Macron wants French techno music recognised by Unesco
Emmanuel Macron wants French house music to be recognised on Unesco's intangible heritage list.
Citing Berlin's techno culture, which was added to Germany's national intangible cultural heritage list in 2024, the president said French house music, also known as Touch, is just as influential and deserves Unesco recognition.
'We're going to do that too. I love Germany, you know how European I am, but we don't need any lessons. We are inventors of electro. We have that French Touch,' he told music station FG on the show 'Happy Hour'.
It means French house artists such as Daft Punk, David Guetta and Bob Sinclar could be added to Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
Mr Macon's comments coincided with Fête de la Musique — or Music Day — a free outdoor music festival celebrated at bars, cafes and public spaces across France every year on the summer solstice.
A music style that originated in the 1990s, French house is identifiable by the use of filtered and phased effects on vocals, the blending of funk, disco and house elements, and the sampling of tracks from the 1970s and early 1980s.
Some of the most recognised tracks in the genre include Phoenix's 1999 hit Heatwave and Daft Punk's 1998 chart topper Music Sounds Better With You.
French house was given a place of honour at the Paris Olympics last year, when artists such as Kavinsky, Phoenix and Air performed at the closing ceremony.
Mr Macron's wife, Brigitte, 72, is said to be an electronic music fan. In an interview with Le Parisien, Kavinsky said he accepted an invitation extended by the first lady to perform at the Élysée Palace for the 2018 edition of Music Day.
'This lovely woman knows all my songs and listens to me every time she flies. Emmanuel Macron listens to classical music, Schubert, Wagner, but he was very nice,' the artist said in a 2022 interview.
Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list includes traditions, knowledge and expressions that shape cultural identity. It can include oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, knowledge and craftsmanship.
Other French traditions that have received Unesco status in recent years include the skills of Parisian zinc roofers, French falconry, bear festivities in the Pyrenees and baguette bakers.
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