Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Eugene Dubon
Since I was first made aware of his existence last year, Eugene Dubon has continued to fascinate me. An unbelievably refined musician with just three EPs to his name, his style is so compelling and distinctive that it’s only a matter of time before people outside of the close-knit post-punk underground take notice.
With each release, Dubon alerts more people to his ominous rumblings. His reverb-laden guitars, pulsating rhythm section and surreal yet incisive comments on the absurdity of modern living work together to make you consider the idiosyncracies of this strange thing we call life. Dubon’s preference for counterbalancing the arcane aesthetic of his music with brief bursts of light also provides listeners with another welcome element that keeps them fully immersed in these all-encompassing sonic odysseys.
In October, the enigmatic Seattle-via-London artist released his latest EP, Miniaturization, a collection of six tracks that saw him refine the components of his unique sound to create a palette that was more engaging than ever. Speaking to him about what underpins the record, he noted the influence of one of famed author Isaac Asimov’s most outlandish efforts.
He said: “The EP is an ode to Isaac Asimov’s Fantastic Voyage, a spy thriller set in a miniature submarine travelling through a human body. While the whole book is presented in a measured and rational manner, and the science behind it all is well-researched and considered, there’s an inherent absurdism to riding around somebody’s blood vessels in a submersible, even if they are doing so to potentially save lives. Miniaturization is about how this absurdism is mirrored in the mundane aspects of our present everyday lives.”
It’s this kind of perspective that makes Dubon so captivating, particularly when noting that no one, outside of a select few, even knows what he looks like. With a cassette run of his new record coming out on Yorkshire DIY label Shooting Tzars later this month and plays from Tom Robinson on BBC 6 Music, as the world wakes up to Dubon’s efforts, we thought it was the perfect time to get to know him better. To do so, we sent some quick-fire questions his way, and unsurprisingly, the answers were off the beaten track.
Quick-fire Questions with Eugene Dubon:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
“GAS – ‘Rausch 3′”.
2. What’s been your favourite album of 2023 so far?
“Nihiloxica – Source of Denial“.
3. What album have you probably listened to most in your life?
“Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada“.
4. Do you believe in ghosts?
“No ghosts”.
5. Dual question: favourite soup and favourite comfort movie?
“Red lentil soup with a side of Blade Runner”.
6. What song are you most proud to have written to date?
“‘Finish Line'”.
7. Can you recommend us an album we might not have heard?
“J. Zunz – Del Aire”.
8. What would be your fantasy concert?
“Ernest Tubb to open, Sunn O))) main support. A-ha and Wham back-to-back headline, with a Peggy Gou DJ set to end”.
9. What is your most controversial cultural opinion?
“I don’t like whole nuts in my Waldorf salad”.
10. Are there any conspiracy theories you kind of believe in?
“I like to follow D.B Cooper”.
11. What was the first song you learned to play?
“‘Rainbow in the Dark’ by Dio”.
12. What movie makes you laugh the most?
“Death Becomes Her“.
13. Where is the best pub in the world?
“Bar House in Fremont, Seattle”.
14. With an hour to kill and no plans, what are you doing?
“Liminal reading or playing some bass”.
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
“If they weren’t back then, they are now”.
