Command Q Interview

Command Q are Shaun Off Beat and Lou Harvey, a duo from Western Australia with classical training and receiving praise from the world of trap music. Announced as the official support for JSTJR’s Australian tour, we had a chat with Lou about their transition to trap and bass, their new single and Thomas The Dank Engine.

You both attended the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts to study percussion. Was this the original plan – to move into the trap and bass world?
To be honest, this was probably the last thing we had in mind. When you study classical music, that’s all you study. Studying music is like entering a marriage… with eight lecturers and 90 other first years’. It’s hectic. Electronic music was just something we listened to whilst gaming, to escape the horrors of history essays and the like.

How did you guys start working together?
We played in ensembles together throughout Uni and neither of us wanted to follow down the orchestral path. We eventually had a jam once in Shaun’s studio, from that point we realised that playing live over dance music was ridiculously fun, so we kept doing it.

How important was it to maintain the use of real instruments in your music?
This has, and always will, be the core of Command Q. One day when we can afford to tour it, we will bring out our massive live tour on the road. That’s the goal and it’s looking like it wont be tooooo far off.

You’re about to embark on your debut Australian tour as support for JSTJR. Firstly, congratulations. Secondly, how did that come about?
Cheers! It’s actually a strange story. I hit JSTJR up about eight months ago and told him I was a fan and asked when he was coming to Aus. He replied with “Looking to get over there, do you know any promoters?” I connected him with a promoter that was looking for artists to tour and it all happened to work out!

What city are you most excited to play in – from both a musical and tourist point of view?
We LOVE Sydney. So many cool friends over there now, and it has a wicked bass music scene. We are so very keen to get into the famous, and slightly daunting, Chinese Laundry to play a set with the monster that is Sable.

Are there any plans to come back and perform in the cities you’ve missed out on, like Melbourne?
Definitely! We actually have our own tour in the works. So Melbourne will be at the top of the list! It’s actually such a shame we can’t get there this time around, Melbourne is such a great city and I really dig the scene and people. It’s unfortunate that this particular tour didn’t work out with being able to visit Melbourne. Shouts to those Promoters out there pushing bass music in Melbourne – hope to link up soon.

Are you guys fans of JSTJR?
I hit him up just to say I was a fan – I’m definitely a fan. He has an awesomely rhythmic sound. I actually discovered him through a genre called Zouk Bass, which was coined by one of my favourite groups, Buraka Som Sistema. Heaps of percussion and groove and a lot of world influence which is so refreshing in a very western genre.

Who else do you look towards for inspiration in trap and bass?
Oh geeeeez, where do you begin?! Skrillex and Major Lazer are the two big ones for us and kind of the reason we got into the scene. A duo from the ’90s called Safri Duo are also a massive reason we started. Have you ever played FIFA 2003 and heard ‘The Bongo Song’? Two classically trained percussionists jamming out to massive rave tracks, so sick. But basically; anyone who is trying to push boundaries rhythmically is where we take inspiration from.

Can you tell us about the new single that will be released to coincide with the tour?
We’ve been working on a track with JSTJR which we all think is sounding pretty dope, so we’re going to try get that out before we set off! Hopefully will make an ear or two bleed on the road…

You boys clearly enjoy what you do and are having fun with music. What’s up with the Thomas the Tank Engine bootleg? It’s brilliant and bloody catchy (especially that drop – Choo Choo Bitches) but how did you even think to remix that song?
Thomas The Dank Engine is a real thing! There’s a full-on cult following, deep in the depths of the internet. There are subreddits and channels dedicated to the Dank machine. Crazy shit! The internet just makes us laugh so much, it’s a truly weird and wonderful place. We try and keep light hearted about the industry. Music is so personal it’s not even funny, so I guess we just make sure we’re continuing to enjoy ourselves whilst making the tunes.

Finally, what’s in the works for Command Q? Any other new music coming our way soon?
So much music! We’ve lined a release up for July, it’s a tune we’ve been playing out a little, and people always ask about it, so hopefully it gets into peoples’ ears. We plan to continue releasing a new track every month or so, and are aiming for an EP by the end of the year, if not early next year. Many tunes ready to be let out of the bag!

Command Q Australian Tour Dates

Friday 19th June – The T.B.C. Club, Brisbane
Saturday 20th June – 1885 Britomart, Auckland, New Zealand
Sunday 21st June – Zhivago, Adelaide
Wednesday 24th June – World Bar, Sydney