Being one of the most forward-thinking producers in the world of electronic dance music, the Melbourne-based Dugong Jr continues to be in a league of his own once again with the release of his masterfully crafted sonically cohesive Polite EP.
Still buzzing off the release of his 8-track EP, Dugong Jr to the time to deliver an exclusive track-by-track breakdown to help paint a better picture of how his new project came together. Check it out below!
“This EP is about my experiences growing up in Australia with a Chinese/Malaysian background. I generally felt that a polite demeanour was both expected and tolerated. From a young age I understood that a way for me to stand out was through my artwork. Without having to be the loudest in the room, It was a polite way for me to not only have my voice heard, but have people reflect on themselves,” Dugong Jr explains.
“A polite introduction that establishes the sound palette for the rest of the EP.”
“I first heard Blush’ko back in 2018 when he performed with Goldlink for Triple J ‘Like A Version’, and was absolutely blown away. I’ve been trying to work with him ever since, and am extremely grateful that he blessed me with his beautiful voice for this collaboration. ‘Love Lost’ is centered around a theme of impure thoughts. The vibe is both upbeat and dark, it’s gritty but polished and aims to capture a mood of temptation.”
“‘Ceramic’ for me is about this idea of presenting a confident and unphased public façade, but deep down feeling quite fragile and vulnerable. Kind of living on a knife’s edge because you yearn for that sense of identity that a meaningful relationship could bring, but are also afraid of what you might lose trying to get there.”
“I really wanted the Polite EP to kind of encapsulate my journey from bedroom producer to where I am now. My roots kind of lie in the experimental/instrumental club scene, and this track is definitely a nod to the SoundCloud era.”
“Like I mentioned before, I really wanted to have a variety of tracks on the EP that spanned multiple sub-genres and BPM’s. ‘Geisha’ is kind of built around the bones of a UK Garage beat, with my own kind of adaptations to it.”
“‘Amphibious’ is built around the theme of ‘misery loves company’. Sort of drowning in your own sorrow but then finding a sense of escapism through a new relationship, hoping they can pull you out of it. I had the pleasure of working with Sydney based artist Jezzabell Doran on this track who I was obviously already a huge fan of from her early work with Flume.”
“When IJALE and I sat down to create what would become ‘Hieroglyphics,’ we wanted to paint a picture of a sort of majestic, matriarchal figure. It’s a dedication to all the strong women in our lives.”
“A swan song is a metaphorical phrase for a final gesture or performance before death. There is an old myth that swans are mute their whole lives, right up until they die when they sing one last final song.”
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