Peking Duk: Ascending new heights

In 2014, Canberra-formed DJ/producer duo Peking Duk signed a major label record deal that would prop them alongside electronic music’s heavyweights and sanction their place in the nexus of Australia’s latest music scene incarnation.

The joint deal with Sony Music and RCA Records didn’t expose Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles to a wider audience – the pair achieved that all on their own; neither did it lay the groundwork for a grand entrance into the global music realm – Peking Duk are multi-Platinum-selling artists whose fanbase is just as feverish on both sides of the North Pacific.

What the label deal did do however, is give Peking Duk an awareness of their worth; an appreciation the duo hadn’t quite grasped from their insulated end of the music industry.

“We met with all Big Three [major labels] and it was definitely fun and exciting times,” says Styles. “We got basketball tickets and there were loads of general perks having not decided who we would go with.”

It also placed them on the same label as synth-dabbling chart-toppers Mark Ronson, Giorgio Moroder and Sia. Avowed disciples of noise-blanket production and kinetic R&B, Peking Duk may be fused by polarising trend-lines but the niche they’ve carved for themselves has global appeal.

3x Platinum ARIA Award-winning single High charted in the Top 10 Airplay chart in South Africa in 2014, sandwiched between Childish Gambino’s Crawl and Kat Dahlia’s Crazy. The track also placed at #2 on the 2014 triple j Hottest 100, the world’s biggest music poll and the largest public poll in Australia behind the Federal Election.

The duo’s 2x Platinum Take Me Over placed at #5 on the 2014 triple j Hottest 100 and while it hasn’t been serviced to radio outside of Australia and New Zealand, it did feature on the duo’s first ever EP and first international push Songs To Sweat To.

Now that Peking Duk have Platinum records on their shelf and a rolodex of artists and industry figures singing their praises, the duo are surprisingly not impressed with themselves; they’re more confounded.

“Everything we’ve become has been an entirely fortuitous adventure,” says Styles. “The limelight couldn’t have been expected less when we were working at Canberra’s Dickson Maccas.

“It’s mind-blowing thinking back to when we couldn’t use Ableton and our songwriting in general was entirely two dimensional,” he adds. “We found that – whilst working at Maccas – the less bongs we smoked, the better the music got.”

The instinct to genuflect their success and claim tech disciple status is natural for most artists who aren’t Kanye West. However Peking Duk have undoubtedly cracked America. The band’s 15-date ‘United States of Sweat’ tour in 2015 hit stages at Coachella and Lollapalooza. Triggering an influx of new fans, the pair picked up “about 250” ’PLUR’ (Peace Love Unity Respect) bracelets on the way.

“I tip my hat and respect the passion [the US fans] have for the movement; it’s nuts,” says Hyde. “They can go to raves with no drugs, no alcohol and get high off the music and dance the night away – it’s fucking awesome.”

Peking Duk at their sold-out Canberra show. Photo Credit:Patrick Stevenson/Hoboincognito

The duo’s tour of US and Canada wrapped up last month, the 22-date run included a sold out concert in Whistler where they added an extra show. As Styles tells TMN, he and Hyde may be US music industry naturals when it comes to their live identities, but in terms of radio publicity, the territory operates in an entirely different manner.

“It’s hard,” he states. “Lot’s of stations seem to want something that fits exactly into one genre, i.e. Alternative or Rap or Dance or Pop. Our aim is to never be in any genre category ever, so hopefully radio stops caring so much about where we fit.

“Luckily however, we are in the internet age where unclassified music will surely start to mean more.”

This month Peking Duk kicked off their Australiana Tour, taking in seven local cities, including sold out shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra, and a stop in Adelaide where they headlined the Clipsal 500 and performed to a crowd of 3,500.

PhotoCredit:Patrick Stevenson/Hoboincognito

Peking Duk’s Manager Ben Dennis knows all too well how exacting a multi-country tour with high energy artists can be. Peking Duk might be performing and sleeping in a castle in Vietnam one night andperforming on a cruise ship somewhere between Singapore and Langkawithe next. Naturally, Dennis has his own management tools to keep schedules streamlined from one country to the next.

“When it comes to booking in travel we use The Appointment Group (TAG) via our booking agents Vita Artists,” says Dennis. “For itineraries we have found using a basic iCal itinerary for the Peking Duk guy’s works best.

“There’s a lot of time saved having a representative at TAG work out the best routes, times and prices,” he adds. “The fact we don’t have to enter traveller details multiple times ourselves is a life saver too – especially when travelling with a crew of more than people sometimes. TAG are problem solvers for us – If a flight gets cancelled they will have the next best alternative and a direct line to the right people at the airline.”

Much of the blueprint for each tour centres around Peking Duk’s on and offstage party antics: energetic, uncaged, theatrical and gutter-mouthed. However, when it comes to Peking Duk’s motherland, the pair can get quite emotional.

On their recent dates Peking Duk waxed political, starting a ’Fuck Mike Baird’ chant and making headlines in the process. The strike out at the Premier of New South Wales follows the duo’s publicised protest against Sydney’s crippling lockout laws. The laws which were introduced in March 2014 have had a detrimental effect on the city’s nightlife; APRA reported a 40% drop in door charges, meaning less people are paying to see live music, and high-profile venues, including Hugos, Goodgod Small Club and the Flinders Hotel have closed their doors permanently.

“Sydney is our home and I personally, would love to live here forever,” says Styles. “If however these lockout laws stay put we will have to get out […] The culture has died so significantly over the last two years since these laws were introduced – it’s ridiculous.”

Peking Duk’s Enmore Theatre show in Sydney. Photo Credit:Patrick Stevenson/Hoboincognito

Despite being signed to RCA and Sony Music for over a year now, the agreement with the major will truly kick off this year as they ready the release of a new album.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what will come of this partnershipwith Sony,” says Styles. “They’re all enthusiastic, excited people that love music – which is perfect.”

In true Peking Duk form, we can expect the kind structural complexity and experience-driven cycles that have set trends in the past. Styles and Hyde are continually adding to their own universe; its atoms just happen to be crowd-pleasing anthems.

“We try not to create music that falls in to a trend box,” adds Hyde. “We don’t do that on purpose, we just feel there’s no real longevity with following trends. We’re looking forward to sharing the album as that has a shite load of different flavours that everyone can get jiggy with.”

The Appointment Group (TAG)is an award-winning global, independent travel and event management company dedicated to clients around the clock from offices in London, Manchester, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore.