discover new australian music

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

For me, it's all about experimenting and letting go of what you think something should sound like. I spent a lot of time trying to make music sound a certain way, but I found the less I tried the more natural things sounded.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

A lot of stuff inspires me, but creatively I’m inspired by sounds. I can’t put my finger on it, but the smallest of sounds can inspire some of the most interesting tracks, I’m always searching for those sounds that evoke emotion somehow, it’s a really fun way to write.

What can punters expect from a Luboku live show?

It’s very dynamic, I like to take people on a journey with me as the set expands and contracts. Think Nils Frahm x Jon Hopkins x James Blake, or just come to my show with What So Not this weekend and find out for yourself!

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

My uncle is a long-time muso and he’s always told me to stick with my gut feel - your first instinct is usually the best, pretty much 99% of the time.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Men At Work - Down Under. No one could escape this one, it’s too good a singalong.

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Dustin Tebbutt - The Breach.

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Flume - HyperParadise remix, still a jam.

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

Well, it wasn’t the most recent one, but Kamasi Washington’s performance earlier this year has really stuck with me, an amazing show and his dad came out onstage to play mid-set which was actually epic.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Melbourne music community that inspire you.

I’m really inspired by the community itself! There is so much great music coming out of Melbourne every day, I think it’s something which is pretty singular to our city. That said, good friends Two People are doing some lovely stuff, as are Kllo, Jack Grace, Lonelyspeck and a lot more people who have probably escaped my mind at this moment.

What are your plans for 2018?

I just finished my debut EP, so that’s on its way, lots more live shows and maybe a few surprises too, I guess you’ll have to wait and see!

Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?

Our music is definitely fuelled by the emotions we were feeling during the writing process. Sometimes the songs turn out bright and happy, other times they end up darker and heavier because of that. All of us have played in heavier bands than Bad Juju in the past but really wanted to get back to our punk rock/grunge roots because we all enjoyed that kind of sound when we were growing up. Each of us brings a whole bunch of influences to the table during writing and the end product is developed through a mix of those influences and what emotions we are feeling at the time.

What’s your greatest source of inspiration for making music?

One of the biggest sources of inspiration is watching other bands we love playing live and killing it. We all grew up getting down to local shows, watching bands and being a part of the music scene. We've always enjoyed being a part of it and having a chance to keep doing that in this band has been so much fun for us. We just want to keep writing music so we can get out there and do it more!

What can punters expect from a Bad Juju live show?

It's always going to be high energy for us on stage. The more people getting involved, jumping around and getting crazy, the better as far as we are concerned. 

What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?

Nick: Mum always said no matter what you do, try to be the hardest working person in the room. 

Russ: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take - Wayne Gretzky" - Michael Scott.

What Australian track would you play to cheer up someone who was crying?

Abe: The Chats - Smoko

Nick: Australian Crawl - The Boys Light Up

What Australian track would you play to someone to make them cry?

Russ: Silverchair - Ana's Song

Abe: Crowded House - Better be home soon

Armarin: Air Supply - Anything

You’re the DJ at a party. The dance floor is pumping. What Australian track do you put on next?

Nick: Cold Chisel - Khe Sang

Russ: The Veronicas - Untouched

What was the last local gig you went to? How was it?

Russ: I've been to a bunch of shows lately, I'm not sure which was the most recent! But a standout from the last 6 months would have to be Dear Seattle at Northcote Social Club. It was sick. People went nuts and it was a great vibe.

Tell us about the bands or people in the Melbourne music community that inspire you.

Melbourne has so many hard working and talented musicians that it's hard to pinpoint one or two! We've been lucky enough to work with a few great musicians when recording our songs including Callan Orr of 'Dream on Dreamer' and Beau Mckee who used to play in 'Closure in Moscow'. They both challenged us with each track to try new things and step up our game. We learnt a lot from those sessions. We have gotten a lot of love from music fans in Melbourne so far and the triple j Unearthed crew that have given us a lot of confidence in what we are doing and that's driving us forward!

What are your plans for 2018?

We have finished recording our debut EP which will be coming out very soon. We plan to play a few shows around that and get interstate a lot more! We can't wait to release the EP and show everyone what we've been working on. We also have some awesome shows coming up with Dream on Dreamer and Trophy Eyes that we are looking forward to this month and in July! All the dates and info are on our Facebook page for anyone who is interested!