Scene
France has officially added electronic music to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, marking a major cultural milestone and a stepping stone toward potential recognition by UNESCO.
The national list of intangible heritage is part of France’s commitment under the UNESCO Convention to document and protect cultural expressions that communities consider essential to their identity. These extend beyond traditional arts and crafts to include music, performance practices, local customs, and shared knowledge.
According to the French Ministry of Culture, electronic music “has a rightful place in our national intangible heritage.” The ministry has also introduced a new certification for nightclubs, recognizing them as important cultural venues, spaces of artistic expression and celebration.
This decision is seen as a first step toward nominating French electronic music – especially the influential “French Touch” movement – for listing on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron publicly advocated for such international recognition, emphasizing France’s historical role in the development of electronic music.
French Touch is not defined by a single sound but rather by its roots in France and its broad influence across styles including house, dance, electro, disco, and sampling. Legendary artists such as Daft Punk, Étienne de Crécy, Bob Sinclar, AIR, and Cassius helped shape the movement, blending genres and pushing electronic music into the global mainstream.
For many within the electronic music community, this official recognition represents long‑awaited validation. Tommy Vaudecrane, president of the advocacy group Technopol and organizer of Paris’s annual Techno Parade since 1998, described the decision as a historic achievement after years of the genre being misunderstood or marginalized.
Electronic music was one of fourteen new elements added to France’s intangible heritage list this week. Others include Parisian haute couture, the agricultural fairs of Doubs, Debaa (a traditional form of song and dance from Mayotte), and Chjam’è rispondi, a poetic contest from Corsica.
