I first connected with VXRGO (Monique Wilson), in August 2022, just before her 21st birthday when was starting her degree in music production. We instantly hit it off - I’d had her first mixes uploaded to Soundcloud on repeat. I was blown away by her selection of old and new school garage and ragga jungle - her raw talent, infectious warmth, and impeccable style were a total breath of fresh air in a jungle/dnb scene that was starting to feel a bit...samey.

In one year, VXRGO’s gone from Soundcloud and Pirate Studios DJ to playing all up and down the UK bass club and festival circuit - Fabric, Village Underground, The Cause, Outlook Croatia - alongside the hottest names in Jungle and Garage - Interplanetary Criminal, Flight, Mantra, Coco Bryce, Sherelle, and Tim Reaper - to name a few. She earned herself a residency on Kool FM under Rinse FM’s new ownership and has already released her first track, ‘it’s not so bad’ in July 2023. Her recent article with UKF called her rise to fame as ‘meteoric’ - I couldn’t think of a better word!

It’s very rare for an artist to claim a repertoire like VXRGO’s in just one year at the age of 21. But knowing Monique personally and seeing her journey unfold, I can say with my chest that it is fully deserved; it’s a testament to her talent, work ethic, personality, and above all, spirituality and outlook on life. VXRGO embodies many traits native to Gen Z: unapologetically herself, rocking the Y2K aesthetic, social media savvy, into manifestations and astrology…But at the same time she respects the fore founders of the scene. She’s taken the underground route, playing a sound that is far from Y2K. Her dark, deep, blend of chaotic amen breaks with a sprinkling of ragga Jungle, garage and funky, - is exactly what our scene needed. But above all, VXRGO has healing energy: she lights up any room, expressing her joy and excitement without holding back. It is no surprise that the biggest legends in the scene have welcomed her with open arms and taken her under their wings.

To celebrate her success (and our one year friendiversary!), it only felt right to do this interview. Meeting at the rooftop of the 100 Hotel in Shoreditch over our fav drinks - Vodka Smirnoff for Monique, Henessy and apple for me - we explored her most surreal DJ moments yet, Y2K Jungle aesthetics, mentorship and the importance of our Junglist community.

Hey Monique! How did you become a DJ?

Hey V! I’ve always been a music collector and I was sharing the tunes I love on Instagram. But Insta only has 15 second snippets - I didn't feel like that was enough. My friend said that I'd make a really good drum and bass set, so I was like ‘oh, yeah, maybe I should give it a try!’ A few months later, I was at workshops, and I spent a lot of time at Pirate Studios. With practice, along with my music production degree, I just got better.

What’s been your most surreal dj moment to date?

My headline show - I’ll forever carry that with me. It was a really intimate event with the UDG Sound crew in Brighton and I could play whatever I wanted. It was packed out, the crowd was loving it, and the sound system was slamming. I had the time of my life! I really do miss that night. Even though it was freezing cold, the energy, the dancing, and the room just warmed me up.

Obviously it looks like you've just taken off, there’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes. HOW DID YOU MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE?

Aside from uploading mixes to SoundCloud, sending them to radio stations, and studying music production, I’m a strong believer in building that human relationship before music. I go to a lot of events as a raver - that way, people see your face and know who you are. So you’re not just this faceless person behind a screen. When it comes to social media, I put a lot of myself into that as well because I can speak a lot. And it's evident in my captions! They are so long, but people actually read them, and it's sweet. Why not be yourself? You only have one life!

How IS YOUR music PRODUCTION DEGREE playING a part in your success?

I've been studying production for almost a year now. I don’t have many tunes out, but I'm always working on it behind the scenes. It’s helped me progress and get more critical of my mixes, rather than just thinking anything sounds good.

My first release was actually for an assignment, we had to create four tunes. Coco Bryce’s mastering engineer came into our class as a guest. He listened to all our tracks, and gave us all feedback. He even offered me his email to send him tunes! I've always loved that ‘Thank You’ tune by Dido and I thought why not put it into jungle?!

Then you had a release party at Planet Wax as well for your debut release on Bandcamp. I love that energy.

For one tune—that is so extra, but it has to be done because I like to go over the top.

Yeah, there were personalised balloons! I think it really shows who you are as an artist and a person.

Let's not forget about those! And the banners. Oh my gosh, I was going to have cake. That didn't work out, but the balloons and the banner were a nice touch, and everyone loved them anyway. I always think why not be funny and quirky? So I really wanted to put myself into it. Music is the way I express myself and that is how I would plan a normal party at my house. So I thought why not do it for my release party?

I feel like your sound has evolved quite a lot, it's gotten a darker, more niche, or underground. But that's been in your favour.

Yeah, for sure. I feel like Rupture is to blame for that! But it's definitely gotten darker. I guess that's how I've been feeling recently. It's like the darker and the lighter side are like fighting each other but the dark side always has a place in my heart. It's heavy, the bass just rocks my soul, the breaks are chaotic… like my mind sometimes!

Who else has influenced you?

Lately it’s been EQ50, Future Retro, Function Records, and AKO Beatz... Stretch, who runs AKO, was the first person to ever send me tunes. I couldn't believe it. I’d been playing his tunes in my mixes. I'm a singer as well so of course, I love to sing and often recognise the samples from my old r&b or jazz tunes. I love everything that Stretch puts out and he even sent me some vinyl records to practice, which will come in handy when I get my turntables. Also, Stretch drove us down to Bristol for my first Rupture!

Tell me more about EQ50’s influence!

Mantra, Flight, Sweetpea, and Chickaboo are amazing in the way they're pushing for more equality in jungle dnb. It's really important to have them as figureheads. But they've also taken me under their wing. They really looked after me at Outlook Croatia, and Flight put me on the lineup for her Black Herstory event in Room 2 with Deep Medi at Fabric. That night will always bring tears to my eyes. I feel like they've become my mentors and I'm not even on their mentorship programme! It's just a beautiful feeling. I feel like I'm part of a family.

How about Fendi-K? You two have worked very closely together!

Yeah! That all started at Worlds Collide. 4am Kru couldn’t play last minute so Finn (Fendi-K) jumped on the decks and started playing some mad tunes. I asked Ariel (Bringing Back Da Sound) who this guy was. I wanted all the track IDs and he was like no, you ask him yourself. I've told Finn this story since and he was like, you should have just asked me. Haha. Then we did a Pirate Studios back to back session, and the rest is history. I took him to his first Rupture at Fold. He’s also a sick DJ and producer. I remember listening to his tunes, and I was just mind blown - we’re working on tunes together at the moment!

How has your spirituality played a part in your journey?

Being a spiritual person, I trust my gut a lot; I don’t ignore it. For DJing when I get nervous for big events, I always tell myself, if you weren't ready, the opportunity wouldn't be there. But at the same time, I’ve learned to enjoy the journey, not the destination. Not to rush things, take it at my own pace, and not care what people think. Just stay true to yourself. And don't idolise anyone.

I'm manifesting as well, I write all my goals in my journal, and everything’s come true! But it only really works when your energy is in the right place. So I don't do as much if I don't feel like I'm in the right headspace.

Speaking of manifestations, what dream collabs or future goals do you want to put out there?

I definitely want to be on a Future Retro lineup soon because Peckham audio holds a special place in my heart. A b2b with Sweetpea! I definitely want to do that at least once. Boomtown, Glastonbury, Outlook beach stage...the list goes on!

I can’t wait til next summer when we can reflect on another year of success. World domination is pending!

VXRGO: serving up the next generation of UK jungle