Moore Kismet is one of a kind. One of the most vibrant artists in dance music, they’ve carved out a space entirely their own with almost zero compromise.
A prodigious talent, they've been dropping head-turning tracks before they could drive–making history as the youngest artist to play EDC and Lollapalooza. They earned co-signs from some of the biggest names in electronic music including Skrillex, Martin Garrix, and Allison Wonderland.
Their debut album UNIVERSE was equal parts personal statement and raw productional showcase, and they’ve only kept evolving since. With each release, Kismet pushes further into their own lane—genre-blurring, emotionally raw, and unmistakably theirs.
Now on the eve of their sophomore release–SATURATE YOUR WORLD!–we were given the opportunity to sit down and talk with them about their history, their process, and what makes them one of the most interesting forces in dance music today.
You come from a musical family—how has that shaped your approach to production and songwriting?
A lot of times, my creative process stems from the music I listened to when I was growing up. Because of the other members of my family that were musically inclined, they had far different inspirations and influences that I also pulled from to channel more genuine emotion and feeling into the work I create. Revisiting those inspirations in an even stronger capacity than I was before now it’s such a huge reason why my songwriting and production have improved exponentially over the years. I feel a lot of what they imparted on me shaped my own love for different kinds of music, which is why I love taking elements from so many different styles and finding ways to make it work in the same context.
Your music blends so many genres—does that happen organically, or do you set out with a clear vision from the start?
It absolutely happens organically. When I start new ideas, I normally just go for it based on a technique I want to try, a song in a certain genre that inspired me, or just completely from scratch based on a gut feeling. What I pull from sonically changes as I write more of the idea and think of different things I want to do to get the right feeling across. However, there is definitely a part of me that also really wants to make sure that I keep the songs as fresh as humanly possible to the listener. So maybe there’s a small inkling in the back of my brain to variate the idea in a way that shocks and excites the listener, rather than throwing them off-course while they get settled into one particular motif or palette.
What tools or plugins are you into right now, and what does your creative process look like these days?
Coincidentally, Rift is one of my go-to plug-ins when I write anything now. To create more texturally distorted sounds, warming up low end content, and adding unique artifacts to sounds to create new grooves and motifs, it’s undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite plug-ins and has been since its initial release. Additionally, my holy grail troupe of sound design and post-processing plug-ins largely stem from FL‘s own stock library. 3xOsc, Sytrus, Toxic Biohazard, Soundgoodizer, and Fruity Parametric EQ 2 are amongst my favorites of the suite. As for my creative process, it’s the same now as it has been for the last few years: sitting in front of my computer, opening up FL, and thinking to myself, “What do I want to make today?” From there, I just let it flow and start throwing things at the wall until something sticks.
Given the current political climate and increasing threats to LGBTQ+ rights, how do you see your role as an artist today? Has it changed how you create or what you share?
My number one priority is to create things that people resonate with and use my art as a tool to open up space for others who feel as though they don’t have it. Seeing what the government and the people who support them are doing is heartbreaking and harrowing, to say the least. But I continue to try my hardest to not let the abhorrent decisions our legislators are making hinder what I was put on this earth to do, which was to be a voice for people who feel as though they don’t have one. I want to continue to speak up and share resources for people who are now being forced to hide who they are because of misinformation and vitriol. I want to continue to create art that helps people see things from new perspectives in the hopes that they’ll maybe start to understand us better and stop attacking us. That ultimately is my job. To make people feel inspired and confident to accomplish good things.
What would you say to someone who’s coming out today? Any advice or support you’d want to offer?
I know it seems like the absolutely worst time to be queer right now, and in some ways it is, but I really want to encourage anyone who feels they are a part of the community to just embrace themselves. We welcome you with open arms and all the love we can muster because that’s who we are. Not what people are claiming we are.
Thank you so much to Moore Kismet for taking the time to sit down with us. If you haven't already checked it out, you can find their latest release SATURATE YOUR WORLD! here. For everything else in music production and underground culture–keep it locked with Minimal Audio.