France grants electronic music Intangible Cultural Heritage status
It comes a year after Berlin techno secured UNESCO status, and calls for French touch to be granted the same
Electronic music has officially been added to France's intangible cultural heritage (ICH) list, following calls from President Emmanuel Macron for French touch to be granted UNESCO cultural heritage status.
According to Euro News, it marks a first step in the entry of French touch into gaining UNESCO heritage status to recognise artists like Daft Punk, Justice, and Cassius for their pioneering work, similar to the addition of Berlin techno in 2024.
Speaking on the landmark recognition on Wednesday (December 17), French Culture Minister Rachida Dati said “Electronic music has a rightful place in our national intangible heritage.”
Read this next: Macron calls for French electronic music to receive UNESCO cultural heritage status
It comes just a few months after Macron spoke on the impact of French touch in an interview with Fréquence Gaie, where he said that French electronic music has a similar cultural status to Berlin techno, promising: “We’re going to do that too."
"I love Germany – you know how pro-European I am," he said at the time. "But we don’t have to take lessons from anyone. We are the inventors of electro. We have that French touch."
The list aims to support and protect music, art and other impactful creative outlets, with the ministry recently making a label for nightclubs, which were dubbed “places of artistic expression and celebration”.
Read this next: LCD Soundsystem bassist says Daft Punk’s ‘Homework’ inspired the band’s early work
Last March, techno in Berlin was officially recognised by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage following a campaign to protect its status, as a collective of DJs, festival organisers and fans shared fears that the culture wouldn't survive without it.
Rave The Planet began lobbying German authorities to apply for intangible cultural heritage status of Berlin techno in 2021, backed by Matthias Roeingh aka Dr Motte, the DJ who founded Love Parade.
[Via Euro News]
Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor, follow her on Twitter
