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Beats & Pride: The Queer Roots of House and Techno

Explain The Sound - Episode 3 of 6

Duration: 32 min

"Explain The Sound " is a MansA Radio podcast dedicated to the African-descendant legacies of electronic music. This documentary series delves into the archives, gives a voice to pioneers, and examines the mechanisms of erasure, appropriation, and transmission that run through the history of house and techno.

Published on July 6, 2026

House and techno were shaped by Black and queer communities seeking spaces to live, create, and build community. In Chicago, Detroit, and New York, clubs became sanctuaries where partying was also a political act, a space for collective care, and a place of empowerment.

In this third episode of *Explain The Sound*, Marie-Maxime Dricot explores the connections between electronic music and queer cultures. She traces the history of clubs—from Stonewall to the Parisian nightlife at Le Boy, Le Queen, and Le Pulp—to show how these venues have enabled generations of artists and marginalized communities to assert themselves and invent new ways of partying.

The episode also shows how the narratives surrounding house and techno have gradually become whitewashed and masculinized, to the point of erasing the Black and queer voices that shaped them. It examines how festivals, clubs, media outlets, and platforms continue to perpetuate these imbalances, while queerness sometimes becomes more of a marketing ploy than a genuine sharing of power.

While electronic music today champions values of inclusion, this episode serves as a reminder that memory is not a nostalgic gesture but a strategic tool. Preserving this history, redistributing power, and empowering Black and queer artists to make decisions, organize, and pass on their legacy are essential for the party to maintain its political significance.

Directed by
Marie-Maxime Dricot
starring Laure Togola and Jérôme Caron

Produced by
MansA – Maison des Mondes Africains

Clearance / Archive Documentation
Kahina Kaci-Renard

Archive credits
© INA – Institut National de l’Audiovisuel – Les Actualités télévisées

Track List

View the complete tracklist

Theo Parrish – First Floor Metaphor
Theo Parrish – Heal Yourself and Move
Black Box – Ride On Time
Gwen Guthrie – Peanut Butter (Larry Levan Remix)
Frankie Knuckles – Only The Strong Survive (Club Mix)
Frankie Knuckles – You Can’t Hide (Club Mix)
Moonshine – Monkey Effects
Black Box – Ride On Time
Jesse Saunders – On & On
Inner City – Good Life (CJ’s Living Good Club Mix)
Ken Collier – Tribute
Romanthony – Let Me Show You Love (Quick Dub)
Kim English – Missing You
Syreeta – Can’t Shake Your Love (Larry Levan Extended 12″ Mix)
Ron Carroll Introducing The RC Project – The Sermon (Ronapella)
Loleatta Holloway – Love Sensation (Original Shep Pettibone 12″ Remix)
House To House feat. Kym Mazelle – Taste My Love
Ten City – That’s the Way Love Is (Underground Dub)
Adeva – In and Out My Life (Acapella)
LSDXOXO – Satisfy
Honey Dijon, Sadie Walker & Channel Tres – Show Me Some Love feat. Sadie Walker (Extended Mix)
Moodyman – Black Mahogani
Santana – Waiting
Manu Dibango – Soul Makossa
The Rotary Connection – Sunshine of Your Love
Young-Holt Unlimited – Young & Holtful
Barrabas – Woman
Kaytranada – Seemingly
Jackie Queens – Love Will Wait (Extended Mix)
Technotronic – Pump Up the Jam (B-Room Mix)
Double Dee – Found Love
Photon – Give A Little Love (The Wild Pitch Mix)
The Bucketheads – The Bomb (These Sounds Fall Into My Mind)
Fast Eddie – Make Some Noise (Smooth Extended Mix)
Derrick Carter & Luke Solomon – Spoo
B12 – Obtuse
MAW – Tranz
Black Box – Everybody, Everybody
Daft Punk – Around the World
Kiddy Smile – Spank (Extended Mix)
rRoxymore – Forward Flamingo
rRoxymore – Fragmented Dreams
Toh Imago – Sainte Barbe (rRoxymore Remix)
rRoxymore – Moodified
Larry Heard – Can You Feel It (Instrumental)
Rosario, Inami & Jackie Queens – African Woman
CeCe Rogers – Someday (Accainstrumental)
Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body


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