Popof

Alexandre Paounov, known since his early years as Popof, is a French DJ and electronic music producer whose background is rooted in the tekno scene and the culture of free parties. Working under several aliases over time, he has been associated with strands of techno and tech house, including minimal and deep minimal approaches.

Paounov emerged from France’s underground electronic network in the 1990s, a milieu shaped by informal events and sound-system culture. He is an original member of the collective Heretik System, which he joined in 1995. That affiliation places him within a long-running French tekno lineage, where collectives and crews often function as both creative units and organizing structures for parties and releases.

As Popof, he has continued to operate primarily as a DJ and producer, with his work generally situated in techno and related club styles. His discography and appearances are also linked to a range of alternate names, including Popov, Gas, Le Sourire Des Hommes, Dj Amon, and his own given name, Alexandre Paounov, reflecting the common electronic-music practice of separating projects by context, sound, or period.