Luude teases big UK plans: "It's gonna get a bit rowdy"

If you'd told us, a few months back, that we'd soon be hearing Men at Work's 1983 Number 1 Down Under in any setting outside of our nan's 90th birthday buffet, we'd have eaten our cork hat.

But, thanks to Tasmanian producer Luude, the classic's currently inescapable. 

Sitting at Number 6 on the Official Singles Chart, Luude - real name Christian Benson - has done the unthinkable and brought the '80s anthem to a new generation thanks to his drum 'n' bass reworking; featuring re-recorded vocals from Men at Work's very own Colin Hay.

So, how did this work of genius ever come to fruition? We caught up with Luude to find out.

Hello, Luude! Down Under's doing big things here in the UK, did you ever expect it to make such an impact on the other side of the world?

Haha, not at all. I just made it as a bit of fun - it's been mental to see it reach people across the globe.

How on EARTH did you come up with the idea to stick a donk on Down Under and turn it into a drum 'n' bass track? It shouldn't work, but it really does...

That was the whole thing, really. I was just bored in the studio since I wasn't touring with all the COVID lockdowns, and just as a bit of a fun thing to do I thought I'd remix tunes that just should not work as dance records.

This was one I just chucked out online and people went crazy over it. And now it's this thing.

Where do you even go from here? Which unexpected classic's next to get the Luude treatment?

Haha, we'll have to see. I'm working on a bunch of stuff for the upcoming tours, some cheeky classic samples here and there.

Can we expect any UK shows this year? We need to dad dance to Down Under at a festival.

Yeah a heap, actually. I'll be out in the UK and Europe from July and will be sticking around for a few months, I can't wait. 

Amazing news. What else is on your 2022 bucket list, then?

I'm definitely most keen to get out there and play a heap of shows; get a bit rowdy. Hopefully a bit of studio time, a few summer bevvies. It should be epic. 

On studio time, the age-old question – who’s your dream collab?

At the moment, I'd love to work with Labrinth. All those soundtrack records [for HBO show Euphoria] he's putting out are incredible.

Luude featuring Colin Hay's Down Under is out now.