The Cinematic Wave of French Electronic Music (2010–2025)

1. From the club to the screen

Earlier generations of French producers were already connected to visual culture – from Jarre’s large-scale outdoor shows to Daft Punk’s videos and films. But in the 2010s, the relationship between image and sound became even more central.

Clips by The Blaze, Rone or Thylacine often felt like short movies: carefully written, cast and shot. The music and the image were conceived together rather than one illustrating the other.

2. Key artists of the cinematic wave

A few names have become reference points for this period:

Rone built a catalogue of albums that move between techno, ambient and modern classical influences. His work with orchestras, choreographers and filmmakers has made him a central figure of this crossover space between club culture and contemporary art.

The Blaze are as much directors as they are producers. Videos like Territory, Virile or Heaven explore identity, masculinity and belonging with a rare emotional intensity. The music is slow-burning, almost ritualistic, designed to leave space for the faces and stories on screen.

Thylacine often writes albums as travel diaries, composing on the move and using trains, landscapes or countries as narrative frameworks. His live shows and visuals reinforce this sense of journey.

French 79 and NTO bring a melodic, wide-screen quality to synth-driven tracks that can work both in clubs and in headphones. Their music has strong themes, clear arcs and a sense of brightness that makes it easy to sync with images.

3. A new relationship to emotion

The cinematic wave is not only about visuals. It also reflects a shift in how producers handle emotion. Instead of hiding feelings behind irony or noise, many tracks embrace melancholy, nostalgia and tenderness in a direct way. Harmonies are richer, arrangements more patient, and breakdowns sometimes feel closer to film scores than to classic dance-music templates.

4. Beyond genres: collaborations and hybrid projects

Many of these artists work with choreographers, theatre directors, galleries or fashion brands. Electronic music becomes a flexible medium that can live in clubs, museums or theatres. This is particularly visible in live shows that blend lighting design, video, scenography and sometimes live instruments.

This hybrid approach resonates with a long tradition in French culture: blurring the lines between high art and popular forms, between experimental work and accessible emotions.

5. How to explore the cinematic wave

A good way to dive into this movement is simply to listen and watch:

• Rone – albums like Tohu Bohu, Creatures or Room With A View
• The Blaze – tracks and videos such as Territory, Virile, Heaven
• Thylacine – Transsiberrian, Roads
• French 79 – Diamond Veins, Joshua
• NTO – Apnea, Invisible

Many of these tracks also appear in the French Touch 1977–2025 playlist, where they sit next to earlier pioneers and French Touch classics, making it easier to hear continuities across decades.

6. A space for new voices

The cinematic wave is not a closed chapter. New producers and composers are entering the field every year, often coming from film, contemporary dance or sound design. They treat electronic music as a toolbox for building atmospheres and stories rather than a single genre.

This site’s main guide and related pages are meant as a starting point for exploring that living, evolving landscape.