Kooii

One need look no further than recent events in Sydney to see the appeal of an event like One Vibration, taking place at the Paddington Chapel at the start of August. Roots band Kooii seem an auspicious addition, given their ethos of movement and connectivity, and frontman Peter Hunt is inclined to agree.

“I haven’t really been tuning in to what’s been going on in Sydney, but I guess creative people are often drawn to taking drugs, drinking,” he says. “Being creative spirits, sometimes it’s something you’re attracted to, though that’s not just the artist, but also the listeners. But I think in this day and age, the artist who wants to get their music out there, they need to be on top of their shit. You have to take care of yourself and each other.”

Taking care of each other sits at the core of both Onespace and Kooii’s own musical intentions. Building a shared space to connect and enjoy music without prejudice or aggression is a fine aspiration, and is something Hunt – a member of Xavier Rudd’s United Nations band – views as vital.

“Maybe some people are more suited to drinking heaps and taking drugs while they’re touring, but I don’t reckon there would really be that many artists out there actually doing that,” he says. “I think it’s a bit of a myth. The reality is taking care of yourself, getting enough sleep, eating well. I reckon there’s a responsibility to enjoy what we’re doing, to love what we’re bringing. More than ever, I think. I say that because of the state of the world, and the great need to hear our connection with the world more so than any other time in history. Unless we’ve been cycling through all this before. I think music, from way back, we use as a way of weaving everyone together.”

To that end, developing a synthesis between artist and listener is at the core of Kooii’s expression. As One Vibration itself seeks to ease the barriers between musician and audience by eliminating negative influences, so too Kooii strive to find individual resonance in each person who gets up to dance.

“It’s a very big part of the message,” says Hunt. “The way that it affects people to move, there’s something that is beyond the words, something that expands on what you can bring from the meaning of the words. In our music, the feel or the groove has always been one of the most important things – how we’re locking in together, how one player’s part sits in with another player. There’s a whole degree of push and pull in the definitions of the band, therefore affecting how people move to it.

“For me, a beautiful song, a well-crafted song, it expresses feelings or a message in a unique, creative way. A lot of [our] songs can just start with a bassline. That will be the groove, and the anchor point. From that the melody line and vocal line can stem. That starts to shape how people are going to move, and for me, that’s inspiring.”