We had a quick chat with Canberra duo Peking Duk about their rise to fame, being a Canberra artist and tips for aspiring DJs/producers.
How did the band Peking Duk start?
We were both at the same college (Dickson College), Reuben was in an indie rock band and I was recording hip hop. Both our musical tastes were very similar even though we were both making completely different styles of music… we both loved to party too. We turned 18 in 2009 and got our first taste of nightclubs. The moment we heard a Crookers track in the club it took our breath away, we were so intrigued by the raw/animalistic sound we asked our good friend Croft, (who was really into electro at the time) to give us some cd’s so we could hear more. He gave us two cd’s with a mixture of 2008/09 electro house from around the world and we listened to it day in day out and became obsessed. One thing led to another and we started making our own music!
Where have you performed the best gig so far?
I’d have to say the most fun shows we’ve played would probably have been Club Fix in Busan, South Korea or at Foreshore festival in our hometown, Canberra. Both of those shows had a wild sweaty crowd which is always the best to play to. The most fun shows are always the ones with a captive/curious audience, size always helps too 😉
What is it like as a musical artist in Canberra?
I’d say it’s pretty much the same as being an artist anywhere in the world except you’re making your music in Australia’s capital city, filled with public servants and roundabouts… haha not exactly the best city for inspiration but definitely not the worst. There’s a lot of good people in Canberra, we could write a list of legendary Canberrans for you but that would take too long, they know who they are!
What tips do you have for people who want to break into the music industry?
Don’t fall into genre trends or sound trends, (this happens too much in dance!) too many people these days feel that the only way to make good dance music is to sound like Skrillex & Knife Party. The people that do the best tend to do what they like whilst keeping it unique and interesting.
What genre do you think your music sits under?
We hate labeling music under genres but if we had to call it I’d say we’re electro house/party music/fun times/sweaty bounce.
