French House Mafia
My latest musical crush: French House Mafia, a French DJ duo based in San Francisco. Their style? Electro music, driven by instruments and sometimes your favorite hits (my favorite: Freed From Desire by Gala), creatively reimagined. Discovered at Paname for the Bastille Day party, and then at Burning Man, surrounded by a dozen Burners, this duo gets us dancing and smiling, wherever they perform.
Who’s Behind French House Mafia?
Behind these unique names and boundless energy are two passionate individuals:
Sylouan, originally from Nantes, is the pedagogical director at the Alliance Française de San Francisco on weekends and the other half of the duo the rest of the time. He arrived in San Francisco three years ago as a French teacher, after teaching French to migrants in Paris.
Clovis, originally from Paris, discovered San Francisco through engineering and business studies. By day, he works on Deep Tech projects at Business France. His passion for music, born seven years ago in Paris, led him to the decks in France, Korea, and now the US.
The Duo
Music lovers, these two often cross paths at parties and at 1015 Folsom. They shared their first set at Paris 75 in January and officially launched as French House Mafia at Paname in April, where Liam, the owner, gave them free rein. Success! The crowd loved it and danced all night. Since then, the duo has performed a dozen sets, from private parties to Amélie, Burning Man, and even in a bunker. On Friday, December 12, the duo joins Lavern and Le Crew at 1015 Folsom; highly symbolic for them, as this venue has inspired them so much.
Their Philosophy? They love the challenge of mixing as a duo: improvising while being prepared. It’s a mix of luck, hard work, and a loyal, demanding audience. Their most successful remix? Désenchantée by Mylène Farmer, which always gets the crowd going.
With their parties, they aim to connect people through dance and music, giving back to the city that welcomed them and offered them a community, mixing Frenchies, Americans, and people from everywhere.
At MerciSF, we love initiatives that create connections, and we LOVE to dance! As Clovis says: “If we can’t make them dance, we can make them sing.” Their ambition? For their parties to be a place where people meet, whether they’ve lived in San Francisco for decades or just arrived. “We want to bring people together and create friendships that last a lifetime.”
What’s Next? Clovis and Sylouan are working on a podcast project focused on DJs. Otherwise, they want to keep people dancing and would love to perform a set in Paris; to energize their community there as sharing is caring.
See you on the dance floor this Friday!
MerciSF Rapid Fire
Favorite place to DJ:
- Sylouan: Paname, it’s easy, we feel at home there, and it’s always a great vibe. First time at Paname, first time on professional club DJ equipment… now, I feel right at home.
- Clovis: House parties, when people didn’t plan to dance and end up doing so because of our music.
Most stressful moment:
- An event organized at a café on a Sunday afternoon: 100 people we didn’t know, new schedule and venue, everything was different. The only certainty: our music is great.
What you miss most about France:
- Clovis: Music like acid techno, and parties that end at 6 a.m.
- Sylouan: My family and friends; I’m very happy here, but I miss them.
If you left San Francisco, what would you miss the most?
- Clovis: The sun.
- Sylouan: The community. So much happens here. It’s not the best nightlife, but probably the best community.
Favorite meal in San Francisco:
- Clovis & Sylouan: Quesadillas at 4 a.m. at La Oxacana or Taqueria Cancun in Mission.
French food you miss the most:
- Clovis: Everything, especially cheese.
- Sylouan: Fish.
