A doof or bush doof is a type of outdoor dance party generally held in a remote country area, or outside a large city in surrounding bush or rainforest. Events referred to as ''doofs'' are now held worldwide and have built from a small set of social groups to a subculture with millions of active members worldwide, considered by some as a full blown culture similar to
rave
A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
s or
teknival
Teknivals (the word is a portmanteau of the words tekno and festival) are large free parties which take place for several days. They take place most often in Europe and are often illegal under various national or regional laws. They vary in size ...
s. Doofs generally have healing workshops, speakers, art, live artists and DJs playing a range of electronic music, commonly
goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
,
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
,
dub techno
Dub techno is a subgenre of techno that combines the style with elements of dub music, including its sparse, delay-heavy production and prominent bass.
Characteristics and history
In the early 1990s, producers Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus ...
,
Techno
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...
,
acid heavy sounds and
psychedelic trance
Psychedelic Trance, Psytrance or Psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...
.
"Doof doof" is an Australian term for loud electronic music centred on a heavy bass drum kick.
Etymology
The name is
onomatopoeic
Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
, and is derived from the sound of the
kick drum
The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...
used in the
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
frequently lettered (as in "doof doof doof doof music"). According to Peter Strong, the original term "doof" was created in Newtown, Sydney in Spring 1992, after a neighbour of the
Non Bossy Posse knocked on the door to complain about their music: "What is this Doof Doof Doof I hear all night long, this is not music" she exclaimed. The term did not become a popular designation for outdoor dance parties until after the mid-1990s. Since 2017 in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, smaller doofs have sometimes been referred to as a "doif", after a local tech-house DJ, LOIF, headlined several smaller parties. This was initially a pushback to festivals like
Pitch Music & Arts Festival, which "doofers" felt was too large to share the name with the more intimate parties from which the term originated.
History
During the 1990s free dance parties proliferated in Sydney, particularly in Sydney Park in St Peters and warehouses of the
Inner West
The Inner West of Sydney is an area directly west of the Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. The suburbs that make up the Inner West are predominantly located along the southern shore of Port Jackson (Parramatta River) ...
. As pressure from police and councils increased, holding parties in the bush appeared as a more viable option.
The first commercial doof party to be hosted within Australia and New Zealand was
Earthcore
Earthcore was an Australian outdoor dance music festival and electronic music event. The outdoor events were generally held in forest environments around Victoria, Australia, with some events held in Queensland and overseas in New Caledonia. ...
in 1993. Today the term 'doof' can describe anything from a small gathering in the bush focused around a small sound system to a multi-day, multi-stage event with DJs, bands and workshops.
In 2013, "bush doof" was added to the
sixth edition of the Macquarie Dictionary.
Radio stations
There are 'doof' radio stations that serve as focal points for a worldwide community, including:
* Human Borg Repellent One Radio (HBR1 Radio)
* Digital Gunfire
* Jungle Train
*
SomaFM
* Icecast Directory / Xiph Radio Directory
List of doofs
*
Earthcore
Earthcore was an Australian outdoor dance music festival and electronic music event. The outdoor events were generally held in forest environments around Victoria, Australia, with some events held in Queensland and overseas in New Caledonia. ...
(1992–2017)
*
Rainbow Serpent Festival
Rainbow Serpent Festival is a four-day annual open-air music and arts festival that takes place during the Australia Day (26 January) long weekend, in Lexton, Victoria, west of Melbourne, Australia. The festival is mainly known for its focus on ...
(1997–present)
*
MardiGrass
MardiGrass is a cannabis law reform rally and festival held annually in the town of Nimbin, in north east New South Wales, Australia.
History
In March 1993, after a decade of raids and arrests, and a particularly intensive recent period of ...
*
Maitreya Festival (discontinued)
*
Earthdance
The Earthdance Global Peace Party is the world's largest underground music and dance event for peace. Held annually since 1997, the event features hundreds of music artists, DJs, dancers, and speakers at local Earthdance events around the world, o ...
*
BW Summer Festival
*
Isotopia Festival
*
Boom
Boom may refer to:
Objects
* Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill
* Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation
* Boom (sailing), a sailboat part
* Boom (windsurfi ...
*
Daniça
See also
*
List of electronic music festivals
The following is an incomplete list of music festivals that feature electronic music, which encapsulates music featuring electronic instruments such as electric guitar and keyboards, as well as recent genres such as electronic dance music (E ...
*
List of festivals in Australia
List of festivals in Australia, including any established festival or carnival in Australia.
Australian Capital Territory (including Canberra Region NSW)
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Vi ...
References
Inline
General
* ''The Doof-Doof Music'', B.J. Coman,
Quadrant Magazine, January 2005 – Volume XLIX Number 1–2
* ''Doof Metronome/Chronometer'', Dr. Simon .A. Roberts (Founding member – Sydney – Creator of this page within first 10k, also Titan: Ullysis), June 1996
ntp.confChronolabs Cooperative / Wiki / NTP Servers PoolingChronolabs Cooperative / Wiki / See No Evil Open DNS
{{Music festivals
Psychedelic trance
Dance culture
Australian styles of music
Australian fringe and underground culture
Musical subcultures