Duck Sauce interview
Armand Van Helden and A-Trak have joined forces to create some delicious house music under the name Duck Sauce. Their debut single, aNYway, may have been a number one hit but, as A-Trak advises HUCK, it could be a while before we hear from them again.
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HUCK: How did Duck Sauce come about?
A-Trak: Armand and I were hanging out for a while before we even thought about making music. We were both living in New York but actually met through Chromeo, my brother’s band. I was mixing rap vocals and house music and that's Armand’s whole background. He's originally a hip hop guy who got into house music in the 90’s. In a sense, Armand laid the blueprint for what I am doing now. We bonded over that and we would listen to music at his house. A year or so later, he brought up the idea of making a couple of tracks together. He and I both work alone usually so it was interesting to collaborate.
Surely you could do this on your own?
I don’t think I could have made this on my own. I think Armand has the magic touch. I came up with the theme for Duck Sauce. It was more my idea to do disco loops and late 90’s French house but it wasn't something I had done before and it’s not something that comes naturally. It’s just something that I thought would be cool to bring back. But Armand used to make those records. It was just a lot easier making them together.
Are you guys planning to release an album or tour anytime soon?
I don’t think we’re gonna tour. Everything is going to be really exclusive. We won’t be doing remixes and we will only do about one or two shows a year at the most. We are definitely going to make more tracks and I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up making a whole album. We made those four songs all at once back in the spring. Every time we hang out, we make more songs and we are both really excited.
So nothing is set in stone?
Yeah. It’s all pretty casual. The tracks are pretty simple and the image is pretty simple. We just have a duck, you know? Ha ha!
Why did you choose the name Duck Sauce?
There is no real reason. I just think it sounds cool. In New York, a lot of people get Chinese takeaway and there’s this tradition that every Chinese takeaway restaurant in New York gives you these packages of Duck Sauce. No one really knows what it is. It’s a mysterious word. There’s something very New York about our project because both Armand and I are very attached to the New York B Boy aesthetic. Even though neither of us were born here, we both cherish what this city is about. To a New Yorker, Duck Sauce means something right away.
Finally, what is your favourite Chinese takeaway meal?
I would have to say chicken with cashew nuts every time!
Duck Sauce's debut single, aNYway, is out now via Fools Gold.
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Duck Sauce interview (text) by David McNamara is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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