Into French disco? Oui. Paris nightlife and music, unlocked. 🇫🇷

Paris has turned the volume back up. From the rebirth of house music echoing through Pigalle’s neon corners to the vinyl-spun grooves floating across the Seine, the city’s creative pulse is louder—and more lively—than ever.

Off the Record is our newsletter series exploring the world’s most musically inclined metropolises—made possible with our friends at Cassette, the go-to agency in music curation for hospitality. From lobby playlists to rooftop DJ sets, they’re the tastemakers behind the soundtracks that connect brands with their guests.

In Track 02, Cassette curator Liz Schenck channels the French apéro hour through nu-disco beats that mirror the city’s early-evening glow. Then we tune in to Charlotte Fever, the rising Parisian duo bridging indie pop and electro chic, as they share their go-to venues, record shops, and hidden rooftops where the capital’s new sound takes shape.

Your backstage pass to the modern Paris music scene awaits.

In this edit of The Producer’s Cut, we’re back with Liz Schenck—Cassette’s Paris-based curator with roots in New York and Atlanta. Over the past decade, she’s shaped the soundscapes of hotels and restaurants around the world and continues to push the boundaries of what a playlist can do at Cassette. From coffee haunts to late-night vinyl bars, she scores 72 hours in Paris like only a true local could.

You have 72 hours in Paris—where’s the first place you go to set the tone for your stay?

“Rem’s! No contest . . . I’m as much of a coffee nerd as I am a music nerd; anyone who knows me will tell you that my second passion after music is coffee. Their wellness lattes are a highlight too, offering options like pistachio milk, which is delicious in a latte and a little uncommon as far as alternative milks go.”

If you had just one evening in Paris and could choose one venue you couldn’t miss, where is it, and what’s the sound?

“It would be Cadence, a modern French restaurant on the edge of the 11th. Cadence is a restaurant with a modern spin on French cuisine…The owners are big music lovers—in fact, their tagline is “entrée, plat, disco.’”

When the sun goes down: name a late-night street, bar, or district in Paris that is perfect for a night out.

“Technically, these are two streets, Rue Jean et Marie Moinon and Rue Saint Marthe, but essentially become one in the evening as there’s a little stoneway pass-through that connects them, where people gather and spill out into, and there are about 10 restaurants and bars between and along the two streets. Two spots to callout in this stretch of nighttime fun are Juicy (Rue Jean et Marie Moinon) and Cave à Michel (Rue Saint Marthe).”

If you could capture Paris in three songs (one for morning, one for evening, and one for after midnight), what would they be?

“Morning: Rémi Klein - “My Isle of Golden Dreams” - it’s a short instrumental track by a newer Paris-based artist/producer that I think perfectly evokes the just-after-sunrise hours of a Paris morning

Late Afternoon-Evening: Lescop - “Radio” - it’s a fun, groovy track perfect for an end-of-afternoon energy pick-up to continue on into the evening and the rest of the night

After midnight: I have two! A classic or just after midnight - Cassius - “La Mouche”- and one by a lesser-known artist I really like, for when you’re heading home in the early hours of the Paris morning - Bloum - ‘On the Moon’”

Tucked between the 9th and 10th arrondissements, Hotel Grand Amour has long been one of Paris’s most under-the-radar cool stays—equal parts creative salon, café society hub, and late-night rendezvous. The property hums with that signature “left-bank-right-mind” energy: vintage velvet banquettes, mismatched marble tables, and an always-in-motion crowd drifting between espresso, wine, and whatever’s playing on the turntable.

It’s no surprise, then, that Cassette curator Liz Schenck channels both this boutique stay and the city’s dusk-to-disco rhythm in her latest Lobby Playlists: L’Heure de l’Apéro 🍷 – Paris Edition and L’Heure de l’Apéro 🍷 @ Hotel Grand Amour. Together, they form a sonic homage to Paris’s apéro hour—that golden in-between moment when the city slows down just enough to catch its own reflection.

How did you come up with this playlist?

“I wanted to create something that felt classic and deeply tied to Parisian culture, but with a contemporary spin—something very much ‘of the moment.’ The French apéro is a long-standing, cherished tradition. It’s that glorious in-between time, bridging day and night, after work but before dinner, when people meet for drinks and small plates before the evening fully begins.

As a nod to this tradition, I decided to make a playlist of some of the French artists you might hear at one of the city’s cool apéro spots, whether a bar or one of the cool listening rooms, where the music moves seamlessly with the relaxed-but-energized vibe of the apéro.”

How does it resonate with Hotel Grand Amour?

“Hotel Grand Amour has a cool vibe during apéro time; its lobby connects with the restaurant and bar, so there isn’t an energy that is unique to one space over another. If you’re in the lobby or restaurant/bar during this time, you’re likely to hear a generous mix of classic American soul and funk, retro and nu-soul, with French and Italian artists working in the same grooves, plus a spattering of newer French-pop and nu-disco tracks like those in my playlist.”

Cassandra Hettinger and Alexandre Mielczarek make up Charlotte Fever, the French duo behind what they call “French pop, but make it hot.” The Paris-hailing pair will release their debut album, L’amour est mort, next year—the title track dropped earlier this month to early buzz. Their sound, a flirty fusion of electro-pop and retro romance, has already landed them placements in Emily in Paris (you might’ve caught their tracks “JTM” and “Kunigonde”) and campaigns for Grey Goose. With tours spanning Europe to Asia, the duo is channeling that global groove straight from the City of Light.

From vinyl bars to underground venues—for a true insider’s listen to Paris’s indie scene, we tapped the emerging artists to share their favorite haunts.

How would you describe the current energy of the Parisian music scene?

“Far from any fixed clichés, Paris is buzzing with new energy right now. Art is everywhere, and music is omnipresent – we’re lucky to have access to a music scene that’s as eclectic as it is vibrant. Every neighborhood has its own atmosphere and vibe: dreamy, festive, electronic, or indie – there’s something for every taste.”

For a first-time visitor, what’s one neighborhood that immediately gives you the feel of Paris’s music scene?

“Pigalle, no question. Between the independent record stores (like Les Balades Sonores, The Mixtape), the cool vinyl bars (like STEREO), and concert halls almost every hundred meters, it’s the music neighborhood. If you really want to blend in like a local, end the day with a drink at La Fourmi or La Cantine de la Cigale, the post-concert hangout for musicians.”

What’s your favorite “hole-in-the-wall” venue or underground spot in the city right now, and why?

“Chapelle XIV. Part café, part art gallery, part the place to be for electro-vinyl lovers (their selection is incredibly well curated). It’s a hybrid space, hidden a bit behind a large gate, where you can catch anything from a gallery opening to a new release party. You won’t stumble upon it by accident – it really is an insider’s place.”

What’s the best way to stumble upon underground concerts or pop-up shows as a visitor?

“Take a walk along Rue des Lombards on a weeknight. Jazz clubs line the street, and if you’re lucky, you might catch Flore Benguigui on stage at Le Baiser Salé. If the weather’s nice, cross the Seine; the boat Le Son de la Terre is a jazz haven with some pretty great views of Notre-Dame.”

If a visitor wants to feel like a local for just 72 hours, what music experiences would you absolutely include?

“Some essentials of the Paris indie scene: head to Le Mazette for cool DJ sets and dancing by the Seine, discover rock gems at Supersonic, dig through vinyl at Les Balades Sonores (where you might even stumble into an impromptu concert). And don’t miss the POPUP du Label, a stronghold of Parisian electropop – that’s actually where we gave our very first concerts!”

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