Y.O.G.A. (Peking Duk's Reuben Styles) Shares Stagecoach Photo Diary

Reuben Styles, performing under his new solo project, You’re Only Great Always (Y.O.G.A), performed at Stagecoach last week. To celebrate the occasion, he has shared an exclusive photo diary of his time at the festival with Countrytown.

Styles, best known as one-half of Australian electronic duo Peking Duk, accompanied fellow Aussie artist Blake O’Connor and crashed Diplo’s country-inspired DJ set at Stagecoach, writing about the event on his Instagram: “THESE ARE THE PARTIES THE WORLD NEEDS MORE OF.

Last month, Styles teamed up with Aussie-born, Nashville-based singer-songwriter AViVA on his “balls to the wall country” single, Rodeo.

Stating, “If electronic music is my trade, then country music is my cheeky passion,” Styles discussed the “escapism” inherent to country music that he hasn’t found anywhere else.

“It always reminds me of simpler times - some songs are about driving a ute and having beers with your mates. I guess it constantly reminds you that the little things in life are just golden.”

With Styles admitting that he usually stacks “like 30 vocals, so you can’t tell what’s going on, Rodeo provided the opportunity to get vulnerable: an experience he felt both “terrified and empowered” by.

Styles added, “I wanted a female vocalist to sing the second verse, so I reached out to one of the most interesting and incredible Aussie artists in the scene right now, AViVA. She was on her way back to Australia at the time, and by chance, our paths aligned, and we got to record in our hometown of Sydney. Immediately, the song had that special flavour it needed, and Rodeo was ready for the world!”

You can check out Rodeo and experience Styles’ Stagecoach photo diary below.

1. Bags packed and off I head to Sydney airport… AND upon arriving, who the hell do I bump into for a lil Stagecoach gee up??? None other than the Australian king of country himself, Keith Urban.
   

   

2. Just landed in LA, ain’t gonna waste a second here. First things first, an American burger alongside an American beer, this time at Rainbow Bar & Grill on Sunset. It’s not the healthiest tradition, especially after a flight, but it’s a strict tradition nonetheless.
   

   

3. Now, to get in the zone for Stagecoach. I tell my mates we need a bar with country music; this is where I meet them. (Saddle Ranch)
   

   

4. The next morning, sore as all hell from the mechanical bull, definitely not the hangover, we get up early and depart for the desert.
   

   

5. I popped past Palm Springs Airport to pick up Nashville-based Australian country artist and absolute all-around legend… Blake O’Connor. We have written many songs together, so I thought I would invite him to come shred the harmonica and sing a couple of songs at Stagecoach!
   

   

6. Stocking the house with all that matters for a Stagecoach weekend. Beers, Gatorades and TP.
    

   

7. SHOW DAY. We head to Stagecoach and cross live to Australian national radio to talk about how the festival and gee up the country for our show’s livestream on Amazon Prime!
   

   

8. 15 minutes before the set….. I’m nervously and frantically switching edits to the right key for Blake O’Connor’s harmonica!!! The dressing room was nowhere anyone wanted to be at that moment, hahaha. The stress levels were up a notch.
   

   

9. AND WE ARE ON BABY. We're throwing it down like there’s no tomorrow at the Honkytonk stage, and we're trying not to freak out about how gigantic the crowd is. This is a set I will never forget, not in a million years. I made new remixes of Dolly Parton, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Rogers, and tonnes more and spent months putting this set together, so to be there soaking it up was truly something else. The fruits of my labour could not have tasted better.
   

   

10. MY STAGECOACH CREW AND PERFORMERS. THE BEST.
    

    

11. Back at the ranch after the set, where we all had a big after-party, I climbed up the hill for some alone time to soak it all in. It was pretty fuckin special.