Doof
Encyclopedia
The slang term doof or bush doof refers to a type of outdoor dance party in Australia
, generally held in a remote country area or just outside big cities in surrounding bush or rainforests and similar to rave
s or teknival
s, but with a different, more empathetic atmosphere . Doofs generally have live electronic artists and DJs playing a range of electronic music, commonly Goa
and psychedelic trance
. "Doof doof" is an Australian term for loud electronic music centred around a heavy bass melody. Doof is also a slang term for food.
The attendees of doof party events tend to be members of the drug community and practitioners of alternative lifestyles. In contrast to the alcohol and amphetamine based urban parties, doofs are centres of LSD
, psilocybin mushroom
s, cannabis
and other psychedelics. The hippie
subculture is quite involved with these events. Piercings, dreadlocks and brightly coloured hair were at one stage trademark dress styles within the doof crowd, though other areas of rave culture have begun to bleed through into the doof culture.
Most people are unaware of doof parties/festivals as they are usually advertised by word of mouth in the doof communities.
frequently played at these events (as in "doof doof doof doof music"). Peter Strong relates that the name was born when a neighbour in early 1990s Sydney complained about the sound created by Non Bossy Posse: "What is this Doof Doof Doof all night long, this is not music" she exclaimed.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, generally held in a remote country area or just outside big cities in surrounding bush or rainforests and similar to rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
s or teknival
Teknival
Teknivals are large free parties which take place worldwide. They take place most often in Europe and are often illegal under various national or regional laws. They vary in size from dozens to thousands of people, depending on factors such as accessibility, reputation, weather, and law enforcement...
s, but with a different, more empathetic atmosphere . Doofs generally have live electronic artists and DJs playing a range of electronic music, commonly Goa
Goa trance
Goa trance is a form of electronic music that originated during the late 1980s in Goa, India.-History:The music has its roots in the popularity of Goa in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a hippie capital, and although musical developments were incorporating elements of industrial music and EBM...
and psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance
Psychedelic trance, psytrance or just psy is a form of electronic music characterized by hypnotic arrangements of synthetic rhythms and complex layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. It appeared in the mainstream in 1995 as with reporting of the trend of Goa trance. The genre offers variety...
. "Doof doof" is an Australian term for loud electronic music centred around a heavy bass melody. Doof is also a slang term for food.
The attendees of doof party events tend to be members of the drug community and practitioners of alternative lifestyles. In contrast to the alcohol and amphetamine based urban parties, doofs are centres of LSD
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, abbreviated LSD or LSD-25, also known as lysergide and colloquially as acid, is a semisynthetic psychedelic drug of the ergoline family, well known for its psychological effects which can include altered thinking processes, closed and open eye visuals, synaesthesia, an...
, psilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....
s, cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
and other psychedelics. The hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
subculture is quite involved with these events. Piercings, dreadlocks and brightly coloured hair were at one stage trademark dress styles within the doof crowd, though other areas of rave culture have begun to bleed through into the doof culture.
Most people are unaware of doof parties/festivals as they are usually advertised by word of mouth in the doof communities.
Word origins
The name is onomatopoeic, and is derived from the sound of the kick drum used in the electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
frequently played at these events (as in "doof doof doof doof music"). Peter Strong relates that the name was born when a neighbour in early 1990s Sydney complained about the sound created by Non Bossy Posse: "What is this Doof Doof Doof all night long, this is not music" she exclaimed.
General
- The Doof-Doof Music, B.J. Coman, Quadrant MagazineQuadrant (magazine)Quadrant is an Australian literary and cultural journal. The magazine takes a conservative position on political and social issues, describing itself as sceptical of 'unthinking Leftism, or political correctness, and its "smelly little orthodoxies"'. Quadrant reviews literature, as well as...
, January 2005 - Volume XLIX Number 1–2
External links
- Doofstory — Sydney Park to the Desert
- Australiens — Australian Doof Portal
- DoofCentral — Your Psychedelic Universe
- Earthdance — International Festival For Peace
- Elixir — Sydney-based, Free Tekno-Tribal Party Collective
- Ozdoof — Australia's Largest Psytrance party photos
- Spraci — Doof Resource Websites
- FreeNRG: Notes From The Edge of the Dance Floor - ebook PDF on doof culture