‘Doof Shed’ – the 1.53m x 0.74m x 1.88m brainchild of Australian twins Harry Nathan Labrakis and Evangelos ‘Boonie’ Labrakis – has officially been crowned the world’s “Smallest mobile nightclub” by GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS officials.
Recognised more commonly by his artist name Harry Nathan, the Sydney-based singer and producer, alongside twin brother Evangelos ‘Boonie’ Labrakis, offered a beacon of hope just as COVID dealt the final blow to the city’s club scene. The brothers repurposed a corrugated metal shed, aptly named the ‘Doof Shed’, turning it into a nightclub with a dancefloor that spans just 1.53m x 0.74m. The Doof Shed is equipped with a Focal sound system, Pioneer DJ setup, intelligent lighting and a “Full Send” button, which activates a smoke machine, strobe, flashing lights and lasers to emulate the full-body, sensory club experience.
With over 100,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and millions of career streams to his name, Harry Nathan specialises in electronic music and has recently signed to tastemaker labels Majestic Casual and Kitsuné Musique. He conceptualised the 1.5 metre club in order to provide one-on-one music experiences. With a little help from his father Evangelos Labrakis Sr. and twin brother Boonie (a fellow dance music enthusiast and aspiring music producer), he created the COVID-safe space that just so happened to fit within the parameters of setting a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for the Smallest mobile nightclub (a record previously held by ‘Club 28’ in Rotherham, UK).
“Dance music culture continues to experience setbacks worldwide, with music festivals and nightclubs closing or being cancelled at a rapid rate. The landscape has become very difficult for promoters to schedule future events, running the risk of having their events cancelled last minute due to COVID restrictions or sudden government lockdowns.” says Harry.
After the recent relaxing of Sydney’s COVID restrictions, the twins decided to open up the experience and exhibit the miniature club to the general public for one day, which involved punters entering into a ballot system for an opportunity to experience the unique venue, with all proceeds going to mental health charities to aid those who have been affected by the pandemic.
“I never plan my performances, each set is unique to the individual; I connect my consciousness to the energy that each audience member brings into the space. The performance is not the artwork; the artwork is an intersubjective experience.” says Harry.
Boonie’s music style and approach to performance differs to his brother’s. A car fanatic first and foremost, his forthcoming debut EP features real-life field recordings of his favourite cars:
“I love techno and I love cars, enough said. My DJ sets are pretty heavy, different to the downtempo or experimental stuff like my younger bro. Nightclubs for me are all about the doof, that’s why I named it the ‘Doof Shed’. When people enter the ballot they can choose who’s show they’d like to attend. You can bring your friends to my set too… our current record is 7 people!” says Boonie.
Visit doofshed.com and enter the ballot to experience “Doof Shed” in your city.
