Paris has a rich history of two things (among others): revolutions and electronic music. Earlier this month (September 19), these two traditions collided at Paris’ 26th Techno Parade, an annual event where converted, sound-system-laden trucks and all-black-clad techno ravers march through the city’s antique boulevards.

Inspired by Berlin’s iconic (and, ultimately, tragic) Love Parades, the Parisian parade was introduced in 1998 as a means of celebrating electronic music and, much like its older sibling Fête de la Musique, bringing free music to the city. This year, however, marked a more serious turn for the event. 

Arriving just a few months after France passed the controversial Ripost Law – which intends to crackdown on free parties and raves across the country through extreme fines and potential prison time to party organisers, this year’s Techno Parade featured a more political tone. Attendees waved placards proclaiming “Répression: on monte le son. Moins de balles de keufs, plus de décibels en teuf” (Repression: we turn up the volume. Fewer cop bullets, more decibels at the party) or modified the famous Italian anti-fascist phrase “Siamo tutti antifascisti” (We are all anti-fascists) to “Sono tutti antifascisti”, including the Italian word for ‘sound’.

“Interestingly, I didn’t experience it as an angry protest,” says photographer Szymon Stępniak, who was visiting the event for a second time and captured it for Dazed. “The atmosphere wasn’t euphoric exactly – there was a sense that something was at stake – but rather than anger, I mostly felt celebration: people being together, dancing, listening to music and enjoying the fact that they were sharing the streets.”

Indeed, while Stępniak’s images also depict a group of ravers taking over Paris’ Le Triomphe de la République monument (which commemorates the French Revolution), he emphasises that enjoyment remained the overarching message of the event. Elsewhere, he describes a crowd being entertained “for a good 20 minutes” over two attendees holding up a ‘6-7’ sign, while other attendees seemed more concerned with showing off their tattoos than any political messaging. If the Ripost Law’s intention is to crack down on spontaneous gatherings, then Paris’ Techno Parade was a natural riposte.

Check out the gallery above for Szymon Stępniak’s photos from the event.