Retrospective: Dugong Jr on being creative in the lockdown

This article is one in a series, we asked artists to reflect on their life and career in 2020 and share what they were able to accomplish during this incredibly challenging year. Read on to find out what each artist had to say.

Dugong Jr focuses on DIY and eclectic innovation when it comes to making music. His adventurous take on electronic music is a genre-bending production of melodic tracks that recently came together into the Pleasure Principle EP. The record features collaborations with Jordan Dennis, Evangeline, Rromarin (Kult Kyss) and is “a testament to Dugong Jr’s deep roots in the global landscape of forward-thinking electronic music”.

Quip: How has 2020 been for you?

Dugong Jr: Yeah 2020 was pretty wild lol. It definitely had its ups and downs but I feel extremely fortunate that I had such supportive people around me. I spent a lot of time focusing on my physical and mental health during the lockdown, which I think really helped me in my ability to stay creative and I was able to release my 2nd EP Pleasure Principle which came out in November 2020.

Q: Have you learned anything about yourself, your fans, or the industry?

DJ: As lovely as it is to create work in an amazing studio space, I learned that I can be creative anywhere as long as I’m inspired. I’ve also been super impressed with people’s willingness to engage with art and music in new ways.

Q: What have you been missing most?

DJ: Definitely missing live IRL shows, both going to them as a punter and performing myself.

I’ve also really missed being in the studio with people, but Melbourne has recently relaxed its lockdown restrictions so I’ve been able to do a few sessions with other artists over the last couple of months which has been really exciting.

Q: What new music have you made?

DJ: I made a LOT of new beats during the lockdown. I’m starting to flesh a bunch of them out now with other vocalists/artists, I don’t want to mention any names just yet cause they aren’t finished, but there will definitely be some familiar faces and some new ones too. ☺️

Q: Do you have any streams you’d like to share?

DJ: I just recently did a live stream for this year’s edition of LA GIVES BACK [top of the page]. I was lucky enough to share the bill with some amazing artists like Tom Morello, Eric Andre, A-Trak, Snakehips, and more, all coming together with the goal of raising money for the homeless. Big shout out to Chad from Brownies and Lemonade for inviting me to be a part of that amazing event.

Q: Anything you’d like to share with your fans?

DJ: It’s been a hard year, don’t be too hard on yourself. Take care of your mental health and check in on your friends. ☺️

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