Peking Duk Takes Listeners to ‘Paradise’ With Long-Awaited Debut Album

Peking Duk Unleashes ‘Paradise’: How the Australian Duo Crafted Their Long-Awaited Debut Album

For more than ten years, Peking Duk—the high-octane Australian tandem of Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles—has dominated festival stages and club circuits with an unrelenting stream of dance anthems. Now, the duo has finally lifted the curtain on Paradise, their vibrant and long-overdue debut studio album.

Patience often yields the sweetest fruit. Spanning three years of dedicated studio sessions, Paradise features an electric roster of collaborators, pulling together diverse vocalists and musicians including Killer Mike, Rico Nasty, Phantogram, and homegrown favorite Matt Corby.

A Nostalgic Overture Featuring Jack Thompson

The 14-track journey kicks off with a spoken-word intro from iconic Australian screen legend and activist Jack Thompson. Renowned for embodying the rugged yet forward-thinking Australian ethos across cinema in the 1970s and ’80s, Thompson holds an unexpectedly personal connection to the musicians.

As teenagers, Hyde and Styles were stunned to encounter Thompson hanging out in Hyde’s mother’s kitchen. “My mom has always had connections in unexpected circles, and Jack happened to be one of them,” Hyde remembers with a laugh. Paired with the squelching tones of the legendary Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer—a cornerstone of vintage rave culture—the opening cut, appropriately named “Jack Thompson,” launches the LP with irresistible energy.

Creative Recharging and Solo Explorations

The protracted path to a full-length record was hardly spent resting on their laurels. Hyde found acclaim through his solo venture, Keli Holiday, capturing an ARIA Award for “Dancing2,” securing a domestic top-three debut with his sophomore album Capital Fiction, and headlining shows across the globe. Concurrently, Styles toured his distinctive solo project Y.O.G.A. (You’re Only Great Always), an infectious fusion of outlaw country flair and rave-ready electronic pulses.

“Reuniting for Peking Duk made us feel like wide-eyed teenagers again,” Hyde shared during a conversation in Sydney. “The moment we dove into the record, all expectations evaporated. It was pure creative freedom without the weight of outside pressure.”

The duo commenced work on the album following a major structural reset: concluding their longstanding tenure with Sony Music and aligning with Virgin Music via a partnership designed to preserve their artistic autonomy. “We spent 16 years releasing isolated singles without an album under our belt,” Styles explains. “Starting from scratch without constraints rekindled the sheer thrill of making music.”

Unapologetic Energy and Canberra Roots

Irreverence has always been intrinsic to Peking Duk’s identity. Whether taking over a Melbourne hardware store carpark for an impromptu warehouse rave or launching a signature chicken sandwich dubbed the ‘Peking Cluck Burger’ with KFC, their antics consistently blur the lines between club culture and cheeky spectacle.

Their creative kinship trace back to a skate park in Canberra, an Australian capital city that has quietly fostered world-class talent like Genesis Owusu and Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers. “Growing up in Canberra provided the blueprint for everything we do,” Hyde notes. “It felt like paradise, living completely in the moment.”

Their meteoric rise took flight in 2014 with the ARIA Award-winning smash “High” featuring Nicole Millar, followed by massive club anthems like “Take Me Over” featuring SAFIA and 2016’s ARIA Song of the Year winner “Stranger” featuring Elliphant.

The Creative Synergy Behind ‘Paradise’

Crafting Paradise demanded a playful, competitive spark between the longtime partners. “It felt like an intense session of Mario Kart—constantly trying to outdo one another in the best way,” Hyde recalls. “Embracing each other’s musical instincts on this project helped us evolve both creatively and personally.”

Styles likens their recording methodology to sculpting clay: “One of us would shape the base, the other would carve the details, and together we’d figure out the finishing touches.”

The resulting collection is a kaleidoscopic celebration of electronic textures, soul samples, and late-night revelry. “Our singular focus was delivering an exceptional body of work,” Hyde concludes. “Even with countless detours, nothing matched the pure excitement of losing ourselves in the studio with our favorite synthesizers.”

Listen to ‘Paradise’

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