Dorian Gamon, better known as DJ Baguette, is mixing records surrounded by freshly baked baguettes, clapping, jumping up and down and encouraging customers to this Paris, France bakery to dance.
He’s getting the party started not in a club, but in the little corner bakery Le Grenier de Felix in Paris’s 15th arrondissement.
“Is this a disco or a bakery?” asks a Belgian tourist in surprise. Others enter the shop already swaying, clapping or even dancing a bit themselves despite the unusual setting.
Clad in orange-tinted floral sunglasses and the typically French white-and-blue striped top, Gamon doesn’t look like a conventional DJ.
He started making music years ago, when he was just 15. Only later did he come up with the idea of DJing in bakeries.
Why? “Because that really is the place where all generations come together,” he says. “Bread is sacred in our French culture, and I told myself that you have to give more than just bread – a bit of good cheer. That’s what we need these days.”
Gamon has made his unusual idea into a “Tour de France”, he says. He mainly travels to small towns and plays in artisanal bakeries.
The DJ, who promotes his gigs online, also wants to champion small businesses and encourage young people to buy their bread at local spots.
The move comes as the French bakers’ association also seeks to attract young customers to artisan bakeries, aided by influencers.
His Paris bakery gig drew many curious customers with the upbeat music audible from the side streets.
Passers-by stop to watch with curiosity and women performed a spontaneous little dance routine on the pavement.
One mother says the music makes her want to pop into the shop. Inside, many children are bobbing to the beat, and Margaux, a senior member of the baker’s family, is beaming as she dances with DJ Baguette.
Gamon’s aim is to “spread this joy to every bakery in France”. If you’re heading to France, see if you can time your trip to correspond with one of his tour dates.
And the musician isn’t stopping at the national border. In late June, he plans to visit Neckarsulm in Germany, where he again will set up his mixing desk among the loaves and rolls. – dpa
