DJ Frank - Presuntos Implacables (1997)
For lovers of the old school Playero Style Reggaeton, those who went beyond the Big Boy and El General music of the day may be familiar with DJ Frank as he was considered one of the top DJ's/Producers in the game during the era. Known for his collaborations with DJ Joe and OG Black, his most internationally recognized work was "Time To Kill II" in 2003 which featured big hits from Mexicano 777, Don Omar, Hector El Father, Don Chezina, Ivy Queen among others... And perhaps even more known is Guatauba 2000 from 1999 which though it sold low due to limited distribution within Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republicn and parts of the USA; the hit single "Reggaetonic" by Don Chezina and Rey Pirin is one of the most famous Reggaeton songs from the 90's and continues to gain much traction over 25 years later. DJ Frank produced "Reggaetonic" alongside the great DJ Joe.
DJ Frank was known for his creative sampling over strong Reggaeton Dembow and/or Rap beats. In 1997 DJ Frank was on a tear releasing 2 of his most critically acclaimed albums in "The Cream 2 El Nuevo Imperio" and "The Cream 3 La Maldicion Del Sarcofago". Those albums produced such classics as "Sabio Como Clinton" by Cavalucci which features a sped up sample of Nas' "Affirmative Action", "Criminal" by Alberto Stylee, both Nicky Jam's tracks on The Cream 2, "Titulo" by Maicol & Manuel, and of course Hector & Tito's malianteo classic from The Cream 3 which technically has no title.
But DJ Frank that very same year put out a much lesser known album. One that never received any certifications and would classify as obscure. That is "Presuntos Implacables". Now around this time "Time To Kill 1" was announced and promoted in the Reggaeton magazines of the day. There was a long delay as that album was expected to come out in early 98. "Time To Kill 1" is another classic Reggaeton production fans reminisce about today.
If I'm not mistaken, "Presuntos Implacables" came out in between The Cream 2 and 3. It was designed to build up hype for the upcoming "Time To Kill". Though DJ Frank produced The Cream 2 and 3 in their entirety, back in the day they were considered either an Alex Gargolas album who used to go by Alex Da' Cream or an HDM (another exec) product who also executively produced the first "The Cream" which was musically produced by DJ Rafy 9 Fingers. So "Presuntos Implacables" was the official follow up to DJ Frank's first album, 1996's "Getto Style Sin Compacion".
I don't know much about how DJ Frank was discovered. One of these days I will see his interview on "La Biblioteca Del Genero" to learn more. What I do know is that he and OG Black developed a friendship/business partnership which sadly ended on a sour note over DJ Frank's artist Yanuri. I am not aware if they have made up by now. Either way, OG Black co-exec produced every DJ Frank album besides this one, until his production with Yanuri in 2001 "Major League". But it appears, that except for "Time To Kill 1", OG Black needed help to finance those albums from HDM Productions, Alex Gargolas, and even Yanuri on The Cream 2 and 3.
Because of DJ Frank's work relationship with OG Black, he was associated with the legendary 'Escuadron Del Panico' and frequently worked with the crew's artists such as DJ Joe, Master Joe, OG Black, Guayo Man, Doble Impacto and others... DJ Frank made a lot of history within the culture but has become one of those forgotten and overlooked names over time except by dedicated connoisseurs. Regardless, his sound was very influential and danceable.
"Presuntos Implacabales" was done in a vein nearly identical to "The Cream 2" only with better sound quality. "The Cream 2" was originally recorded for cassette from acetates. Because of that, a lot of crackling is noticeable in the mixes. It seems they used better equipment for "Presuntos Implacables" as though the production style is virtually identical, those sound defects are barely noticeable. Despite that, The Cream 2 is considered the better production and to some, the best work in DJ Frank's career, I personally am partial to The Cream 3 and "Time To Kill 1".
Still, "Presuntos Implacables" is quite the hidden gem. There are a couple of big names such as Rey Pirin, Nicky Jam, Point Breakers, Ruben Sam, Camaleon and Las Guanabanas. Participants from The Cream albums like Eazy Jay, Guayo Man, Yanuri and Jason have solid contributions. The only performer I am unfamiliar with is 'El Daddy' but he did a solid job with his effort. Las Guanabanas surprisingly have one of the weaker efforts in a Rap Version of their song from the classic album "The Legend" which isn't bad but not as good as one would expect.
Overall, "Presuntos Implacables" is almost as good as anything DJ Frank did over his illustrious career. I don't know what happened to him. He remained an active dj in Puerto Rico. And he was still alive and in good health pre Covid. Though I haven't heard anything of him in recent years. He did retire but not before putting out his most successful album "Time To Kill II" smack dab in the middle of the 'Mas Flow Era', in the year of 2003. It sold over 50 thousand units independently, the only DJ Frank album to do so where he was the main producer. Frank worked on Gargolas 1-3 which all sold over 50 thousand, but he only does a couple of beats on each. Then in 2004 "Time To Kill II" received international distribution via Universal Latino under the title "The Power of Reggaeton" and presumably did well.
What was most likely, is that Frank chose to bow out of the spotlight while he was on top. He came out with "Time To Kill II" just as prices in Reggaeton were going up and it became more expensive to put out a various artist album with known talent. He probably produced most of it in 2002 while prices were still affordable and the Reggaeton boom of the mid 2000's caused the album to sell well as it had many big names. Probably instead of throwing good money into bad, Frank most likely invested his Reggaeton earnings elsewhere, possibly into equipment as a live event dj where it appears he remained successful. Kudos to DJ Frank, OG Black and all those who made these classic works of yesteryear possible. Rating: ***1/2 out of 5 Stars
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