Overview
Canberra electronic duo Peking Duk have generated some serious buzz off the back of their remix of Passion Pit's 'Take a Walk'. They've been riding a wave of good fortune ever since, opening for UK rapper Example and Italian dance-punks The Bloody Beetroots, as well as giving it a good run on the festival circuit.
We caught up with the duo - renowned party boys Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles - ahead of their only New Zealand show on June 26, 2014, and found out everything from their pre show cartwheel routine to what's on the cards for the rest of the year.
You both come from live music backgrounds. What attracted you to the dance / club scene?
We first got a taste for dance music from our homie in 12th grade when he passed us a pair of headphones blasting acts like Crookers, Bloody Beetroots and Stupid Fresh. He then took us to Lot 33 - a dope AF club that used to go off in Canberra - and the DJs there were bangin out a bunch of fidget house bangers. Needless to say, once experienced in the right environment, the club scene had us fairly quickly hooked.
What can New Zealand crowds expect from your live show on June 26?
NZ crowds can expect loads of sweat...and certainly enough to make Adam's shirt to come off.
How do you work behind the scenes? Do each of you take on specific aspects of the beat making and songwriting?
We work hard during the week. Most of the time it's individually and separately. That way we can come out of each week with twice as much music. There's no specific role for either of us, we both enjoy writing chords, melodies, basslines, lyrics and of course we each love making beats.
You have a bunch of international shows under your belt. What was your favourite gig or on-the-road story?
Fav gig for me so far would have to be Groovin The Moo, the touring festival in May that sticks to regional towns. We have many stories, most of which will be saved. For now lets just say that almost every act on that bill knew how to party, real proper.
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
We have a cartwheel race across the greenroom, loser eats a cigarette and has to neck a beer during the intro.
Are there any collaborations lined up in the near future? If not, who would you like to collaborate with?
There's loads of collaborations coming up. Mostly with vocalists. I would love to collaborate with a million people but Little Dragon or Julian Casablancas have been dreams from the get go.
How do you foresee EDM progressing in the future? Any predictions?
Feels to me like it's going to end up massive in Asia. As for what EDM will be at that point in time...from here it's looking like deep house is the only type of hot EDM right now. There is so much happening right now in electronic music though so it's hard to say, no doubt in 2 years there won't be the term "EDM", it'll just be music like all other music.
Do you think the album format is still relevant or would it be more beneficial for acts to simply release a series of singles?
Albums are great for people that still have CD players. I personally LOVE whacking an album on in the car, you get to experience the journey that the artist has created for you. Some types of artists work better for albums than others though. Gorillaz' last album is a great listen from start to finish, other albums, especially in the 'pop' realm consist only of hits and aren't that enjoyable to listen from start to finish.
What's in the pipeline for the rest of the year?
After the New Zealand tour we are doing Splendour alongside a massive Australian tour. Straight after that we head to the US for a bunch of shows. In between and during all of those we are working our butts off on the music. Lots of exciting tracks in the works.
The one question we really should have asked you is… (and the answer)
Q. Do you like the food.. "peking duck"?
A. Fuck off. 🙂