Interview with Goldfish: one of South Africa’s best exports

Goldfish speaks to us about the musicians that inspire them

Goldfish, the electronic music duo (Dominic Peters and David Poole) who formed in Cape Town over 10 years ago, now have hoards of fans around the world. They've just released a new labum, called Late Night People, and you can listen to one of the featured songs below. 

We had the opportunity to speak to them about places they frequent in Cape Town and artists they look up to.

CapeTownMag: What’s with the name ‘Goldfish’?

David: Dominic, for some reason, was quite forgetful at the time and his famous move was putting his cell phone on top of the car, getting into the car and driving off. So, I used to call him ‘goldfish’. It was kind of a joke because of his three-second memory. We were also looking for a name for the band at that time, and we thought Goldfish is a name we would never forget and more importantly, it’s a name other people won’t forget. In the beginning, though, we were called ‘fishbowl’ instead of ‘Goldfish’ a couple of times.

CapeTownMag: I bet you’ve answered that question a lot…

Dominic: Yes, but we actually make up a new story every time. [Laughs]

CapeTownMag: Best place in Cape Town to cope with a hangover on a Sunday afternoon?

Dominic: Either Kirstenbosch or Noordhoek beach. Noordhoek is such a big beach, so you won’t bump into someone you know. I just go to the beach, get some sun and recharge. But, we normally just go surfing in Noordhoek, Long Beach, Llandudno, Sandy Bay, and Glenn Beach. Dunes beach is our favourite place to surf, but don’t tell anyone.

David: Or in bed with a Bloody Mary, depending on how bad the hangover is. [Laughs]

CapeTownMag: If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?

Dominic: Myself. I’m kind of enjoying this life, it’s pretty awesome up to now.

Dave: I would be a cross between two different people. I’d say surfer Kelly Slater and jazz great John Coltrane. So, I can surf like Kelly Slater does and play music like John Coltrane.

CapeTownMag: What musicians do you admire? 

David: Dom used to play with Winston Mankunku, he was a famous saxophone player. He was one of my heroes when I was growing up playing saxophone. I had a poster of him on my wall. Another person is Miriam Makeba, she is not here anymore, but she was always someone who’s voice and vibe we loved. She is definitely someone we would have loved to work with. Black Coffee is doing some awesome stuff, and I think James Copeland is a great talent.

Dominic: I obviously admire Kruder & Dorfmeister, Moby, Trentemoller, Luciano and a lot of the jazz guys, like Soweto Kinch - he’s an awesome saxophonist rapper from London.

CapeTownMag: When I am not making music, I'm...

Dominic: Sleeping. [Laughs]  Literally, every waking hour there is something to do with Goldfish. But, we also surf and David likes to fish every now and then when he has a spare second.

Dave: I’ve been fishing for ages, but it takes up too much time. We like surfing and doing something in the ocean that is exciting. I like to get my adrenaline going sometimes.

CapeTownMag: What advice can you give to young musicians?

Goldfish: Work hard, practise hard and don’t try to be somebody else. You've got to create your own voice and your own path. It’s more difficult to do that, but in the long run it’s better for you as a musician because if you’re just a copycat you will always be typecast as that. In the music industry, it’s all about relevance, and if you’re doing something that’s already been done, you’re kind of irrelevant.

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By Karin Willemsen for the CapeTownMagazine.com Cape Town Music Series. The Cape Town music Series is a project of CapeTownMagazine.com highlighting muscians, bands and DJs based in Cape Town and the Western Cape.

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Five nights of awesome eclectic house music with GoldFish Submerged at Shimmy Beach Club.

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