Jan Carlo DeFan Kristal is an American educator, record producer, music executive & philanthropist. Mr. DeFan has worked with artists such as Slash, Warren Haynes. Jim Keltner, Leland Sklar, Steve Lukather, Nathan East, Marcus Miller and Doug Sax to name a few. Mr. DeFan was the youngest A&R manager for Warner Brothers Music, making him the youngest record executive in Latin MusicBusiness history to have held such a position. He was lead guitar player, producer and manager for the independent rock bandELAN with his younger sister ELAN/Shy Porter, the first and most successful independent english language bands at that time, having released 8 albums, 20 top 10 music videos, 10 of them having gone #1 on MTV Latin, Telehit as well as Australian and European music video channels. ELAN has sold more than 2 million records to date. He was the first President of the International Association of Music Colleges and Universities. DeFan also Chaired the Board for the Fermatta University Center Latin America’s largest and most prestigious professional music University, the first center for higher learning approved by the Secretariat of Public Education for Mexico to grant bachelor's and master's degrees in professional contemporary music. The Fermatta University Center has successfully graduated some of Latin America’s biggest music superstars who’s graduates have accumulated more than 80 Grammys, Latin Grammys, Oscars and Cannes Film Festival Awards.
Other art-forms
DeFan is also an avid student of different artistic disciplines including photography and the martial arts. He earned his black belt in Goju-Ryu Karate at the age of 14. He also earned a black belt in American Kickboxing. As a younger man DeFan competed in several international open martial arts tournaments for both Sport Karate International and the National Blackbelt Legue. Having fought in Europe and two world championships and won more than 50 international tournaments, DeFan held 5 world titles in open martial arts championships. DeFan has been practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over a decade.
Motorcycle Enthusiast
DeFan has crossed the United States and Canada both east and west bound and has also travelled from the southern most western tip through the Yukon Territory in Canada to Anchorage, Alaska on Motorcycle, with his father, uncle, sister & brother. In an interview for BMW Motorrad Store TV he stated “traveling and exploring this was is the closes thing to traveling on horseback”.
Personal Life
He is married to his wife Denise and the couple have two boys. He lives in a forest.
