Deus ex Machina roared into existence back in 2006, with some neatly customised motorcycles and a quaint notion that doing something is more fun than just owning something. Fast forward to today and Deus have since set up shop across Europe, Asia, America and Africa. Deus ex Machina is a step bigger than a brand: it’s a culture. We’ve been fueling their Sydney cafes for the past year and a bit, so it was only a matter of time before we sat down with one of Deus’ co-founders, Carby Tuckwell, to chat shop and coffee (of course). Pop the kettle on and have a read, this one's a goodie.
Q. Hey Carby, tell us about Deus ex Machina, what is it?
Deus ex Machina is an experiment in attention span enhancement — a manifesto that describes the parts but you put together the sum yourself.
Q: And what about you — who is Carby Tuckwell?
I’m just a hayseed from the hills of the Northern Rivers who figured out how to use the right end of the pencil and went to see the world. I always think it's a bit of disappointment if someone can be summarised in a paragraph — hopefully there are tunes I’ve yet to learn how to play.
Q. What led you to start Deus?
A wonderful collision of coincidence, shared enthusiasm but most importantly, it was Dare Jennings being the most creatively courageous person I’ve had the pleasure of working with and bringing the parts together.
Q. Who and what do you look to for inspiration?
Woa. Tough one. This is where I would roll off a list of predictable artists, architects and chefs right. I actually take much more inspiration from the people I work with, a collaborative creative project is the greatest inspiration and very rewarding. My partner in grime in the Deus studio is Stevie James, he inspires me daily… I’ve never worked with a more talented and eclectic creative thinker.
Q. What’s your coffee setup at home?
A decrepit Saeco. If we keep at a tilt of 7 degrees to the left with a couple of dollar coins it produces a perfunctory brew. I still think coffee is not only the stimulant of choice creatively but an excuse to get out of the house. To be honest at home I revert to being Carby Tea.
Q. Got a favourite Supreme coffee?
Gotta be Boxer, also my favourite cylinder configuration with internal combustion engines. Flat whites and Flat Sixes for me.
Q. Smooth or crunchy?
Trick question.
Q. Favourite lockdown takeaways in Sydney?
I’m lucky to live within a stroll of some suburban joints — Seans has delighted with his daily IG menus and the good lads at FISHOP have delighted.
Q. You’ve racked up some pretty impressive collaborations. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I think we could produce an amazing portable dwelling, curated and prepped for adventure. There are already a few bland-o prefabs out there so I would work with a car manufacturer to make it mobile and off grid.
Q. What’s on the horizon for Deus?
Hopefully absolutely nothing we have done before! We just want to keep growing the community because that is what fuels our engines — shared enjoyment.
You'll find Coffee Supreme served at Deus' Sydney cafes. Visit them at Shop 1/18 Raglan St, Manly and 98-104 Parramatta Rd, Camperdown.
