French president Emmanuel Macron has voiced his support for French house music to be recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Speaking to France’s Radio FG in a prerecorded interview aired yesterday for the country’s Fête de la Musique celebration, Macron compared the cultural influence of the “French touch,” the popular term coined for the style of disco-influenced filter house and electro pioneered by artists like Daft Punk, Justice, DJ Mehdi, Cassius, David Guetta, and more, to that of Berlin techno, which was honored on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023.
“We’re going to do that too,” Macron told Radio FG’s Antoine Baduel, per Resident Advisor. “I love Germany, you know how pro-European I am, but we don’t need any lessons.”
Though he went on to incorrectly call France “the inventors of electro,” Macron underscored his point further: “We have this French touch, these artists, so yes.”
Addressing the rise of AI music later in the interview, he also emphasized the need for copyright protections, transparency, and a focus on using AI as a tool to support human artists.
Read a recap of Emmanuel Macron’s interview with Radio FG here.
Featured image courtesy: Sony Music Entertainment.
