8 Questions with FMG’s Moke

Born out of Leipzig’s underground rave culture and shaped through FMG from day one, Moke has developed a raw and distinctive take on modern Jump Up. We spoke to him about illegal raves, early influences and the sound that continues to define his journey in Drum and Bass.

Below are 8 questions on his past, his sound and the evolution of Jump Up.

1. How have you been lately and what are you currently working on in the studio?

I’ve been doing good, thank you for asking mate. I am currently working on multiple new grotty jump up tunes. That includes originals, bootlegs and also some collabs with my friends Gician, LUIV, Raw78 and more.

2. Let’s start from the beginning, how did you get into Drum & Bass and especially Jump Up?

I fell in love with Drum & Bass in like 2016. Back then there were lots of illegal raves in my hometown (Leipzig, Germany) which I was strongly fascinated by. As I was underage at this time, this was my first contact with rave culture ever and it amazed me so much, that I wanted to become a part of it.
They mostly played Jump Up and Neurofunk at these raves, both of which I really liked, but after some time I found myself drawn to Jump Up more and more. These evil, grotty, otherworldly noises I never heard before really had me in a chokehold and never ceased to inspire me till this day.

3. Was there a specific moment or artist that pushed you to start producing yourself?

I have to admit that I’ve started producing prior to being introduced to DNB. I was actually obsessed with the works of Lex Luger, 808Mafia, Drae Da Skimask and DJ Smokey which were the GOATs to me. They still kind of influence my production today, as I like to incorporate elements of that 2010s-US-Trap-Era into my tunes.

4. Your sound has a strong identity, how would you describe your style to someone who hasn’t heard your music yet?

In my music I try to combine these otherworldly, evil noises I like so much with danceable grooves and slightly dark, trap influenced vibes. On the other hand I also really enjoy to write some catchy melodies from time to time and go for a more friendly vibe.

5. How did your journey lead you to FMG? Was that always a goal or did it happen naturally?

My journey kind of started with FMG to be fair. Back in 2016 me and some friends from Highschool wanted to do our own illegal raves after attending so many that year. So we bought a sound system (which is still being used in the FMG Studio till this day) and DJ controllers and came up with the name FMG, meaning something like „frequency modulated sounds“ in english. It actually went so well, that after a while we were offered the opportunity to play at a local venue (Alte Damenhandschuh Fabrik) in 2017. This event has been a massive success and marked the official beginning of our journey.

6. Jump Up keeps evolving, how do you see the current state of the sound?

I really love how jump up has evolved so much that there’s so many different styles you can’t even count and the sound design has gotten better and better over the years in my opinion. Especially from the moment on where Simula released „Bonesaw“. With that tune he proved that jump up can be minimalistic, dark, atmospherical, and still have the craziest sounding basses ever heard of.

7. What matters most to you when producing, dancefloor impact, sound design or something else?

To me the most important thing is probably having exciting sound design and grooves that catch the listeners off guard.

8. And finally, what does Drum & Bass mean to you personally?

To me drum and bass is a whole world on its own. It taught me how to live in the moment and appreciate the little things more. Just you, your mates around you, a stage with a fat rig in the sunset and maybe some substances in your system and the moment is perfect.

Final note

Big thanks to Moke for taking the time to speak with us. A name to watch as he continues shaping his path in Drum and Bass.