electronic music added to France’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

France has officially given electronic music its cultural seal of approval, adding the genre to the country’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list.

The decision follows renewed calls from President Emmanuel Macron to recognise French electronic music – also referred to as French touch – as a protected cultural form. Earlier this year, Macron pointed to the genre’s global influence while drawing comparisons with Germany’s recent success.

“I love Germany – you know how pro-European I am,” he said. “But we don’t have to take lessons from anyone. We are the inventors of electro. We have that French touch.”

According to Euro News, the listing is viewed as a crucial first step toward securing UNESCO heritage status, putting pioneering artists such as Daft Punk, Justice and Cassius in the same cultural conversation as traditional crafts, regional cuisines and folk music.

The move mirrors Germany’s recent recognition of Berlin techno, which was added to the country’s Intangible Heritage List in 2023 and subsequently received UNESCO status in 2024.

France’s own ICH list forms part of UNESCO’s wider convention, which allows signatory states to register “practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills that communities recognise as part of their cultural heritage”. The scope is intentionally broad, covering everything from music and craftsmanship to culinary traditions, games and sports – and now, electronic music.

Speaking on the landmark decision on Wednesday (17 December), French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said: “Electronic music has a rightful place in our national intangible heritage.” She also highlighted recent efforts by the ministry to label nightclubs as “places of artistic expression and celebration”.

Tommy Vaudecrane, president of Technopol – the association for the defence and promotion of electronic music, also described the listing as “an achievement and a historic milestone”.

“The first tears I shed for electronic music were under tear gas when it was demonised,” Vaudecrane told AFP. “The little tear I shed today is the joy of seeing our music finally listed as cultural heritage.”