In the early 1990s, a new musical sound was beginning to emerge from France. It owed a debt to the house and techno from the US that had transformed dance music. But in Paris and beyond, those influences were being absorbed, distorted and reimagined into something increasingly French. At a time when many electronic labels across Western Europe were releasing and championing artists from Detroit and Chicago, French labels others began consciously drawing from a growing pool of homegrown producers, giving them a platform and, in the process, helping a distinctive new musical identity take shape. Among the figures at the centre of those early years was Ludovic Navarre, whose work and collaborations with Laurent Garnier, Shazz and others connected some of the threads that would feed into what later became known around the world as Le French Touch. This story goes much deeper than Daft Punk, Phoenix and the artists who would eventually break into the mainstream. For this listening session, Warped DJ goes beneath the surface — into the melodic, spacey techno of early Navarre, the dubby, low-slung funk of Motorbass, the soothing, sample-heavy trip-hop of Kid Loco, the lush, emotional soundscapes of Jay Alanski, the innovative, playful world of Pépé Bradock, the wobbly, abrasive sonics of Mr Oizo, and much more. There was no single French Touch sound. It could be raw and filtered, warm and soulful, strange and psychedelic. It can be argued that, during those early stages in the 90s, France became one of the world's benchmarks for underground electronic music that was innovative, essential and accessible. Everything seemed possible — live jazz slipped into house, hip-hop aesthetics met techno, records could feel elegant one moment and completely unhinged the next. What began with inspiration from across the Atlantic became something of its own — and would eventually travel back out into the world, helping change the cultural landscape of electronic music. This is not simply the familiar story of French Touch told through its biggest records. It is an exploration of the labels, producers and ideas beneath the surface — and of a period when French electronic music discovered its own voice. Curated and mixed by Warped DJ.