Jéroboam has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting names in contemporary soul and funk. Formed in Paris by a collective of musicians united through a shared passion for groove-driven music, the 11-piece outfit has spent the last few years building a reputation through explosive live performances and a series of acclaimed releases on labels including Space Grapes and Chuwanaga.
Photo credit: Jéroboam – Official
Before becoming Jéroboam, the group operated under the Echoes Of banner, organizing celebrated tribute events dedicated to the great cities and traditions of funk while collaborating with artists such as Howard Johnson, Junior Giscombe, and Kyoto Jazz Massive. Those experiences helped shape the band’s distinctive identity, one that bridges classic funk traditions with a contemporary approach rooted in live performance and collective expression.
Now, following five vinyl EPs and years of development, the band arrives at a defining moment with the release of its self-titled debut album on Favorite Recordings. Combining boogie-funk, soul, and crossover influences across eight original tracks, the record marks a new chapter for one of Europe’s most compelling modern funk acts.
In this conversation, Jéroboam reflects on the journey to their debut LP, the lessons learned through Echoes Of, the power of live music, and their hopes for the future of funk.
EG: Hi guys, welcome to EG. Great to have you here. How have you been, and where are you speaking to us from today?
Miester: Hi, thanks for having us. We’ve been great; we’ve just started our debut album tour and are looking forward to release day! We are currently speaking from our drummer’s sunny garden near Paris.
EG: Congratulations on your debut album. After years of live performances, collaborations, and building momentum, what emotions come with finally presenting your first full-length record to the world?
Miester: Thank you very much! This is a proud moment for us; it feels like a huge step in the band’s life. We’re all excited to share it and very eager to see how the audience responds.
EG: Although Jéroboam is still a relatively young project, the roots of the band stretch back much further through Echoes Of. Looking back, what lessons from that chapter proved most important in shaping what Jéroboam would eventually become?
Miester: Through Echoes Of, we dived deep into funk music in all its diversity. It allowed us to find our own sound. The actual form of Jéroboam with 11 musicians is our representation of our ideal funk band.
EG: Funk has always been about much more than music. It’s culture, community, identity, and movement. What was it about funk that captured your imagination in the first place?
Miester: For us it was the funk band’s capacity to find unity through diversity and create a common language, aesthetics, and purpose. This ability to bring people together through dance and music while expressing a vision of society, as with Sly and the Family Stone or Betty Davis, was, for us, the most powerful aspect of funk music.
EG: This album balances infectious grooves with lyrics that feel personal and relatable. When writing, how do you find the balance between making people dance and giving them something meaningful to hold onto?
Miester: Honestly, this happens quite organically. We try to be sincere and trust our creative process.
EG: As an eleven-piece band, collaboration is at the heart of everything you do. How do you maintain a shared artistic vision while still leaving room for individual voices to shine through?
Miester: Through the years, our artistic vision sharpened while playing together, and it was always important for us to develop it collectively. From the beginning, we wanted every part of our music to be both a pillar of the groove and the cherry on top.
“We try to be sincere and trust our creative process”
EG: Before creating original material, many people discovered you through your tributes to the great cities, artists, and traditions of funk. At what point did you feel ready to step out from celebrating that legacy and begin writing your own chapter?
Miester: We started developing ideas and thinking about beginning an original project a few years back while working as Echoes Of. The more we played this music, the more we felt the urge to be part of it in our own voice. This accelerated with our encounter with Space Grapes and the recording of our first maxi, giving us the momentum to start Jéroboam.
EG: You’ve worked alongside artists ranging from Howard Johnson and Junior Giscombe to Kyoto Jazz Massive. Were there any moments from those collaborations that fundamentally changed your perspective on music?
Miester: We are very grateful for this! It’s crazy to work with these legends, and at the same time it ended up being very natural and simply about making music together. We listened carefully to all the tips, advice, and stories they shared with us. It gave us a feeling of belonging and strengthened our desire to keep pushing forward.
EG: In an era where so much music is created and consumed digitally, your project feels like a celebration of live performance and human connection. What do you think a live band can offer audiences today that cannot be replicated elsewhere?
Miester: Thank you for that question. We really believe that a show with a live band is a unique experience. It all depends on the direct connection between the audience and the performers. When you go see a band, you take part in a collectively created moment and not simply as a spectator. Seeing how people react when we attend concerts or perform ourselves is a testament to the importance of live music.
EG: Paris has long been a melting pot of musical influences. How has the city shaped your identity as artists and as a collective?
Miester: Firstly, it’s where we all met and became friends through studies, gigs, and jam sessions. In Paris, we met amazing musicians and saw incredible shows across many different styles of music. We also had the chance to play often at a venue that is very important to us, New Morning. It felt like home and allowed us to shape our sound and perform our music live.
“We really believe that a show with a live band is a unique experience”
EG: Finally, when people listen to this debut album years from now, what do you hope they hear beyond the music itself?
Miester: We hope they will feel the joy we had making it. And we hope that it finds its way through new generations, encouraging them to keep live music relevant and keep funk alive.
EG: Thank you so much for your time. We wish you all the best with the album and everything that lies ahead. Take care!
Miester: Thank you so much for having us. We are grateful for your interest in our music and for your well-crafted questions. Bisous.
Jéroboam’s ‘Jéroboam’ is out now via Favorite Recordings. Stream and download your copy here.
