Summary of French music genres
What kind of genres come to mind when you hear “French music”? If you like Western music, you might be able to name a few French bands or artists, but it’s not so easy to immediately explain the genres, is it? French music includes genres that originated in France, and even popular genres like rock and metal have developed in unique ways there—digging into them can be truly fascinating.
So this time, we’ve put together a summary of various French music genres, focusing mainly on popular music from the modern era onward.
Read this and you might become an expert on French music! Enjoy!
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Summary of French music genres (1–10)
One More TimeDaft Punk
If you like dance numbers or songs with a stylish vibe, you should definitely check out French house.
French house refers to house music that originated in France.
While American club music is often considered representative of house, French house samples and reworks those styles.
Overall, it’s not as intense as typical house music and tends to have a more relaxed feel.
LisztomaniaPhoenix
Rock music from France is called “French rock.” In the 1950s, jazz musician Boris Vian is said to have been a pioneer, and after his songs became hits, rock bands began springing up one after another.
However, it seems that at first the music was listened to mainly by a relatively older audience.
That situation changed dramatically in the 1980s.
Rock began attracting attention among young people, and many songs were produced that were more Americanized to suit their tastes.
Why not start by listening to songs from popular bands that have been active in recent years?
AFRO TRAP Part.7 (La Puissance)MHD
Afro-trap, to put it simply, is a new style of hip-hop that originated in France.
It’s like a blend of African traditional music and American hip-hop, characterized by tracks that use exotic-sounding beats.
It emerged around 2010, so its history is relatively short, but many classic songs have already come out of the genre.
Incidentally, the name “Afro-trap” is said to have been coined by the French rapper MHD.
Be sure to check out his tracks as well.
Summary of French music genres (11–20)
Minor SwingDjango Reinhardt
Jazz Manouche is a form of jazz developed uniquely by the Romani people.
It incorporates elements of chanson and musette, and has two defining characteristics.
First, it does not use drums or trumpets.
Second, it uses instruments like the accordion and clarinet instead.
As a result, it has a pop-like feel not found in American jazz and the like.
Incidentally, works that reinterpret classical music have also become popular in recent years.
AmazoniaGOJIRA
In recent years, a music genre that has been drawing intense attention worldwide is “French metal.” This refers to heavy metal from France.
Heavy metal bands began to emerge around the 1980s, but for many years none achieved major hits.
However, in the 2000s, Gojira started releasing a string of hit songs, and the French metal scene itself began to gain momentum.
Why not start by checking out Gojira, the act that ignited its popularity?
L’empire Du Côté ObscurIAM
We call Japanese hip-hop “Japanese hip-hop,” right? In the same way, we call hip-hop from France “French hip-hop.” It’s said that after hip-hop became popular in the United States, more artists in France started producing tracks.
At first, the basic practice was to perform and exchange songs on the streets, but after it began to be featured on the radio in the 1980s, it became a popular music genre.
The unique flow of the French language is also a highlight to listen for.
Infernal Galop / Orpheus in the UnderworldJacques Offenbach
Infernal Galop (Orpheus in the Underworld), which is well-loved in Japan as a sports day tune, is actually music in the cancan genre.
The cancan is used for dance performances where women kick their legs high, and it was often enjoyed in venues like restaurants and cafés.
It’s similar to the gallop, but it’s characterized by an even faster tempo and higher leg kicks.
You can find performance videos on YouTube and elsewhere, so be sure to check them out.