If you’ve heard the McDonald’s Everyday Savers Menu rap on your televisions, you’ve heard “Kwizyne”. Known to his family as Michael Basa, he’s released tracks with Asian-based label, 1OR8Faction, since clinching the 2007 98.7FM rap battle championship.

Then there’s Pietrek Chan, or DJ Perk Pietrek. The 6-time DJ Battle Champion became vice-champion of the DMC (Digital Music Club) DJ Singapore Championships when he was just 16, making him the youngest DJ to do so.

They hated each other the first time they met 4 years ago.

Pietrek, whose name has Chinese astrological roots, laughed as he shared the anecdote. He was overwhelmed at his first DJ gig when Kwizyne came up to him “wearing these pink shoes and some really douche cap or something like that, so I got really annoyed”.

These days the “enemies” are working together happily to make their bar invasion tour happen.

Many would think that 2 people of such contrasting personalities – Kwizyne is outspoken and leaps before he thinks, Perk Pietrek (or “Perk” for short) is more reserved and cautious- would never get along, but the pair works with a balance not unlike that of yin and yang.

Their differences don’t end there, when asked about who they’d love to collaborate with, Kwizyne mentioned producer-rappers like Kanye West, Ryan Lewis and Dr. Dre “because rappers who produce as well tend to know the technical side other than lyrics, they know what song works for your voice and they know how to write the songs, and what type of songs to write that will work for radio and underground.”

“I think I can die the next day after working with them,” the 26-year-old added, a look of unadulterated admiration on his face.

“I wouldn’t be like willing to die the next day,” Perk, 19, disagrees.

Perk has his dream collaboration wish list categorized by region, naming Angger Dimas and Derrick Motif as his dream collaborators in Asia and Australian duo What So Not for those he put under his “overseas” category.  “

“I guess I feel like it’s finally one of my chances to really show [what’s unique about] my sound, so I’ll really have fun with them during the entire process,” he added.

Their camaraderie had them making jibes at each other throughout the time that UrbanWire spent with them, especially when Kwizyne was trying to explain why he likes K-pop group Big Bang, or more specifically, its frontman, G-Dragon.

“The thing is, I’m not familiar with Big Bang,” Kwizyne explained, and before he could continue, Perk interjected with a skeptical, “Are you sure or not?”

“I’m studying the market, I’m not a fan,” he asserted while Perk shoots him a look of amused disbelief.

UrbanWire noticed on Nov 3 during their final out of 8 stops of their Bar Invasion Tour at Mambo Beach Club that Perk tones down Kwizyne’s outbursts when speaking to fans and friends to a more acceptable level, while Kwizyne personifies the energy that Perk’s music embodies, hyping their set up as Perk spins tracks like Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ “Thrift Shop (featuring Wiz Khalifa)”.

The tour was initially intended as a way to promote their EP, but “we realized that there is a market for doing this sort of tour, it’s something new that we wanted to try,” says the DJ.

As with other tours, the duo has their fair share of hilarious moments. You’d think these club denizens would know their limits with alcohol, but Perk reveals otherwise. It seems Kwizyne had a tad too much to drink and ended up somewhere outside of their concert venue, Bar 57, at Clarke Quay.

His brother, fellow rapper Charles Enero, their guest act Krickz and Perk eventually found him semi-conscious on a mini grass patch. Amused, DJ Perk took a photo of his inebriated partner before helping him back into the bar.

This doesn’t mean that Perk isn’t capable of fun though, “he doesn’t really enjoy himself because he’ll be studying the technicalities of performance, so he really only has fun after his set” Kwizyne explains.

“I’ll look out (for my other friends), but for this guy, he’ll find a way to protect himself… Like on a grass patch.” Perk joked, relishing in the Kwizyne’s embarrassment.

The Bar Invasion Tour may have ended, but the duo has their sights set on greater heights. Just out of their bar invasion tour, the duo will be appearing at the Electronic Music Conference in Sydney from Dec 2 to Dec 4, while being in the talks for a Bar Invasion Tour in Australia.

Photography courtesy of Syuhada Hassan and Rina Lim