Jan Carlo DeFan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jan Carlo DeFan (born December 26, 1977 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico), former CEO and co-founder of Silverlight Records, now chairs the board of directors for Abbywho, Inc., (an entertainment conglomerate consisting of 2 record labels, a publishing company, a management firm, a booking agency, an advertising firm and a music education consultancy consortium).
An executive, producer, director and musician as well as manager and only sibling of Mexican singer-songwriter Elan Sara Defan.
Having produced and directed a wide range of artists and musicians the likes of Jim Keltner (John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd), Leland Sklar (Phil Collins, Genesis), Mark Howard (U2, Peter Gabriel, REM), Slash (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Fabrizio Grossi (Toto, Steve Vai, Ice T, Dave Navarro), Jeff Poe (Alan Parsons, Bob Dylan, Yes, Michael Jackson) as well as having worked alongside Richard Sweret ( Sarah Mclachlan, N'Sync, Ace of Base), Josh Sarubin (Avril Lavigne) and Pete Gambarg (producer on Santana's Supernatural).
Jan Carlo began to play the guitar at age 5 and started recording at age 10 in a makeshift studio he constructed with help from his father, made from old cassette and 1/4 inch "reel to reel" tape machines. Jan Carlo grew up listening to his parents vinyl collection and then, trying to make records that sounded like them.
At sixteen he began working as a record company scout and opened up his first production and management company with his sister Elan.
At age 17, he became an A&R executive for Warner Music Mexico (the youngest Record Executive in Latin American music history), working closely on album projects with a number of major Latin performers, including Café Tacuba, Francisco Cespedes, La Ley, El Tri and Maná.
At age 21 after having one of the most successful years in Warner Music Mexico's sales history, Jan Carlo decided to move on and concentrate on Elan’s carrier.
Jan Carlo and Elan co-founded Silverlight Records (now Abbywho, Inc). A safe house, for talents as unique as Elan, “When Elan and I opened our first management and production company, we wanted to let an artist be an artist, instead of trying to ‘mold’ or ‘make’ them into one. We would help them be the best that they could be. I grew up with timeless. That’s the kind of music I wanted to make.”
In 2003 Silverlight Records released Street Child (Elan’s debut album) through Sony Music Mexico and broke several records for radio airplay throughout Latin America.
In 2005 Abbywho, Inc. and Fermatta Collage of Music (the Latin American affiliate to Berklee Collage of Music) which is one of the most prestigious universities in Latin America of which Elan is the official spokesperson, joined forces in a project for music education and development of educational music programs in Mexico and Latin America. Blending the creative and educational experience of institutions like Fermatta & Berklee with the backing and support of an international entertainment conglomerate such as Abbywho, Inc. Jan Carlo lectures there often to students attending the prestigious campus, and gives seminars on International Music Business every year.
