PRIME JUNIPER - Fuzz, Flute & French Desert ! (France - Stoner/Desert Rock - Interview with Olivier).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music? 
My first encounter with stoner rock goes way back (1995, to be precise) when I discovered a genre-defining album: Blues for the Red Sun by Kyuss (released in 1992). That record radiates the heat of the desert (which is why the genre is also called desert rock), and all the lore surrounding it in magazines at the time was electrifying: Palm Springs, generator parties, and an overall sense of authenticity that these bands exuded. As a teenager growing up in southern France, it felt both distant and strangely close. The landscape could feel just as desolate in some corners, and the heat could be just as crushing. Plus, this all unfolded during what many consider one of the last golden eras of music. Think Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Rage Against the Machine, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, the explosion of hip-hop… Without fully realizing it at the time, I think what pushed me to make music was the chance to express things I couldn’t put into words. I’m the kind of person who feels sound vibrations intensely, someone who gets chills from a song that moves me or can be deeply emotional over a voice or a musical phrase.

Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
The band started simply: two friends, Emmanuel (drums) and myself, Olivier (guitar), began writing songs as a duo. After a long while, we finally overcame our imposter syndrome and posted an online ad to find other musicians. We met several bassists before Laurent (bass) joined in 2019, immediately bringing a dimension and presence that completed our sound. Soon after, we wanted to add vocals, and Enora was the first to respond to our ad. She sent us a clip from her old reggae band, and since we’re open-minded and her voice was incredible, we set up a first meeting… in March 2020. As everyone knows, those weren’t the best years for music or live performances. We had to wait until the end of lockdown to finally meet in person and boom, Enora (vocals, flute, and now saxophone) showed up to the appointemnt ultra-prepared and blew us away. It took us maybe 2 minutes and 43 seconds to tell her she was in the band!
What’s fascinating about this project is the hybridity, we all come from different musical backgrounds, and I think each of us had different reasons for diving in with so much enthusiasm. Laurent had just come off a sharp stoner rock project (Mustang Wanted) that fell apart when the leader decided to switch to family life. Enora had also been in other bands, including a successful reggae group (Roots Engine) that ended for similar reasons, and she wanted to return to a more rock/metal sound. Emmanuel and I were thrilled to embark on such a fresh and stimulating adventure with such talented musicians.

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Some people think stoner rock has already said it all, that it’s just about rehashing what Black Sabbath did over 50 years ago. We strongly disagree. Honestly, we’re not big on genres and subgenres, but if we have to give people an idea of what we do, “stoner rock” is the easiest shorthand, even if we’re often told our music goes far beyond that.
What makes us unique? First, there’s Enora’s voice, which can shift from an unexpected soulful register to lyrical singing or even harsh vocals (though that’s rarer). Then there’s the singular interplay between bass and guitar, sometimes the roles are even reversed, with the bass carrying the melody while the guitar holds down the rhythm. And of course, our songs often have a lot of dynamic contrast, with shifts in mood or tempo that highlight other instruments like the flute or, more recently, the saxophone (there's nothing we would not try).
In short, we blend soul warmth, heavy riffs, psychedelic subtlety, and progressive or post-rock complexity into a stoner cocktail. So if you love originality and want to discover something more than just a by-the-book stoner band, we’re your fix.

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ? 
As I mentioned earlier, our influences are all over the place. Emmanuel is a die-hard Deftones fan. Laurent comes from punk and loves crossover acts like Urban Dance Squad, among a lot of other things. Enora has a broad musical background thanks to her classical training, but Jethro Tull holds a special place in her heart, as it’s the band that got her into the flute. She’s also deeply into jazz, metal, soul, and of course reggae. As for me, there aren’t many genres I dismiss, I even have a past as a drum’n’bass DJ!
When it comes to lyrics, that’s Enora’s playground. Having grown up in a multicultural environment, she draws inspiration from manga, voodoo, and other esoteric worlds. There are also more introspective, personal texts tied to pivotal moments in her life, universal themes like life choices, loneliness, illness… So our lyrics tend to be on the darker side, probably because the world we live in is, too. While we don’t push a political agenda, we’re still sensitive to the injustices we all face today, and we stand for a humanist, anti-racist, and tolerant vision.

About your latest release ? 
Our latest album is also our first! It came out in May 2025 and was recorded in April 2024 at Hybreed Studio with Andrew Guillotin. It was four insanely intense days: we started with live takes for bass, guitar, and drums altogether, then added guitar overdubs, and finally vocals and flute.  Later, we did some additional guitar overdubs at home, and Andrew handled the mixing and mastering. The album has nine tracks, and the artwork was created by Marc Riou, with Laurent and me adding a comic-book touch to the design. It’s available digitally on all platforms, as well as on CD and vinyl with a little bonus: the physical versions include interludes that punctuate the album. These are short passages inspired by the theme of the final track, played or interpreted differently.
Everything is available on our Bandcamp, and if you buy the digital version there, the interludes are included! Of course, we also have all our merch available at shows. 

Future plans ? 
Right now, we’re deep in the songwriting phase. We’ve even finalized a new track featuring Enora on saxophone, which we’ve already played a few times at recent shows. Our next release will likely be an EP rather than a full album, since those take a lot of time and money, and we don’t want to keep our fans waiting too long.
We’re also planning to film a live session, as it’s a useful tool for booking gigs.

Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
I think it would be absolutely insane to tour with a band we admire and that would make for a truly cohesive bill, like Messa or Kylesa. Obviously, that would let us play bigger stages and reach a wider audience, but I think the journey itself would be just as thrilling, no matter the destination.
On another note, if we could record in a legendary studio like Rancho de la Luna, we’d be over the moon. And if it were a residency where we could spend weeks just composing and nothing else? Even better… yeah, we’re dreaming big here!

Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ? 
From my perspective, the best show was when we opened for Sasquatch at the Klub. I love that band, and their song Rational Woman actually inspired the riff for one of our tracks. Getting to share that with an artist I’ve followed for years? Priceless.
The worst? Probably the time we played as openers for Greyborn and Hippie Death Cult. The room was almost full, Laurent started on bass, I jumped in on guitar, and I was feeling great. Then suddenly, my sound cut out completely, real nightmare. I fiddled around trying to fix it, but the result was that my volume was way too loud, and I didn’t dare touch anything else for the rest of the set.
As a band, our very first show was probably one of the best, it was for Fête de la Musique (June 21st, France’s annual Music Day festival) in front of the Pili Pili, a dive bar in Paris’ 11th arrondissement. The vibe was amazing, and we got nothing but positive feedback. The worst might have been a show in Rouen, where we played a 200-capacity venue… to an audience of just 2 people.

Next live-appearance(s) ?
No dates lined up in the immediate future, unfortunately! But we’re ready to play almost anywhere. We’ve already done several shows in Paris and around France this year. The farther away, the more logistics it requires, but nothing’s impossible for us.

Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ? 
The stoner and related scenes are pretty active in Paris and the surrounding area, and the metal scene in general is thriving here. We’re very close with the band Oda, with whom we’ve shared the stage multiple times (including that first Fête de la Musique show). They play a solid stoner doom with a psychedelic edge, it’s really well done. I even played for a while with Cyril (their drummer) in another, more sludge-metal band (Dead Wall). In a different vein, we’ve played several times with Knightress, a very avant-garde metal band built around violinist Emily. Incredible musicians and wonderful people. And finally, big up to Headache Booking, that keeps the screamo scene alive in the best manner.

Last word is yours...
We’re thrilled to see the independent scene doing so well, with so much mutual support and kindness. So a big thank you to you for your work! And one last thing: Fuck AI, play real music!