Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Stoned Jean

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

My earliest memory related to music might be Stranded, one of the standout tracks from Gojira’s latest album at the time, Magma. The whammy-bars riff in that song completely blew my mind. It struck me as an innovative approach to music, which has always been my guiding principle when creating art. I want to do something on my way that hasn’t been done before. After all, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. After discovering Gojira, I began to view music with a more intellectual curiosity, and eventually encountered the meditative world of stoner doom, bringing spirituality into my life. However, I now listen to them less frequently, as their compositions -which delve into the complex, transcendental states of mind characteristic of their genre- have become exhausting.

How did your passion for creating music begin?

I embrace a multifaceted approach to artistic creation. If the art forms I consume have truly impacted me and I have the necessary tools to produce them, I strive to create in that field as well. I was already started playing instruments under the influence of Gojira, and when stoner music came into the picture, I started writing English poems with spiritual lyrics. I was also influenced by Shakespeare and Alfred Tennyson and already sold my guitars a few years earlier -on my father’s suggestion- bought a few electric basses because my voice is bass, too. I then added a few more “weird” instruments like percussions, mouth harps, and an e-bow to compose my poems.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

Stoned Jean was born out of my decision to compose spiritual poems in the stoner doom genre, believing it could put people into meditative states of mind. I chose the name to have a double meaning. It would refer both to stonewashed denim and to the French proper name Jean, meaning someone who is high, is “stoned”.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I can briefly describe my music as “listenable cinema.” I mentioned earlier that I have produced art in several different disciplines, and the largest of these was cinema. I try to construct my music like a radio play, like a film without images, and for this reason, I take great care to record ambient sounds as foley. I try to tell a story that listeners can immerse themselves in. Therefore, I can accept that Stoned Jean is not everyone’s cup of tea. This is not the classic stoner rock or psychedelic rock band you would turn to when you want to listen to music. It is a journey, an experience that will satisfy your intellectual hunger when you want to listen to a story.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

Percussions completely changed my perspective on music. While recording my first album, “avant/ garde,” I bought a percussion instrument for the third track I was recording. It was Al Cisneros who led me to this decision. He always approached the bass not as a tool for creating melody, but as a percussive instrument. He plays his bass almost like a slap over the keyboard. Percussive music does not have the mind-satisfying effect of melodies; it speaks to the soul. That’s why we always feel the drums and bass in our chest, in our soul, during concerts.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

I have a main bass with an ebony fretboard that I prefer for psychedelic effects or fuzz pedals. For more oriental sounds, I use an acoustic fretless bass. When I use the fretless acoustic one, I usually record the DI sound without connecting it to an amp and combine it with recordings where I mic the acoustic body. I use an LA-2A compressor as my main pedal. I think compressors give a better punch than overdrives, especially on bass. Then I use an EarthQuaker Devices fuzz pedal. I have an Orange OB1 amp that I connect my bass’ for clean sounds. For my upcoming single, Innocent and Vain, I used a Green Matamp amp, which is a cult classic in the genre.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

I absolutely love Pale Circus, another band that my drummer, Cem Ölmez, plays in. They perform neo-psych and shoegaze music, and I love their music because of this, which is based on creating a vibe. They definitely have a spine-tingling sound and storytelling ability. Those who love Stoned Jean will definitely add them to their playlists.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

I don’t believe art can be created without influencing personal experiences. As artists, we don’t create anything out of nothing. We simply try to transform our own experiences into art, aiming to evoke an aesthetic pleasure in art enthusiasts. My meditation practices in my personal life have greatly influenced my music. At the same time, the specific track “in memory ov… her” on my “avant/ garde” album, unlike the other tracks, is not a story I tell from collective consciousness, but one that belongs to me. I thought I could cope with a breakup with my ex-girlfriend that I was struggling to get through at the time by telling it through a mystical theme. And art, as always, did not disappoint. It was a great help during my healing process.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

At its core, I want them to feel uncomfortable. Because humans are beings who can only take action when they feel uncomfortable. As Lars von Trier said, “A good film should be like a pebble in your shoe.”. This means that art should be provocative and inciting. I also try to provoke people in my music, not to kill each other for their religional beliefs, but to use them to understand their own spiritual worlds.

 What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

The greatest lesson I learned from music was its power to connect people. At a concert, whether I’m in the audience or on stage, I feel connected to that crowd, and until the performance ends, I share countless unspoken thoughts with dozens of people I don’t know. We are molded by shared emotions. I believe that collective living, as I answered in the previous question, is a major step toward changing the world.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

Rather than aspiring to play at big concerts and festivals, I would much rather play at KEXP, Tiny Desk, or Audiotree sessions. Although playing at a huge arena is also extremely exciting, playing in a small studio, in front of the studio staff there, and recording that performance has always interested me more. Because I’ve always seen those performances as a teaser, like, “When you see us live, it’ll be pretty much like this.”. You know, as an independent artist, finding an audience for a show is extremely difficult, and I think you have to take it step by step, starting with convincing that audience.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

The only artist I would want to collaborate with is Chelsea Wolfe. Recently, I recorded a single that is half theatrical, half musical with Levent Ülgen, one of the important actors in my country (Turkey), and it will be released on March 19, 2026, but I would also like to work with a female voice. And I think Chelsea Wolfe and I would be a good match. She also worked with melodies that winked at doom on her Abyss album, and she has a post-rock side. Like me, she has an approach that blends genres and doesn’t just work with the raw elements of a single genre.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

I have a website where I sell my merch products: https://stonedjean.com

Although I don’t personally prefer it as a user due to its stance on independent artists and political reasons, I’ve published my music on Spotify so that listeners can access Stoned Jean on any platform: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5C20P88jZI0pKBarNqnmIE?si=-ZR-QmW8TciZrRWWom81bQ

For listeners who prefer a more ethical platform, my YouTube channel where I await those who wish to listen via YouTube Music: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUfeebQgXnbJRT7xDHaWaKQ

Another mainstream platform, Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/stoned-jean/1786862944

And of course, Stoned Jean’s Bandcamp address, which is a stronghold for independent artists: https://stonedjean.bandcamp.com

I have an Instagram account that I use for my music, the film magazine I publish, and my literary writings: https://www.instagram.com/stonedjeanband

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

I’m entering a phase where I’ll be taking a different approach, moving away from creating an atmosphere through clean bass sounds to put listeners into a trance-like state. A chapter awaits me where I will produce sounds more familiar from bands like Acid King, Windhand, and others, with more fuzz. Additionally, as I mentioned in previous questions, a psychedelic rock track which named “Mapushane Balladı” (means ‘Prison Ballad’ in English) with a confirmed release date (March 19, 2026) and a stoner doom track titled Innocent and Vain, for which I have not yet set a date, will be released in the first quarter of 2026.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

What I hope Stoned Jean listeners discover on this listening journey is the kingdom within themselves. When Jesus spoke of the “Kingdom of Heaven,” he wasn’t actually referring to a kingdom in the sky, above. He was speaking metaphorically about a state of mind, a state of being that one finds within oneself, where confusion is silenced and the spirit, the higher self, speaks.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude for this kind interview opportunity. Just as music production is a form of expression, I believe that expressing ourselves through linguistic skills, through speaking, is also important, and I can definitely claim that Stoned Jean is more than what you hear through speakers or headphones; there is a story behind it that you will read in this interview.