# Doof

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 raves or teknivals. Doofs generally have healing workshops, speakers, art, live artists and DJs playing a range of electronic music, commonly goa, house, dub techno, Techno, acid heavy sounds and psychedelic trance.
"Doof doof" is a term in Australia and New Zealand for loud electronic music centred on a heavy bass drum kick.

## Etymology

The name is onomatopoeic, and is derived from the sound of the kick drum used in the electronic music 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, 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. As pressure from police and councils increased, holding parties in the bush appeared as a more viable option.
The first documented commercial "doof" parties in Australia were held in Sydney in 1993. The earliest recorded event was Vegetable Matter on 8 May 1993, produced by Vegetable Matter. The event took place in an abandoned supermarket on Dixon Street, Chinatown, with DJs such as Non Bossy Posse, Biz E, Sub Bass Snarl, Colour, Quang, Freebase, Comadose, Pulse, Todd, Michael MD, Patrick HAF, and Blau Dot. The decks were set up inside old fridges, and the entrance was through a back alley past old freezers. Many people wondered what was in them.
Later that month, on 26 May 1993, another significant doof event, Suck Acid Fest, was produced by Virtual Bass at 324 King Street, Newtown. The lineup featured DJs Vincent, Free Bass, Sub Bass Snarl, and Acid Masters.
Following these early Sydney events, Earthcore became notable as one of the first commercial bush doof parties in Melbourne, Victoria, later 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 (1992–2017)
* Rainbow Serpent Festival (1997–present)
* Maitreya Festival
* Mushroom Valley Festival
* Esoteric Festival
* Wild Horses Festival
* Interstellar Groove Festival
* Dragon Dreaming Festival
* Earth Frequency Festival
* Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival