According to him, electronic music is “a space where minorities express themselves.” “This scene lives outside such forms of recognition,” he believes.

“Kavinsky, AIR... We are talking about people who are mostly bourgeois or children of bourgeois,” he adds.

“There is something paradoxical about the President of the Republic paying tribute to a DJ while his Ministry of the Interior is cracking down on raves,” he notes.

Since the enactment of the RIPOST law, organizing and participating in unapproved musical events has become a criminal offense.

Last weekend, several hundred party enthusiasts ignored the prefecture's ban and gathered for a music event near Cannes, risking serious sanctions.

French Touch: Still in Shape?

While promoting French Touch's application for inclusion in UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in June 2025, Emmanuel Macron drew a parallel with the recognition of the Berlin techno scene.

Stéphane Jourdan believes this is merely a “gesture for show” and “politicking” that “changes nothing.” He points out that in Germany, they protect not techno as a genre, but the clubs that sustain its life.

“French Touch does not need such protection: it has no clubs, no venues of its own. French Touch is everywhere,” he concludes.

And there are more than enough signs of its viability. “David Guetta is one of the artists with the most streams today,” he adds.

According to Stéphane Jourdan, the conclusion is clear: French Touch “remains lively and does not need guardianship.”

“Small Musical Moments”

Sven Löwe is a DJ who radically changed his life. Today he is a doctor of French philology at a Spanish university, but in the 1990s he was one of the key figures in the Paris garage house scene.

“Of course, I saw that French Touch was a global success,” he admits.

“The typical sound of French Touch still exists, but is no longer perceived as something new,” he believes.

“That’s the history of music,” Stéphane Jourdan adds.

“They did it — and did it excellently, but I think, musically, we have exhausted this theme.”

The Curse of French Touch

Musical movements often live in cycles of 20–30 years: there are “revivals or repeated celebrations” of a direction that was powerful two decades prior.

“The tragedy” surrounding French Touch intensifies fans' emotions: the premature deaths of DJ Mehdi and Philippe Zdar, followed by Kavinsky's death.

“For me, French Touch is primarily the first door into the world of music,” says one fan.

Even if the music itself is “no longer at the forefront,” the history of French Touch fuels a certain national pride.

“Young people who are now 20 have an interest in this. But does this mean there is a truly mass movement? No, I don’t think so,” he adds.

“French Touch is in Their Blood”

There are also heirs in the literal sense: those who grew up in families of people who embodied this movement.

In February 2026, during a back-to-back set with Fred again.. and former Daft Punk member Thomas Bangalter at Alexandra Palace in London, his son Roksan Bangalter stood off to the side of the stage among several guests.

Unbeknownst to him, Thomas Bangalter included in the set a vocal part of a song that his son wrote under the pseudonym Roxb at the age of twelve.

He layered this vocal over the classic track “Can’t Do Without You” by Canadian musician Caribou, who was also present on stage. Footage captured from the audience showed Roksan's emotions as he was stunned to see his father perform his own composition in front of thousands of spectators. Thomas Bangalter, who had not performed in the UK for nearly 18 years, thus gave a nod to the next generation.

While Thomas Bangalter's son remains in the shadows for now, the children of Bob Sinclar — Paloma and Raphaël Le Friant — and David Guetta's son Elvis are also trying their hand at being DJs.

This summer, all three had a busy touring schedule: Paris, London, Ibiza, Mykonos, and of course the French Riviera.

Festival founder JC Murray says he wants to bring “the best of what I see in the world — both in music and organization” to this place that is so important to him and his family.

“When an artist moves me, I immediately envision them on the Citadel stage,” he continues in conversation with Euronews.

During the third edition of the festival last July, Elvis Guetta and Raphaël Le Friant opened the second day. Speaking of their background, JC mentions a “new generation, certainly, but one that does not shy away from its heritage and does not lock itself in it.”

“At the same time, French Touch is in their blood: their fathers are part of this story,” he adds. He included them in the lineup primarily because he heard how they play: “They are doing an amazing job (...). That convinced me, not their last names.”

And since we are talking about family ties: they were joined for a B3B performance by Jean-Marc Murray, the organizer's cousin and the first of the three to start mixing — around the age of 13. This “close people, childhood friends” shared a particularly important performance this year.

“But they made it to the lineup primarily for who they are becoming now.”