French electronic music added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list

French electronic music has been added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Each year, the United Nations organisation adds new "practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills” to an ever-growing directory.

To be eligible, practices must be geographically defined and recognised by the community as being part of cultural heritage. In total, 14 new French '"items" have been added, ranging from Parisian haute couture to Debaa, a song and dance style specific to Mayotte, and Chjam'è rispondi - aka Corsican poetic jousting.

The inclusion of French electronic music centres on so-called French touch, a broad style developed and nurtured by artists such as Daft Punk, Bob Sinclair, AIR, Étienne de Crécy, Cassius, Modjo, Justice and Stardust. President Emmanuel Macron called for its recognition earlier this year by claiming "we are the inventors of electro".

“The first tears I shed for electronic music were under tear gas when it was demonised. The little tear I shed today is the joy of seeing our music finally listed as cultural heritage,” said Tommy Vaudecrane, founder of the Paris Techno Parade and President of Technopol, an association which works to defend and promote electronic music, in an interview with AFP.

Last year, France's Minister of Culture Rachida Dati announced that nightclubs would be recognised as "cultural actors" under new legislation. This followed years of lobbying by a number of entities, including Culture Nuit, a union comprising landmark venues like Rex Club and Le Badaboum.

Addition to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list takes this one step further, although the practical benefits remain the subject of debate. In 2023, Berlin techno was inaugurated after a long-running campaign. A year earlier, DJ Mag published an in-depth feature on what this means for the preservation of venues and infrastructure.