputation as a pheonomenal DJ (impeccable blending technique, superb crowd reading, interesting and appealing track selection, as well as great stage presence), its also common to see de Leon playing live guitar over his mixes, remixing music on the fly, and breaking the barriers of genre.  He has opened for international stars like DJ Qbert (the pioneer of turntablism, who has twice requested to play tag team sets with de Leon in the last eight months), Derrick Carter (a Chicago house legend), and Rhymefest (Grammy Award Winner).

Franco de Leon is quickly developing a reputation as a talented music producer.  Taking his years of studio experience as a record engineer, where he worked for the likes of John Popper (Blues Traveler, Grammy Award Winner), Rhymefest (Grammy Award Winner), Just Blaze (Grammy Award Winner, Hip Hop Producer for Jay-Z), and Malik Yusef (Grammy Award Winner), he is cultivating a growing following in several different genres, including Electronic, Dance, and Hip Hop/Rap.  This can be heard on his latest EP release, From Here to There, a work that showcases different studio work created over the last four years.

Franco de Leon also performs Live PA shows, where he combines his ability to take a turntable, a guitar, a keyboard, MPC drum pads, and a laptop, to recreate his own music live, along with his ability to remix music in the moment, and packages it into a non-stop DJ set – much like RJD2 meets Girl Talk meets J.U.S.T.I.C.E. meets Santana.

Franco de Leon has extensive experience as a composer and sound designer, with credited work for film, television, live theater, fashion shows and web productions, as well as session musician work for various artists.  His client list is extensive, and includes entities such as NBC Television’s Taste Television Program, to Merrel Clothing’s Spring Fashion Show, to multiple productions at The Steppenwolf Theater.

Beyond his live performance and music production, Franco de Leon still enjoys competition.  He has placed highly, either as a finalist or semi-finalist, in a slew of music remix and production competitions, including events such as Red Bull’s International Beat Battle and Lollapalooza’s Last Band Standing Contest.

The media has also taken note of Franco de Leon, with his name appearing in well known publications, including The Chicago Tribune (with a feature story written on him, as well as several critic’s choice column appearances), The Chicago Reader (with several critic’s choice nods), as well as cover story features in magazines, like Ill Skills, as well as several internet video features, college publications, local papers, blogs, and on-line articles.

Finally, Franco de Leon hosts and mixes live on his own internet radio show, Franco de Leon’s Thursday Lunch Live Mix, which can be heard every Thursday, Central Standard Time, from 1 pm to 3 pm, at http://www.ChiTownRecordBangers.com.

Franco de Leon enjoys sponsorship from Konee Rok Productions, Hand2Hand Promotion, Free Soul Tribe, and Juss Rock Underground Clothing.

1. •Lava Lounge (Respect The DJ: The Last Stand, Chicago, IL)
   

2. •The Florida Hotel and Conference Center at the Florida Mall (Who Can Roast the Most 11, Orlando, IL)
   

3. •Murasaki Lounge (Chicago, IL)
   

4. •Gramaphone Records (Instore Release Event - Chicago, IL)
   

5. •Smart Bar (Smart Battle - Chicago, IL)
   

6. •Juniors (Chicago, IL)
   

7. •Sonotheque (Flipside88 - Chicago, IL)
   

8. •Metropolis (JFL - Battle - JFR, Montreal, Quebec)
   

9. •The Shrine (Licorice/Deep Sexy Resident - Chicago, IL)
   

10. •Goodman Atwood Community Center (Breaking the Law 6 - Madison, WI)
    

11. •Avila (The Hundred Dollar Dance Party/Preparty, IL)
    

12. •Swig (Birthday Exploder - Chicago, IL)
    

13. •University of Illinois Chicago (Battle of the Inner Circle - Chicago, IL)
    

14. •New York University (Breaks U: Sophomore Year - New York, NY)
    

15. •A Mano Tratorria (Grand Reopening - Chicago, IL)
    

16. •Crocodile (Birthday Exploder/Mash - Chicago, IL)
    

17. •Butterfly Social Club (Birthday Exploder 2009/Release Party/Birthday Exploder/The Dirty Social featuring Franco de Leon - Chicago, IL)
    

18. •Zentra (Free Soul 2 on 2/Free Soul Zentra Cypher Edition/Free Soul X Christmas Afterparty/Free Soul Afterparty/Free Soul Reloaded/Free Soul - Chicago, IL)
    

19. •Russel Industrial Center (Mighty 4 Detroit - Detroit, MI)
    

20. •Alternatives (Hellaween III/Hellaween II/Power In Numbers/Hellaween/Art-B-Q - Chicago, IL)
    

21. •Chicago River Boat (Chicago, IL)
    

22. •The Central Mission (Falling With Style 4 - St. Paul, MN)
    

23. •Cats Meow (Chicago, IL)
    

24. •Dragonfly (Chicago, IL)
    

25. •Teatro Olympia (Just For Laughs Festival [JFL - Battle - JPL] Finals - Montreal, Canada)
    

26. •JFL - Battle - JPL Canadian East Coast Finals (Montreal, Canada)
    

27. •MOCT (The Rick Jameson Experience - Milwaukee, WI)
    

28. •Sokol Spirit (Battle Anywear 2 - Brookfield, IL)
    

29. •Mellen Mountain Music Fest (Undergound Elevated Stage - Mellen, Wisconsin)
    

30. •Cicero Stadium (Battle Anywear/City Vs. City 4 - Cicero, IL)
    

31. •McCormick Place (Hot Import Nights - Chicago, IL)
    

32. •Subterranean (Cold Sweat/Rhythm and Booze/606 Tuesdays - Chicago, IL)
    

33. •Iroquis River Boat (Milwaukee, WI)
    

34. •Wise Fools (Chicago, IL)
    

35. •Jun Bar (Chitownrecordbangers present Franco de Leon -     Chicago, IL)
    

36. •DePaul University (Battle To Be Known 3/Hype Dance Competition - Chicago, IL)
    

37. •Devons Place (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

38. •The Armory Chicago Store (Chicago, IL)
    

39. •Hot Pop Gallery (Milwaukee, WI)
    

40. •Jackalop Lounj (The Rick Jameson Experience - Milwaukee, WI)
    

41. •V Bar (Milwaukee, WI)
    

42. •MIT (Breakonomics - Boston, MA)
    

43. •St. Andrews Hall (Hip Hop Olympx - Detroit , MI)
    

44. •Northern Lights Lounge (Detroit, MI)
    

45. •U of I at Champaign (Il Breaks 6/Il Breaks 5 - Champaign, IL)
    

46. •Northeastern University Auditorium Hall (Chicago, IL)
    

47. •Western Michigan University Bernard Center (Carboard Kickout II/Cardboard Kickout - Kalamazoo, MI)
    

48. •University of Michigan Union Ballroom (Master The Art 6/Master The Art/ Battle of Ann Arbor III/Master the Art, 4 Edition/Battle of Ann Arbor 4 - Ann Arbor, MI)
    

49. •ChiTownRecordBangers.com Studio (Chicago, IL)
    

50. •Northern University (Dekalb, IL)
    

51. •Rocketown (Bashville Stampede - Nashville, TN)
    

52. •Funky Buddha Lounge (Chicago, IL)
    

53. •Annie's (Might 4: Scribble Jam Edition - Cincinnati, OH)
    

54. •Ramada Inn Ballroom (Glendale Heights, IL)
    

55. •VFW (FreeSoul Break Fest - Lincoln Park, MI)
    

56. •Pontiac Cafe (Chicago, IL)
    

57. •Blue Island Recreation Center (A New Hope - Blue Island, IL)
    

58. •Privilege Ultra Lounge (Schaumburg, IL)
    

59. •Place Holder Gallery (Chicago, IL)
    

60. •The Mix (Chicago, IL)
    

61. •Cell Space (2 Man Platoon Finals - San Francisco, CA)
    

62. •House of Storms (Above The Clouds - Oakland, CA)
    

63. •CUE Space (Oakland, CA)
    

64. •Tsuki (Chicago, IL)
    

65. •Darkroom (Chicago, IL)
    

66. •Wild Hare (Chicago, IL)
    

67. •Chicago Electric Company (Chicago, IL)
    

68. •The District (Chicago, IL)
    

69. •Filter (Chicago, IL)
    

70. •Suite Lounge (Chicago, IL)
    

71. •Rodan (Living Sundays/The Messaround - Chicago, IL)
    

72. •Cozmos (Chicago, IL)
    

73. •Park Place Grand Ballroom (IBE USA Bboy Championship/City Vs. City 5/City Vs. City 3 - Countryside, IL)
    

74. •The Puma Store (Chicago, IL)
    

75. •Aratani/Japan American Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
    

76. •Jump-Start Performance Company (San Antonio, TX)
    

77. •Harold Washingtion Cultural Center (Chicago, IL)
    

78. •Uncommon Ground (Chicago, IL)
    

79. •The Metro (The Throne featuring Q-Bert/Hip Hop for Hunger - Chicago, IL)
    

80. •Outskirtz (Chicago, IL)
    

81. •The Union (Chicago, IL)
    

82. •Encore Liquid Lounge (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

83. •D'Vine (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

84. •Street Side Cafe (Harmonics - Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

85. •Glow (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

86. •Big Wig (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

87. •Avenues (Chicago, IL - Residency)
    

88. •Brighton Music Fest (Brighton, UK)
    

89. •Cherry Red (Chicago, IL)
    

90. •Schlactof (Bremen, Germany)
    

91. •klub27 (Berlin, Germany)
    

92. •Links Hall (Chicago, IL)
    

93. •My Bar (Chicago, IL)
    

94. •Prelude (Chicago, IL)
    

95. •ILL Noize (Chicago, IL)
    

96. •Northbrook YMCA (City Vs. City 2/Chicago Vs. Milwaukee - Northbrook, IL)
    

1. •Self (The Remix) (USA)
   

2. •CoTingle (Western Europe, Midwest USA)
   

3. •Cog In the Freak Plan (Western Europe, Midwest USA)
   

Choreography/Sound Design/Composition/Music Accompaniment

1. •Red Bull, Get It On Record ("Dance Like No Ones Watching", 2009, Contest Winner)
   

2. •Chicago Tribe (Hype 2009)
   

3. •Darrel Jones
   

4. •The Seldoms, Choreography by Darrel Jones
   

5. •The Who Can Roast the Most 7 DVD (KoneeRok Productions)
   

6. •Supercrew (R16 Korea Sparkling Competition Music)
   

7. •Merrel Fashion Show Spring 2008 (Grand Rapids, MI)
   

8. •Until We Find Each Other (Steppenwolf Theater - Chicago, IL)
   

9. •We Don't Have A Name (International Tanzwochen - Munster, Germany)
   

10. •Free Street Theater (Chicago, IL)
    

1. •From Here To There (2009)
   

2. •Hot Butter Breaks 2: Rocker's Delight (2009)
   

3. •Hot Butter Breaks 2: Rocker's Delight Limited Edition (2008)
   

4. •White Label - House EP (2008)
   

5. •The Who Can Roast the Most 7 Soundtrack and The Joy/Fussy (2008)
   

6. •Hot Butter Breaks (2007)
   

7. •The Juss Rock Break Beat Sessions: Vol. 1 (2007)
   

8. •The Completely Unofficial and Unauthorized IBE USA BBoy Championship Soundtrack (2006)
   

1. •Juss Rock
   

2. •Green Tee Project
   

competitions

1. •2009 Battle Extravaganza DJ Mixtape Battle (Winner)
   

2. •Lollapalooza 2009 Last Band Standing (Semi-finalist)
   

3. •2006 Red Bull Beat Battle International Finals (Finalist -First Runner Up)
   

4. •2008 Chicago Scribble Jam Beat Battle  (Semifinalist)
   

5. • DJ Tech Tools (5th Place)
   

Press