Harry Webley AKA DJ Moschops

This interview with Harry Webley, also known as DJ Moschops, explores his lifelong connection to music, his development as a DJ and producer, and his experiences within the Milton Keynes hip-hop scene and beyond. Raised in Milton Keynes in a musical household, Webley grew up surrounded by instruments and studio equipment through his father, musician Big George Webley, who worked with early local hip-hop artists. Although music was always present, his early interests leaned toward rave and dance music in the early 1990s, influenced by local record shops, pirate tapes, and the town’s rave culture centred around venues like The Sanctuary.

His first experiences creating music came as a child experimenting in his father’s home studio. By his teens he was making rave tracks using samplers, learning to construct beats and manipulate sounds. Over time, scratching and turntablism became his main focus, which he sees as a core element of hip-hop: transforming existing sounds into something new. Practice, experimentation and self-teaching were central to his development, and local youth spaces, record shops and school studios provided important support.

Webley’s shift from rave into hip-hop was influenced by artists like Wu-Tang Clan, whose approach to sampling and storytelling opened up new creative possibilities. He began producing beats and eventually travelled to Australia, where connecting with the Perth collective Downside exposed him to a more organised and self-sustaining hip-hop culture. This experience inspired him to take collaboration and production more seriously. On returning to the UK, he worked with local artists and crews, contributing to projects such as Burner Mentality and developing his role as a producer.

In 2002 he moved to Ireland, where he became deeply involved in the local scene. As DJ for the group Urban Intelligence, he helped produce and perform on an EP that gained attention, leading to live shows, support slots and media coverage. He also created a mixtape showcasing Irish artists, helping connect parts of the emerging community. Alongside production and DJing, he occasionally rapped and took part in competitions, including entering the DMC World Mixing Championships, which he describes as intense but formative.

His later work includes the independently released album Prophecy (2012), exploring apocalyptic themes, and further experimental projects such as the I Luv Space EP and the Skratch Fossils series, designed as creative tools for DJs. Throughout the interview, Webley emphasises persistence, skill-building and collaboration as central to hip-hop culture. He describes Milton Keynes as both challenging and inspiring: while opportunities can be limited, its openness and diversity create space for new sounds and future creative growth.