DOOKOOM on their European Tour and new album NO!

DOOKOOM share their thoughts on the development of their new album NO! and talk about its universal appeal, the perverted vision of the rainbow nation, being like Drake on crack, and how anger drives action.

Dookoom have recently come back from a successful European tour where they shot a music video at Le Fil in St Etienne and inspired moshpits from as early as track two in their set lists. The music video that they shot at Le Fil is scheduled for release this month, while another video of theirs for the track ‘Dirty’ was nominated for a Berlin Music Video Award this year.

When putting together ideas for your new Dookoom album, were there any specific themes you were drawn to and why do you think you settled on the final concept?

Human Waste: The album wasn’t planned as a concept to fit a title or theme. We just got together and poured our hearts into making music. We’re a bunch of emotional muthaf$ckers. We don’t like to think too much; we prefer to feel and react. DOOKOOM is always just raw, honest and direct. We’re like Drake on crack.

Isaac Mutant

Isaac Mutant: The title signifies defiance and resistance. Anti-establishment. ‘Yes’ means to agree. We don’t. ‘No’ ALSO means number generally. The system makes everyone a number since the time of birth; ID no, application no, case no, phone no etc. We chose to go with the theme of raw human emotion.

Spo0ky: Compared to our previous EP dealing with South African issues and culture, our new album NO! is universal, it talks about emotions and the human conditions. A French journalist took the time to listen, fully focused, to the entire album in the dark, and felt discomfort, anger, pain, sadness and more, and by the end of the album the heaviness he felt was lifted. Our album and shows have a cathartic effect, we help people face and feel their emotions.

You’ve collaborated with Lilith previously and with Donny Truter on ‘Chop You Down’. How did this collaboration come about and why specifically did you choose to work with these two artists?

Human Waste: Lilith comes and goes as she pleases. She’s a lost soul who lives outside society. We like her. We communicate through music. She’s also very emotional. One day she turned up to the studio with Donny and we made music like we do. There’s a lot of emotion and pain in Donny’s voice.

Isaac Mutant: We found Lilith sleeping in a public toilet. Male’s toilet. Donny was selling stuff to us. I’ll refrain from saying what. We worked with them because they’re good. Obviously.

If DOOKOOM is a perverted vision of the ‘rainbow nation’ then what in your opinion is the real state of the perceived rainbow nation in South Africa?

Human Waste

Isaac Mutant: Perverted white with a rapist leprechaun.

Human Waste: The rainbow nation is like all advertising; a lie or a psychological trick to make you buy something.

Spo0ky: The rainbow nation is a lie. It’s a concept for tourists, a cover up, like a new coat of paint over a house which is falling apart. The daily life of most South Africans is proof that removing an oppressive system is not enough, the very foundations of the South African society need to be rebuild from the ground up to stop the still present consequences of apartheid.

Music is most relevant and impacting when it enables the listener to feel something. What do you think anger offers both the listener and artist when it’s utilised?

Isaac Mutant: Other than make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, anger makes you wanna do something about something you don’t agree with. Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Unless doing nothing is better.

Human Waste: Anger makes you act. Anger is your defence mechanism when something is not right, when something needs to change. It gives you power and energy. So much music is designed to make you feel good, to make you forget, to make you accept the status quo, to implanted consumerist dreams in your mind and to pacify you. We make music to riot to.

Spo0ky: Anger is a positive when used properly. It is the motivation to change something that no longer serves you. We’ve been taught by society that anger should be suppressed but it is actually our inner compass guiding us to what is best for us.

Why do you think the DOOKOOM voice is one that the South African music scene needs? And what sort of musical precedent do you think DOOKOOM is setting?

Spo0ky

Isaac Mutant: Like with Larney Jou Poes, we talk about stuff that others whisper about behind closed doors of brothels with black cocaine stained ‘Jesus loves you’ t-shirts while some curly-haired boy gives him a blowjob. You’re only human you sick fuck.

Human Waste: Someone called our music ‘difficult’ the other day. It made me think how sanitised and safe most music is, especially in South Africa. Our music does make people confront political, social and psychological ideas that are very real. Life is difficult in South Africa so our music reflects that. That can be uncomfortable for some people, but if art can’t make you feel anything, what is the fucking point? I’m not sure what precedent we’re setting. We’re just making emotional, angry music. We want people to come to our shows and sweat, bleed, feel, get dirty and fucked up.

Spo0ky: Although our aim is to create art, having a track that helps two opposite sides of society come together to talk and hopefully move forward together is needed.

You’ve recently come back from a European tour, were there any specific highlights from your trip that left a lasting impression on you as a crew or individually?

WhatGwann

Isaac Mutant: The squat we performed at, Raymond Bar, we became rock gods at that moment. We became ‘a rock god’. We transcended and became one body with all its moving parts touching and stroking itself to ejaculate squirt after squirt all over the peeping toms i.e. the audience. Metaphorically speaking.

Human Waste: We’re all most alive when we’re performing. The best moments are always when we get lost in the energy that is created between us and the audience, when there is no real distinction between us and them. Raymond Bar was the best example of that. Mosh pit. People on stage. Beer and water everywhere. People high as fuck. People on the stage losing their shit. It was like a musical orgy. We love that shit.

Spo0ky: We got to shoot a music video at Le Fil in St Etienne in between tour dates, which will be released this June. In Marseille, the home of our label I.O.T Records, the crowd started a mosh pit on track number two already. I regretted not jumping in so I gave my whole energy at the next mosh pit at the infamous Raymond Bar in Clermont Ferrand, including beer battle between crowd and us on stage! As a crew, we stayed united through twenty two shows and more than ten thousand kilometres over one month in a tour van.

You have also recently finished shooting for Future Sounds of Mzansi II with Spoek Mathambo and Lebogang Rasethaba. What is your take on this project and what did you enjoy most about your part in it?

Isaac Mutant: These brase are ‘talk is cheap` type story-tellers. Of course I was honoured to be their choice out of the gazillion artists in Mzanzi. I dig that they gave me the freedom to tell my story how and where I wanted to. And they bought me beer. Lots of beer. Actually made me drop a tear or two. Gangsta tears ou bra.

Human Waste: They are a very talented, intelligent team of people who really care about South African music. I’m sure it’s going to be an amazing, historically important insight into music and culture in South Africa. It’s always a pleasure to be part of such a project.     

DOOKOOM on their European Tour and new album NO!