Djoon

The loft that looks at the viaduct

When Afshin Assadian first crossed the venue at 22 boulevard Vincent Auriol, the high ceilings, the immense glass windows, and the aerial metro of line 6 gave him back the image of a New York loft. That first impression, in a 13th district then not very nocturnal, between Austerlitz and the National Library, explains Djoon: a hybrid venue that was born in 2003 as a restaurant, bar, and dancefloor, and that ended up imposing itself as the soulful temple of Paris. The name comes from a Persian word that translates as soul.

A dancefloor for those who come to dance

The club claims to be a refuge for dancers and music lovers. The space, a two-story loft joined by a staircase, mixes generous volumes, a bar, and a fresco on the ceiling that already attracted attention in the chronicles of 2004. By day, light enters through the windows; by night, the same volume becomes a dancefloor. The programming—soul, funk, house, disco, afro house—does not chase seasonal fashion: Assadian defines it as soulful in a broad sense, music with soul and without gender boundaries. The audience, cosmopolitan and mixed, is part of the story: people who come to dance, not to show off.

From Body & Soul to afro house

Kerri Chandler, Louie Vega, Joe Claussell, Danny Krivit, Theo Parrish, Lil' Louis, The Martinez Brothers, Osunlade, or Tony Humphries have passed through those decks. The club itself claims to have often been the first date in Paris or Europe for Black Coffee, Dixon, Âme, or Levon Vincent, and a vector of afro house on the continent. Nights like Greg Gauthier's Dance Culture, the founder's My Grooves, or visits from Body & Soul (Claussell, François K, and Krivit) fixed that line. In 2013, the label The Djoon Experience was born, with compilations mixed by Black Coffee and Joe Claussell, to take the same idea out of the 13th: music with soul.

The same venue, two generations

Today Afshin and his son Adrien Assadian remain at the head of the venue. Djoon publishes merchandising, broadcasts Djoon Radio, and uploads long sets recorded in the room—from Mike Dunn to DISCOvery nights—on YouTube and SoundCloud. The 2026 agenda, with My Grooves and The Djoon Experience, confirms that it is not a touring brand: it is a physical club on Boulevard Vincent Auriol, open mostly from Friday to Sunday, where the groove rules until closing.