A guide to Marseille's dance underground in 10 tracks, curated by Abstraxion

Marseilles-hailing Abstraxion has been operating in the city’s electronic underground for more than two decades, pushing a diverse array of dance music spanning classic trance and Italo disco to rave-fuelled techno and dynamic global club styles across his releases and curation.

Real name Harold Boué and also operating under the alias Lion's Drums, he co-founded the Biologic Records label alongside Brussels’ DC Salas, offering up sonically diverse releases from local peers and bridging the international scenes that the two founders operate in. Boué also helms events such as the queer party series Mouillette in Marseilles to Bisou in Stockholm, the city where he now splits his time, to Encore Encore in France’s first organic village Correns, which pairs on-point billing with eco-conscious organisation.

Fresh off releasing his new EP ‘Void Sequence’ which draws on '90s euphoria, with a remix EP featuring Bliss Inc, Maruwa, and Eoin to follow, Abstraxion shares his insight into the inspiring sounds emerging from Marseilles.

"These 10 tracks offer a glimpse into the current pulse of Marseille’s electronic underground: diverse, hybrid, emotional, and fiercely independent. From psychedelic disco to post-reggaeton, experimental techno to ambient healing rituals, this is the sound of a scene in motion," says Abstraxion.

"We love Biensüre like we love afternoon apéros on terracotta-tiled terraces, a walk in TNs through the Calanques, or a modular jam session wired into the rocks of Les Goudes. Since 2020, the Marseille-based trio Milan Petrucci, Hakan Toprak and Anselme Kavoukdjian have been crafting stories of exile, friendship, and impossible love over psychedelic Anatolian disco grooves. Their sound pulses with Turkish/Kurdish musical traditions and the energy of Marseille’s multicultural flair blending heritage and modernity with unmistakable style. ‘Eyvah Eyvah’, featured on the Encore Encore festival’s first compilation, is a perfect snapshot of their debut album’s spirit: joyful and melancholic."

"For Moroccan vocalist and artist Vanda Forte and Marseille-based producer Sinclair Ringenbach, lockdown wasn’t about sourdough or TikTok dances. Instead, they sparked a long-distance musical flirtation across the Mediterranean, which evolved into the genre-defying project Caïn و Muchi. Their sound blends electronic textures with deep roots in North African and Middle Eastern traditions, all laced with crystalline vocals and hypnotic percussion. ‘Salat’, released on my label Biologic Records as part of the Marseille–Brussels (‘MRS - BXL’) compilation, is a standout."

"Heads up: this is my side project — a trio born from the sunniest city. I teamed up with Schön Paul, one of Marseille’s most unpredictable beatmakers, and Brazilian singer Perlla, who brings raw energy straight from Rio’s baile funk scene. ‘Chupa e Sai’ is pure fire: wild percussive techno meets post-reggaeton and distorted acid stabs, all anchored by Perlla’s fearless vocal delivery. A new track is coming in June, featuring a remix by the legendary BADSISTA. It’s sweaty, chaotic, playful — like a warehouse set during a Marseille summer."

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"When two of Marseille’s most hyperactive underground forces Camille Chenal (AKA Mila Necchella) and Charles Sinz (AKA Since Charles, Akzidance) join forces, you get Pristine Pit. On ‘Acid Dish’, featured on the Encore Encore compilation, they bring a wild, heady fusion of acid synths, dubby textures, broken rhythms, and warped vocals. Their live setup is a playground of machines, effects, and pure energy."

"This one’s a true Marseille (and Correns) favourite. Mega Lune is the cosmic duo of Faustine Reibau-Nicoli and Timothée Bernelle — two producers who crossed paths between classical conservatory, French pop songwriting and modular techno. ‘Radio’, also featured on the Encore Encore compilation, is a hypnotic slice of analog dream-pop, where vintage synths melt into French vocals and soft rave nostalgia. It’s romantic, trippy, and totally unique."

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"A slow-burning dark electro cut that creeps under your skin. ‘Alarm’ pulses with tension — stripped-back percussion, eerie atmospheres, and a steady EBM-influenced rhythm that feels both intimate and unsettling. Oras Elone, part of Marseille’s queer techno crew Discordance, brings raw elegance to her productions: never showy, always potent. Released on Biologic Records as part of the Marseille–Brussels (‘MRS - BXL’) compilation, the track captures a new generation’s appetite for hybrid, emotional club music — built for bodies, but haunted by emotion."

"Metaphore Collectif isn’t just a label — it’s a living organism. Part club, part soundsystem, part radical political space, it holds a unique place in Marseille’s independent scene. ‘Reconnectez-Vous’ by Akzidance, one of its core members, is raw and urgent: pounding kicks, spiralling synths, and spoken-word samples that sound like a call-to-arms. Released on Metaphore Industrie, the track embodies everything the collective stands for — autonomy, intensity, resistance. It’s music built for fog and sweat."

"Baroque counterpoint meets hyperpop maximalism. In ‘PHOENIX’, Marseille-based artist STELIOS.EXE crafts a sonic resurrection inspired by the medieval poem Ave Phoenice, retelling the eternal cycle of death and rebirth through saturated synths, fractured rhythms, and operatic intensity. A classically trained composer in medieval and baroque music, Stelios reimagines these traditions through radical electronic sound design — bending genres, expectations, and bodies along the way. His work is deeply rooted in queer aesthetics, merging pop exuberance with intellectual rigour. Arca meets Bach in a Marseille basement. He’ll perform live with his flute (yes, really) at Encore Encore this year — expect transcendence."

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"Man/ipulate, now based in Marseille, brings a fresh take on progressive house with a clear nod to the '90s. This track, remixed by Alex Kassian, has become a staple in my sets, capturing that nostalgic yet timeless energy that keeps the dancefloor alive. The Ode To Sunshine Mix perfectly blends euphoric melodies with driving rhythms."

"Let’s wrap things up with a full-pressure workout. ‘Bass Injection’, from my EP ‘Void Sequence’, was made with the club in mind — distorted synths, militant drums, and an energy that builds and explodes. It’s a nod to the rave and industrial sounds I grew up on, but filtered through the Marseille night: raw, tense, and euphoric all at once. It’s the kind of track I imagine playing at 4:AM somewhere deep and loud — a final shot of adrenaline before the lights come on."

‘Void Sequence’ by Abstraxion is out now via Biologic Records, buy it here