KOOKOO feat. LAURE BOER & JD J @ OHM Berlin

A voice cries out over the waters of the lake, shy, frightened, yet hopeful. It is full of wonder at what may come and doubt at what may stand in the way. A little boat floats along … all are asleep slumped over the rudder … this world is a temporary abode where we weep until the dawn comes … pitched by the waves. The song and the gentle splash of the water exert this special power that only music and sound have. To tell the story before you realise what’s going on.

This scene from Ugetsu, a highly influential 1953 film by Kenji Mizoguchi, tells of departure and destiny, with a strong sense of foreboding. It was a major inspiration for LAURE BOER, already in her teenage years, and still is today. In her various band projects, collaborations that cross over from music to visual art, and daring solo ventures, the French sound artist has developed a specific approach to improvising with electronic and acoustic means. She builds stories with voice, sounding rocks, light impulses—or without any input at all, as on her uncompromising record Chicanes, released in 2023: an insight into noise experimentation through the prism of a no-input mixer and light-sensitive stones. The result oscillates between rage, disruption, and euphoria—as do her mesmerising live performances. A catharsis for overload and invasive emotion, vulnerable and brutal at the same time.

For the first KOOKOO edition of 2025, LAURE BOER’s special take on storytelling is complemented by more sonic narrations from JABA UJMAJURIDZE a.k.a. JD J, one of the key figures in Tbilisi’s music scene over the past decade. JD J opens up to a multi-dimensional vision of club music, highlighting its left-field or overlooked aspects and making the most unexpected connections. This can be experienced in his show Out of Whack on Mutant Radio and, in even more vibrant and energetic form, in his club sets. JD J’s work with a DJ setup is driven by spontaneity and unpredictability and resists categorisation.

CARLY FISCHER and YUKIHIRO TAGUCHI, KOOKOO’s resident visual artists, reflect on the motion, circularity, and openness that the quote from Mizoguchi’s film evokes. Together with KOOKOO hosts MIEKO SUZUKI and ARA, they are heading towards intuition, premonition, and hope.