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French band Stone Age has been making a name for itself with its fusion of Celtic music and electronic sounds since the 1990s. Formed in Paris in 1992 by three former members of Gwendal, a traditional Breton music and rock group, Stone Age features experienced musicians: singer, bassist and guitarist Michel Valy, keyboardist and singer Jérôme Guéguen, drummer and programmer Marc Hazon and keyboardist Dominique Perrier, a collaborator of Jean-Michel Jarre who is also known for having been part of the pioneering electro group Space Art. Their untitled debut album, released in 1994 and commonly referred to as L'Enchanteur, reveals Stone Age's varied musical style, borrowing equally from Celtic and electronic music, folk and rock. Assimilated to the fashionable new age movement, the album, released on the Columbia/Sony label, was a huge success, and was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award in 1995, in the "world music" category. Sold as far afield as Japan, where the group is more popular than elsewhere, and even in France, it was followed in 1997 by Les Chronovoyageurs, retitled Time Travellers for the English-speaking market, then renamed Le Chant Venu des Mers when reissued in 1998. Released at number 56, it returned to number 32 under its new title. In 2000, the following album Promessa was released on the independent label Jour & Nuit and reissued two years later by Coop Breizh. Like its predecessors, it included vocal contributions, this time from the Émotion choir directed by Jacky Locks. As their success began to fade in Japan, Stone Age regained a certain popularity in France, and particularly in Brittany, with their fourth album, Totems d'Armorique (2007), which underwent a lengthy recording process before being released on the Keltia Musique label. After a fourteen-year hiatus, Stone Age was reborn in 2021, and went into the studio to record their fifth album, Bubry Road, released in 2022. At that time, the band was made up of just two original members, Michel Valy and Marc Hazon. Composer Dominique Perrier aka "Terracotta", who was part of the original line-up, died on October 4, 2023 at the age of 75.
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