Diplo is bringing his country-dance project, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, to Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel on Saturday, January 2nd, 2027, with Peking Duk’s Reuben Styles joining the lineup under his Y.O.G.A. moniker.
The pairing makes perfect sense. Diplo’s Thomas Wesley project blends country music with electronic production, while Styles has been carving out his own corner of the genre with Y.O.G.A. (You’re Only Great Always), his self-described “cow tech” venture.
But their connection goes beyond a shared musical obsession, with Styles revealing to Rolling Stone AU/NZ how a chance encounter in Japan changed the direction of his project.
It started at Snow Machine Japan in 2024, where Styles — who had just released the track “Interstellar (Ra Ta Ta)” with Jimi The Kween — had agreed to perform a DJ set instead of his live show. Playing a half-hour slot after Diplo’s headline performance, he assumed the superstar would have already called it a night. Instead, Diplo stayed side stage, watching.
“He ended up staying for my whole set,” Styles recalls. “And honestly, every time I looked over, he was filming and I just felt like this is absolutely nuts. Couldn’t believe it.”
Afterwards, Styles’ friend and photographer Pat Stevenson encouraged him to slide into Diplo’s DMs with an ambitious request: “Chuck me on Stagecoach.”
Remarkably, Diplo responded, asking Styles to send him an edit he’d played during the Snow Machine set. “I don’t share my edits with anyone, but hey, this is Dippy Dip,” Styles laughs.
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Diplo then passed along an email contact, suggesting there might be an opportunity at California’s Stagecoach Festival — but then, the bookings may already be full.
Three weeks later, Styles received a formal offer. “It was so surreal,” he says.
That first Stagecoach appearance, playing to over 10,000 people “as people filtered out of the festival grounds,” proved a turning point. Styles was subsequently invited back to the festival early this year, but more importantly, the experience helped him embrace the electronic side of his country-inspired project.
“I’m infatuated with country music, but it’s okay to include a little bit of my trade and my craft,” he explains, reflecting on almost two decades producing electronic music with Peking Duk.
For Styles, Diplo’s willingness to champion emerging artists has had a lasting impact. “He’s very about the culture and very up for giving people a leg up if he likes what they’re doing, even if they don’t have a big presence,” he says. “Diplo’s the reason that Y.O.G.A. is what it is today.”
Now, two years after that unexpected encounter in Japan, the pair will bring their respective takes on country-meets-electronic music to Byron Bay.
Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley, supported by Y.O.G.A., takes over Byron Bay’s Beach Hotel on Saturday, January 2nd, 2027. Tickets are on sale now via Live Nation Australia.
