'I had been around for a long time and what's funny is that I had already been DJing for 10 years prior to that award,' he said recently. 'I didn't feel so bad though as Derrick Carter won it the year before and he'd also been playing for a good 10 years before his award too, [but] I'm really grateful for the attention that the award got me.

'Before, I had been playing at a lot of warehouse parties and small nightclubs, and after receiving that award, it spread my name across the world.'

Francis' career began in a bikers' bar in his hometown of Leatherhead in Surrey, England, when he was picked to DJ basically because he was the only kid around with his own set of decks. A tough crowd to please apparently, but he soon had them moving. Hard work - and no small amount of talent - ensured it wasn't long until his smooth, seamless mixing style became in demand at some of Britain's biggest clubs.

And it was at one of the biggest of them all - London's Fabric - where the Francis legend was fully established when he became a pivotal figure in the development of tech-house. There's also been critically acclaimed releases such as 1998's Architecture, the famed Wiggle club night with Nathan Coles, trips to play clubs around Europe each weekend and tours of the world.

Francis (above) has been a regular visitor to Asia over the past decade and he returns on September 10 for an exclusive set down the stairs and inside our very own Homebase. And the secret to all that success? It's simple, he says. 'I have been blessed to be able to play whatever I like, and I think that that is important to maintain an individuality.'

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