Goodluck has been making waves in the electro music scene for a couple years now. The tracks “Taking It Easy” and “Hop On Hop Off” are pretty much what got them noticed. We took some time out to chill with the duo before their rocking performance at hot Cape Town nightclub, Trinity.

All set up and ready to go, in walk energetic Goodluck members, Ben Peters and bubbly Juliet Jules Harding, keen to chat and answer all we have to ask. With no time to waste (they’re about to perform) we get straight into it, with just a teeny bit of goofing around for some snapshots in-between.

Who are you and what are you about? Ben: We’re a dance production duo, we make live electronic music. The whole basis of this band is about us shaping up that blend of style that we feel passionate about and putting it into a genre that’s current, relevant and has pop appeal. The brand is about not being too cool for school. We’re not trying to be cool for people. We just love what we’re doing. We’re nerds.

How far do you think you are in your career? Jules: I don’t think you’ve ever made it. You just keep doing what you love. To us it’s not about making it or success or the money. It’s not about being in the press. We have real passion and love meeting other people. It’s about having a good time because it all fades.

How old are you guys? Ben: 28/14, physical and mental age. Jules: 27/21

As the lead singer, what are the weird things you drink to bring your voice back? Jules: Take a lemon, remove the pips (you have to remove every pip otherwise it will be bitter). Blend it (I haven’t tried this by the way so I can’t tell you whether it works). Add a bit of water, a tablespoon of olive oil, a thumb of garlic and sip on it all day. Apparently it takes away your hoarseness. Reference to Julliete’s music teacher, Jeremy Quickfall.

What goes into the music you produce? How often do you practice? Where do your ideas come from? Jules: We never practice because we don’t have time. We’re always performing and travelling.

Ben: The whole concept of how we produce is that Jules will start with a melodic idea (we don’t know where it comes from), then she records it on her phone — generally when we’re just out of a gig, she’ll hear some beats that she likes and just sing over it. She brings it back to the studio. Wechoose which ones are gonna be commercially viable, choose the best ones, and then we write for the Goodluck sound. Sometimes it takes months to get it right. At the end of the day, the song is the champion, it’s not about us.

Do you guys ever spend time apart? Are you related? Ben: No we’re not related, we work together 24hours a day. We’re either on the road or in studio. We’re earning to try and find time to take holidays and sorta get back into that creative process but it’s difficult because we got 21 gigs this month (December). That’s a lot of flying, a lotta driving and a lotta redbull.

Jules: Speaking of which, I wouldn’t mind one right now?

Did you always want to be a musician? Ben: When I left high school, I didn’t know what I was gonna be. I was convinced I wasn’t gonna be in music. I went to do an IT thing in the UK then I came back to SA and ended up studying Aroma Therapy. Jules: I might’ve got lucky. I surrounded myself with the right people. I met the right musicians. I was in advertising.

Advice

Jules: School and varsity isn’t gonna be what defines you in life. If you’re not passionate about something, get the freak out. You manifest whatever you want. It’s about honesty. You have to be honest with yourself. It’s also about a lotta hard work. You can’t lie to yourself. If you tell yourself you’re a good singer and no one comes to your gigs, catch a wake-up call, you’re not a good singer.

This was a night that did not exactly go as planned. Initially we thought, OK, everything is arranged with the band manager and club manager, we will be VIP guests from the media, names on the guest list, free drinks and the whole night will run smoothly. Yeah right, were we in for a big surprise!

Firstly we were not about to leave the office in what we were wearing. We had a shoot earlier that day and had tons of material and make-up lying around, so immediately the office turned into a dressing room. All dressed up and ready go, the VIP’s were on their way to set the party on fire! That’s what we thought…

To our surprise the club looked crazy outside, with lines stretching all the way over to another street, nobody being let in and a movie being shot right out front. That movie may have looked like madness at first, but it proved to be our blessing. We got dissed at the entrance because the guest-list wasn’t out yet, but then the movie director shouted to let us in because we were blocking his shot. So much for a VIP entrance!

We went in and they were still setting up, the place as crazy inside as it was outside. We asked around for the band only to be told that we had just missed them. So we sat by the empty VIP area, high and dry because we’re broke, feeling totally out of place (black girls in a typically white club, but nobody dared say anything). We were so uncomfortable, we lost the confidence to manage the simple task of asking for the manager.

Eventually our photographer/designer, Jill, gathered up her courage and approached a guy who looked like the manager. She told him who we were and why we were there. To our surprise the night took a positive turn. He greeted us with his cool vibe, offered us drinks and set our minds at ease by telling us that he would take care of everything: securing time with the band, a space for the interview and of course drinks on his tab! All in all a very eventful night!

Writers: Nicola Daniels & Cristle Mokwape

Photography: Jill Harris Design: Jill Harris