In Montpellier on a holiday in 2013, while having dinner with our host and a group of her friends, we remember having said in conversation, "French music is awesome." This had elicited an immediate chortle from one of the persons at the table. "There is nothing called French music. We have African music here. We have American music. But there is no music we have that we can call our own," he had explained.

"But, what about the signature sound of Daft Punk? Didn't it give a different direction altogether to electronica in the mid-'90s? And what about the French new wave acts like Air and Phoenix? Wouldn't you call that sonic sensibility indigenous to your country?" we had asked silently, since we didn't think it was our place to contradict a local. But his assertion had made us think — is there indeed no style of music that the French can lay complete claim to? So when the opportunity arose two days ago, we voiced this unanswered question during a phone call with Christophe Hetier — who's part of a path-breaking French outfit called Telepopmusik — ahead of a solo DJ set he'll be playing in the city this evening.