Interview - Bob Sinclar: “We Lost the Dance”

Before his two California shows — October 31 at SOUND in Los Angeles and November 1 at Audio San Francisco — we sat down with Bob Sinclar, a global icon of the French Touch. Between reinvention, transmission, and groove without drugs, he talks openly about today’s music scene, his night at La Main Jaune, and his deep desire to make people truly dance again.

MerciSF: You recently played again at La Main Jaune in Paris, a legendary club from the 1980s. How was that night?

Bob Sinclar: It was incredible. La Main Jaune was where I used to go when I was 15 or 16. The walls still sweat funk! They offered me a “demolition party” before the place gets fully renovated. I decided to play what I’ve been recycling for years — the sounds that inspired me, brought back to life. People didn’t expect it. There was a strong sense of nostalgia, an electric shock of energy. I rediscovered that excitement we sometimes lose in an over-formatted scene.

MerciSF: You often talk about how the music scene has become formatted. What do you mean by that?

Bob Sinclar: Today, anyone can become a DJ. What young people are looking for is no longer music — it’s attention: buzz, visibility, followers. It ends up formatting everyone. There’s no raw creativity anymore. When you follow a trend, you’re always the last one. I need inspiration, new sounds, new colors. Over the past ten years, I feel like music has gone a bit flat. So I recycle, I revisit — that’s my way of reigniting the flame.

MerciSF: Your latest single, “Drama on the Dance Floor,” sounds very joyful. Do you still enjoy creating?
Bob Sinclar: Of course! But I’m talking about the roots. The music that shaped me — disco, rap, house, funk — was all born from chaos, pain, and a desire for freedom. Today everything feels smoother. My mission is to bring that past energy, freshness, and joyful transgression back into my sets.

MerciSF: You said something powerful: “We lost the dance.” What do you mean by that?
Bob Sinclar: We literally lost the dance. People are on their phones, filming instead of living. If people are bored, they film. A DJ isn’t there to be watched — he’s there to make people dance. Mixing is an energy conversation. You send something out, the crowd sends it back. It’s a wave, almost an auditory orgasm. We need to bring that back.

MerciSF: You are very active on social media, often with humor. Is that compatible with your wish to “bring back the dance”?
Bob Sinclar: It’s paradoxical, yes. Social media helps me spread my music, but I play a character there — like an actor. People often confuse the persona with the person. I use humor, culture, self-irony — a bit like Belmondo — to get messages across. But on stage, I want phones to go dark and the music to speak.

MerciSF: You’ve inspired several generations of DJs. What inspires you today?
Bob Sinclar: My children. My daughter Paloma, who’s 18, is starting to DJ. She wants to recycle old sounds, like I did when I started. She grew up with my music and has an incredible ear. She’s the one pushing me to rethink music. Otherwise, I still listen to Luciano — the only DJ I’d go see today, because he has a real musical culture.

MerciSF: You often mention San Francisco as a key city for disco and house culture. Why?
Bob Sinclar: Because disco survived here thanks to the gay community. When “Disco Demolition Day” in Chicago tried to kill disco in 1979, it was San Francisco, New York, and Chicago that brought it back with “high energy” and house. It’s an essential city in the history of dance music. And Audio SF is the Rolls-Royce of clubs: perfect sound, pure vibe.

MerciSF: You live at 100 miles an hour, always touring. How do you keep up that pace?
Bob Sinclar: I’ve never drunk, smoked, or taken drugs — that’s true. To last, you have to live like a professional athlete: discipline, exercise, healthy eating. The secret is consistency — and passion. Because DJing is a sport too!

MerciSF: You sometimes talk about a “natural high.” Do you experience that when you play?
Bob Sinclar: Absolutely. When you hold the crowd through your musical energy, it’s pure adrenaline. No substances needed. Just music, sound, and people. It’s a state of grace.

MerciSF: A final word for the California audience?
Bob Sinclar: Yes: dance! Forget your phones, let go. Come to feel, not to film. And above all… “We lost the dance,” so let’s find it again together!