Sydney producer Moonbase has just dropped the first of his ‘Commander’ EP series.

Seemingly making up for lost time after raking a forced hiatus due to a brain tumour in 2018, industrial-flavoured beat master Moonbase has just dropped his second EP of the year Commander I. The EP, which is the precursor to Commander II, sees Moonbase draw us into a world much darker than anything we’ve heard from him previously. It feels experimental, yet retains his signature future bass grounding, making it easily accessible for fans of his earlier work.

Connecting with London rapper Maxsta on new single ‘SYD 2 LDN’, and locals I.E. and I.amsolo on EP closer ‘Grateful’, Moonbase proves he hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to getting primo performances out of his collaborators. His instrumental track ‘Dummy’, however, takes the cake when it comes to exploring the murky dystopian depths of the genre.

But enough from us! Check out the story behind the track from the man himself, and stay tuned for Commander II:

SYD 2 LDN

This track came together really effortlessly. I was always a big fan of Maxsta’s work from back in the day and I hit him up after I heard his 2018 project ‘MAXTAPE 2’. He’s a really genuine guy and super down-to-earth so working together was a breeze. I had a skeletal version of the beat made when I sent it over to him and from that point, he hit the studio right away and he laid down his bars. From there I put some extra sauce on the beat and it was ready to go.

DUMMY

I originally launched my career by making dope instrumental tracks and I wanted to hone in on that vibe. Amongst all the talented rappers and singers I’ve worked with in the past, experimenting with my sound has always remained central to me. On this EP, I felt like flexing my producer muscle is what I needed to do most.

AEROTHEURGE

I started this track when I was playing around with old Gamelan samples I had stowed away that I had never explored before. What I ended up with was something really melodically interesting (to my ears at least). I have also been fucking around with gospel chordal structures that made their way into this track too.

GRATEFUL

This track came together when I.E. and I met through mutual friends. Alongside some other bits and pieces, I sent him a very early sketch of the tune that eventually became Grateful. The song was recorded together with his producer i.amsolo who also put some extra flavour into the beat and it really sizzled from there.