By Garry Lu (@mrputneyswope)
Multi-Platinum and ARIA award winning Canberra duo Peking Duk are back at it again, working their regular chart-topping magic with the release of the latest single, Stranger, featuring Elliphant. We sat down with Adam, one half of Australiaโs EDM sweethearts, to talk things to come, staying on desired paths while establishing themselves in the scene, and Rich Homie Quan.
Did you ever expect to reach this massive level of success all from your bootleg of โTake A Walk?โ Better yet, was this always the end game or were you guys just seeing how far you could take it?
I guess it all started outโฆ we were young, dumb, and full of cum. We were just working on music, Reuben was in bands, I was doing some punk shit, and some hip-hop shit that wasnโt too good. We were just getting started, but once we started to realize what we could do with music production, I guess, once you get a hold of a laptop and realize what you can do with it, we realized we could take it somewhereโฆ We are completely blown away with how far weโve taken it thus far. But, I donโt know. I think ten years from now, we want to be sleeping with snow leopards and Lionel Ritchie singing us to sleep and thatโฆ maybe something neon too.
You guys have pretty much cemented your status as hard partying legends. Do you think thatโs why you have such a talent for producing these EDM anthem tracks, or is it more of a conscious effort?
Well itโs kind of funny, because we spend a lot of time on the road doing these wild club gigs and festival shows which are very loose and very sweaty. And we do like to party, but then, you know, after that thereโs obviously some downtime as well when weโre in the studio. And itโs kind of like the perfect contrast. So for the album weโve got a bunch of music that I think people arenโt really going to expect. Like there are bangers on there, but thereโs alsoโฆ I donโt know, some stuff that sort of tickles the heart a little bit, in a very nice way.
I get what youโre saying. So with your latest single, Stranger, what lead you to this sort of comparatively broodier direction in terms of atmosphere? Itโs still upbeat, but itโs a song where you feel something deep down in your gut, like thereโs something at stake.
I think Rich Homie Quan said it best when he said, โSome type of way.โ Because it makes you feel some type of way. You know?
I donโt think Iโve ever met another Rich Homie Quan fan in real life.
Youโre a fan of Rich Homie Quan too? Heโs dope. Heโs dope. I thinkโฆ weโve been working on a bunch of music, as I was saying before, I think it was a perfect offering of what weโve been up to. I mean, itโs a nice upbeat song like you said, with something thatโll make you feel some type of way. And Elliphantโs a G. Weโve been working with her quite a bit, and it just felt right, you know? The weatherโs heating up down in Aussie, and its good times. As the Kiwis say, โAussieโ. Iโve never said that in my entire life. [Adam tries the same line in a Kiwi accent.] That was a South-African accentโฆ Itโs like if Hugh Jackman had a baby with Rich Homie Quan.
Have you seen Elysium? Heโs got a South-African accent there.
Oh, dude. I havenโt seen it. Iโve been meaning to.
Heโs got like a mullet, he wears khaki shorts through the entire thing. It was a trip.
I actually had a dream the other night that I was drinking beers with Hugh Jackman. And thenโฆ yeah. Then he left the kick on.
He seems like a pretty wholesome, nice kind of guy in the public eye. But beyond that, he could be loose as. What do you reckon?
Yeah, Iโve got this concept in my head that heโs just this maniac. Like screaming at walls and shit like that. But I donโt know the guy, so I donโt know.
The fact that Elliphant was almost not on Stranger has recently become quite public. During this process, was there a vision that you maintained that always included Elliphant, something in your mind that just knew she belonged on the track and if so, how do you balance the initial vision with the evolving end product?
Well I think thatโs the whole thing. We were so persistent with it, and I know in the back of my head, the whole thing was, โSheโs going to be on the jointโ. She had to be on the song. The song was going to be corny without her on it. We just kept pushing for it. When we first heard the beat, itโs funny because I wasโฆ it was like, Iโm not going to name names, but we had a few different people in mind. And then, we did another song with Elliphant earlier which is sort of in the back of the pile now, but it all happened very naturally and then everything was sweet. And then it was like, โNah, the beatโs there, the vocalโs there, but the melodyโs not good blah blah blahโ. We were persistent with it, it just kept happening. Elli was like, โNah, fuck this shit, I donโt want to be on the song. You guys do the thingโ.
She didnโt say it like that, but you could tell where she was going with it. And we were like, โNah, nah, weโll do it like this, weโll do it like thatโ, and whatever. And it worked out great in the end. We were talking about it again with her last night and sheโs like, โIโm so fucking happy that Iโm on the songโ. Itโs a weird kind of love story of a song, but it worked out in the end.
I think I read somewhere that you werenโt quite satisfied with the reception of Say My Name. How do you, as artists, try to manage expectations?
I wouldnโt say we wereโฆ it makes sense, you know. When I listen to that song now, to be honest, Iโm sort of like, โFuck, we shouldnโt have put that out thenโ. Actually, if I could turn back time, maybe in a later stage or something. It wasnโt the right move to put that song out then. Weโre still establishing ourselves with everything, and thatโs a very different vibe when you compare it to Take Me Over or High. It wasnโt received in the way that, I guess, weโd sort of built up in our heads that it would be. But thatโs life. Sometimes you think things will work and they donโt. We learnt a lot from it. Not to take anything away from that songโฆ looking back itโs like, โOhโฆ fuck, we took an L on that oneโ. Weโll keep going for it. In no way am I saying that was a loss of a song, that sounds dog. In the words of Rich Homie Quan, it makes me feel some type of way.
Back onto the whole topic of being hard partying legends, whatโs the breakdown of a regular Peking Duk turn up night?
It varies man, sometimes it gets weird, sometimes it gets plain awkward. It all depends, you need to give me some scenarios if weโre going to talk shopโฆ Couple beers turn into a breakdance battle, weโll throw on some silly hats, maybe some sunglasses, and weโll see what happens. The staplesโฆ good music, a Twister mat, and a box cassette of Ace Ventura. VHS that is. Box cassette. Is that even a word? I donโt know. A Celine Dion mixtape to really get the mood going, if you know what I mean.
Youโre set to play at the FOMO festival in Parramatta alongside the likes of Slumberjack, George Maple, and Empire of the Sun. Any expectations?
Just waiting to have a drink with Desiigner.
