{"id":152242,"date":"2026-02-03T06:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T11:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/interviews-panm360\/taverne-tour-traverser-les-dunes-avec-sons-of-arrakis\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T10:02:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T15:02:06","slug":"taverne-tour-traverser-les-dunes-avec-sons-of-arrakis","status":"publish","type":"interviews","link":"https:\/\/panm360.com\/en\/interviews-panm360\/taverne-tour-traverser-les-dunes-avec-sons-of-arrakis\/","title":{"rendered":"Taverne Tour | Crossing the dunes with Sons of Arrakis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sons of Arrakis, a Montreal-based stoner rock band whose songs are inspired by the universe of Dune<\/em>, will perform this February 14 at Les Enfants du Rock for their only Montreal date of 2026. Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture, the band\u2019s founder, sits down with us for an interview where past, present, and future collide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PANM 360: Hi Fred. Bless the maker<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture : <\/strong>Bless the maker and his water<\/a><\/em>. I always say it after our first song when we play live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PANM 360: Being a Dunehead myself, I am very happy and proud to know that a Quebec band is making excellent music inspired by this universe that is so dear to my heart.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture : <\/strong>Thanks Simon, we’re really glad you’re coming along for the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A soundtrack for a world in decline.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PANM 360:<\/strong> The universe of Dune<\/em>, rich in ecological reflections and analyses of authoritarian mechanisms, resonates strongly with contemporary issues. At what point in your journey did you discover Frank Herbert\u2019s work, and why has it become central to your musical project?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture: <\/strong>I discovered Dune<\/em> around the age of 25, at a time when I was searching for a real direction for a new musical project. It was my father who introduced me to it. It was a shock. I quickly felt that this universe was a broken mirror of our society\u2014a subtle yet powerful way of exploring power, geopolitics, authoritarianism, social dynamics, and ecology. Dune<\/em> became a lens through which I could reflect on our times without naming them directly. From there, everything fell into place: the concept and identity of Sons of Arrakis. As for the sound, I continued in the vein of the band The Hazytones, with which I was heavily involved on their first album, before deciding to leave and start the Sons of Arrakis project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PANM 360:<\/strong> The titles of your songs include references that seem to draw from the six volumes of the saga. What is your favorite book in the saga and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture: <\/strong>The very first Dune. It is a seminal work, incredibly rich, and each reading reveals new layers of meaning to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It is also in this first volume that we truly grasp the vastness of the universe, particularly through the appendices, which, in my opinion, are essential for understanding the issues and interrelationships in such a complex world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of adaptation, Denis Villeneuve’s work is exceptional in my opinion. He has managed to capture the grandeur, slowness, and mystical weight of the universe without betraying it. But it leaves me with a bitter aftertaste that Villeneuve had to make a blockbuster to appeal to the general public. It’s still clearly the best adaptation to date\u2026 even though, deep down, I would have loved to see what Jodorowsky could have done with his project. I think I would have been sold.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Existing in the midst of the crowd<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

PANM 360:<\/strong> You describe your sound as Melange Rock or Cinematic Sci-Fi Rock, a fusion of heavy riffs and sci-fi atmospheres. How did this identity assert itself or transform between Volume I and Volume II, particularly after your tours in Canada, Mexico, and the United States?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Couture : <\/strong>Initially, the idea of Melange Rock or Cinematic Sci-Fi Rock came mainly from a need to differentiate ourselves from the stoner\/doom\/desert rock niche. We didn’t want to be just another heavy riff band: we wanted to tell stories, create images, build a universe. In fact, it was critics who started calling us Melange Rock, and we thought it summed up what we were trying to do. On Volume I, it was still very instinctive and raw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n