Paying tribute to the influential sound crafted by Daft Punk, Cassius, Stardust, Bob Sinclar, AIR, Justice, among others.
French electronic music has been officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a landmark moment for the country’s club culture and electronic scene.
The decision builds on growing institutional support within France. In 2024, Minister of Culture Rachida Dati announced that nightclubs would be recognised as “cultural actors” under new legislation, following sustained lobbying from organisations such as Culture Nuit, which represents influential venues including Rex Club and Le Badaboum.
UNESCO updates its Intangible Cultural Heritage register annually, adding new cultural “practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills” that reflect living traditions from across the globe.
To be considered, a practice must be linked to a defined territory and recognised by its community as part of its cultural identity. This year, UNESCO approved 14 new French entries, ranging from Parisian haute couture to Debaa, a song-and-dance tradition from Mayotte, as well as Chjam’è rispondi, the Corsican art of poetic exchange.
The electronic music designation centres on the so-called “French touch,” a broad and influential movement shaped by artists such as Daft Punk, Bob Sinclar, AIR, Étienne de Crécy, Cassius, Modjo, Justice, and Stardust. President Emmanuel Macron endorsed the recognition earlier this year, stating that France could legitimately claim to have invented electro.
For many within the scene, the announcement carried strong emotional weight. Tommy Vaudecrane, founder of the Paris Techno Parade and president of Technopol, an organisation that promotes and defends electronic music, told AFP that the culture had long been marginalised. “I shed my first tears for electronic music under tear gas, when it was being demonised. Today, those tears are of joy, seeing our music finally acknowledged as heritage,” he said.
UNESCO recognition takes this validation a step further, although its practical consequences remain open to discussion. Berlin Techno was added to the list in 2023 after a prolonged campaign.
