After Now is at the center of a cultural electronic music hub in the French city
Risk and innovation has always been at the forefront of any great success. Founder, musician and producer Gilles Moncauberg is better placed than almost anyone to understand this. With his new studio, event series and cultural hub in Tolouse – After Now.
More than just a studio for hire, the location is also host to an events series, designed as time-out moments—where you dance early, without ever compromising on the quality of the music or the magic of the experience. The events run from 9pm – 2am which, in our opinion at least, is the peak hours of any party. The event series has featured the likes of Henrik Schwartz and will feature a performance from Âme later this month
Ahead of this event, we spoke to founder, producer and head honcho for After Now, Gilles Moncauberg – about his vision for the project and the wider scene in Tolouse..
EARLYDANCE is mentioned as a desire to “reinvent nightlife.” What was the core inspiration behind challenging the traditional late-night format?
We wanted to put the focus back on the music and the people, not on exhaustion. Dancing from 9PM to 2AM creates intensity without burnout. EARLYDANCE is about quality energy, not after-hours survival.
Your upcoming event is with ÂME at La Cabane, and you have partnerships with venues like Le Zénith. How crucial are these collaborations with key Toulouse establishments to the identity and growth of the After Now event series?
Collaborations with venues like La Cabane and Le Zénith give scale and legitimacy to the vision. They allow us to bring world-class artists while staying rooted locally. It’s about building long-term cultural partnerships, not one-off bookings.
The studio’s inauguration was featured in La Dépêche, and you have a dedicated “Toulouse in the House” podcast. It seems as if you’re going for a full-scale media promotion approach to the project?
Visibility is part of the mission, we want Toulouse on the electronic map. La Dépêche and our “Toulouse in the House” podcast help document the movement. It’s not hype; it’s storytelling and archiving a growing scene.
How is the collective actively working to showcase and develop the electronic music scene specifically within Toulouse?
We prioritize local artists on our line-ups and label releases. Through writing camps, masterclasses, and studio access, we invest in skill development. The goal is to export Toulouse talent internationally.
Talk to us a bit about Toulouse… For foreign readers, we might not know much about the scene there.
Toulouse is young, creative, and culturally hybrid. It has a strong underground spirit with growing international connections. The scene is intimate but ambitious, which makes it powerful.
The studio boasts rare synthesizers and features like a Grand Studio, a Dolby Atmos room, and a DJ booth. How do these high-end, unique facilities directly influence the creative output of the artists who come for writing camps and co-productions?
The rare synths and the Dolby Atmos room push artists out of presets and habits.
The DJ booth allows instant testing of ideas in a club-oriented setup.
It creates a bridge between experimentation and dancefloor reality.
Since the launch in May 2025, what has been the most significant or rewarding highlight for you personally as a founder? What is the single biggest goal for After Now over the next year?
Seeing a packed room dancing early with real intention was a defining moment.
It proved the concept works culturally, not just commercially.
Next goal: establish a timeless label catalogue in house music and expand internationally.
After Now is defined as a collective, a label, and a studio. How do these three distinct pillars interact with one another to reinforce the overarching mission of “connecting enthusiasts of electronic music”?
The studio creates the music, the label releases it, and the events give it life.
Each pillar feeds the others in a circular ecosystem.
Together, they turn community into culture.
Find out more about After Now
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