| Superstar DJ Keoki | |
| Birth Name: | George Lopez |
| Alias: | Keoki Franconi |
| Birth Date: | 23 October 1966 |
| Birth Place: | El Salvador |
| Origin: | Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Genre: | Electronic |
| Occupation: | Musician, producer, DJ |
| Years Active: | 1980s–present |
George Lopez[1] (born October 23, 1966), known by his stage name DJ Keoki or Keoki Franconi, is a Salvadoran-American electronic musician and DJ. Born in El Salvador and raised in Hawaii, Keoki began advertising himself as "superstar" shortly after moving to New York City.[2]
Keoki Franconi was born in El Salvador. He moved to Kihei, Maui, when he was 8.[2] After graduating from Kailua High School, he moved to the mainland to study at an airline school in California. Franconi worked at several airlines in New York City, among them the now defunct Trans World Airlines.[3] He also was a busboy at Danceteria club during this time.[2] That was where he began to start DJing. He recalls,
See main article: Michael Alig. While in New York City, he met and began a romance with Michael Alig.[4] Alig rose to international notability as the head of the Club Kids, a group of diverse people who would dress in costumes each night and form parties in New York and across the United States.
Dance music writer Jennifer Warner remembers,
While DJing at "Disco 2000", Alig's party night at the Limelight, Franconi was alleged to have passed out on the turntables while performing a set. He has completely denied the allegation, stating that it indeed never happened.[5]
Franconi had a successful career during the late 1990s and early 2000s as DJ Keoki; he released a number of CDs over that decade and was hired to play for thousands of people at massive raves. In 2006 and 2007, he toured in the United States and Europe on the Club Party Monster Tour, a tribute to the film Party Monster (2003) as well as a nod to the Club Kid scene that shot him into stardom. During the tour, he was known for dressing extravagantly, wearing makeup, and sporting a number of tattoos.
Keoki toured and performed at The Viper Room in Los Angeles, California, Shag in Denver, Colorado, Club Tantra in Tampa, Florida, VIA Afterhours in Houston, Texas, Amazura Concert Hall in Queens, New York, Hard Rock Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also makes annual appearances in Moscow at the Gaudi Fest during Halloween, and has played at the Love Parade in Berlin, Germany. In January 2017, he was arrested in New York City after a man in his apartment died of a drug overdose, when the officers entering his apartment found it contained illegal narcotics. Following the incident, he entered a rehabilitation program and announced the cancellation of all of his upcoming events.[6]
1991 – DJ Keoki Presents Disco 2000 – Volume One (12")
1991 – DJ Keoki Presents Disco 2000 – Volume Two (12")
1993 – We Are One
1994 – Journeys By DJ1995 – All Mixed Up
1996 – Disco Death Race 2000
1996 – The Transatlantic Move
1997 – Ego Trip
1998 – Inevitable Alien Nation
1998 – Altered Ego Trip (The Remix Album)
2000 – djmixed.com/keoki
2001 – Jealousy (also released in a Limited Edition 2XCD version with bonus CD w/ exclusive remixes)
2002 – Keokiclash
2002 – Misdirected Jealousy: The Remix Album
2003 – Kill The DJ
2004 – The Great Soundclash Swindle
2010 – Talking to Yourself
2019 – Born to Attack
. James St. James. Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland. 1999. August 11, 1999. 2222 . Simon & Schuster. 0-684-85764-2.