“The youth yearn for a community.” You have probably seen that line floating around online, on TikTok captions, reposted threads on X, and commentary beneath viral gatherings that seem to appear out of nowhere mid last year. A Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in New York. A “performative male competition” somewhere in London. A spontaneous Come Smoke With Me meetup in Washington Square Park at 2PM.
At first glance, it is easy to question why hundreds of people would show up to something so spontaneous and loosely organised by a stranger on the internet. Yet the impulse behind it is simple. People want a place to show up and belong. In an era where connection is constant yet strangely distant, the appeal of a room filled with real people still holds more weight.
For Juno Keng, that instinct has always felt obvious. The founder of Liquid Molly Records and the mind behind Jupiter HQ has spent the past few years rebuilding what sociologists call the “third space”. These are the physical environments outside of home and work where friendships, ideas, and creative scenes once formed naturally. “Seriously, people can complain all they want about why there is nothing new in the city,” Juno says. “But someone actually has to do something lah.”
In 2022, he opened Jupiter HQ as a personal project. Within a few years, the venue has hosted close to a hundred gigs, DJ sets, screenings, and parties. The idea is simple. It offers an alternative to the predictable rhythm of mall hangouts or the isolation of staying in. Instead, musicians, designers, artists, and curious newcomers gather under one roof and discover scenes they might never have encountered otherwise.
By 2024 and 2025, the events held at Jupiter HQ had become regular highlights within Kuala Lumpur’s underground circuit. The crowds that show up rarely come alone. One person brings a friend, who brings another friend, and before long the room fills with people who begin recognising each other from previous nights. Slowly, a community starts to take shape.
But a lively room was only the beginning. As more artists began passing through the venue, Juno started noticing the talent surrounding him. Producers, rappers, DJs, and musicians who shared the same rooms but did not necessarily share a platform. Liquid Molly Records emerged from that observation. The collective now includes artists such as FW Dayn, Baby Face Khalif, Digi Jesh, and F Rider, forming a loose but energetic group connected by friendship as much as music.
For this Men’s Folio exclusive, we meet Juno upstairs in his self-built studio above the shophouses of SS15. A table between us is scattered with takeaway burgers and fries from Shimokita Space next door. Between bites, he talks about his record label, music, and why community sits at the center of everything he does.
Now let’s do a throwback. Before all of this, before the shows and the label, what were you doing?
I was a painter, and I also do street art. I’ve always been around creative people. My friends used to have these spaces where they’d host things, and every time I’d visit there was this raw energy to it. Artists hanging around, people making stuff, talking ideas. Those environments feel really intimate in a way. When people create together, it’s like you’re sharing something personal. I loved that closeness. That’s what made me start Jupiter Station.
We’re sitting here now and it’s so relaxing. Is it usually like this?
Depends. Sometimes it’s quiet and cosy like this, especially when it’s raining. Other days the boys come through and it’s packed. Someone recording in one room, someone doing their college project on the couch, people just hanging out.
View this post on Instagram
So in a way you actually built the kind of space you wanted.
Yeah, in a way. But this is level one. There are steps to this. Still, I can feel I’m on the right path.
Did that eventually lead to starting the label?
Pretty naturally. But also when I looked at the scene here, I felt like we have to take advantage of it now. It’s still early. There’s so much that hasn’t been experimented with yet — genres, concepts, events, even the type of artists coming through. The rap scene here is still very locked into hip hop, trap and R&B.
So what should people actually be exploring?
Anything else, honestly. There’s a whole world happening in rap right now. Rage rap, hyperpop crossovers, plugg, cloud rap, jerk rap. Everywhere else people are mixing sounds. Here, a lot of rappers just buy a sample beat and rap over it. There’s not enough risk yet.
View this post on Instagram
Is that what makes your collective different?
Yeah. Not just the music, but how we move. One thing that’s really important to me and the boys is throwing events. Bringing back house parties, bringing back gigs. People are so focused on promoting online these days that they forget what it feels like to actually discover music in real life. Walking into a dim room, meeting random people, hearing someone perform and unexpectedly finding a song that sticks with you. Nothing beats that.
How many artists are part of Liquid Molly right now?
Nine. Fwdayn, Digi*jesh, SPC Kal, Iasjwd, Babyfacekalif, Irsytheworld, Hellb3nt, F.Rider and Aimampus.
Where do you find them?
You have to go outside. You can’t say you’re into art and then never show up anywhere. I go to random gigs all the time. I’ll see someone perform and think, okay, you’re fire. Then I realise I’ve already seen their stuff online. After that we talk, hang out, and you start understanding how serious they are about it. When someone performs and it really comes from inside, you can feel it.
Is that how you met some of the guys in the crew?
Yeah. Like Dayn. I knew of him for a while but we didn’t really hang out. Once we did, I understood who he was and what he wanted. I thought, this guy is crazy good. Same with F.Rider. I’ve known him for almost eight years but he only joined recently. One day I asked him, “Are you willing to take this risk with me?” And he said yes.
What do you look for when bringing someone into the label?
They have to be real. Authentic as hell. It doesn’t matter if people understand you yet.
Right now everyone wants to be a rapper. What makes you believe in the artists you pick?
Numbers tell you something. Dayn is nineteen and can bring more than 200 people to a show. Most artists at nineteen can’t even get fifteen friends in a room. Some of our guys haven’t even dropped full projects yet. If they’re already doing this now, imagine later. The potential is there.
View this post on Instagram
There’s this narrative that Gen Z doesn’t go out anymore. Do you buy that?
I think it’s more that a lot of Gen Z don’t drink. And with clubs people are more selective now about the crowd. It’s not just about music anymore. That’s why curated parties work. People want to feel like they belong in the room.
You’ve already hosted quite a few big events in 2025 — Alam Rahsia with an all-women lineup, the Halloween party at Over & Above in KL, and Stardust Crusaders at Prime One. What stands out the most?
The people. Both the artists and the crowd. When you come to one of my events you’ll see graphic designers, DJs, rappers, tattoo artists, people from fashion, people from the art scene. Some are just starting, some have been around for years. But everyone’s creative and everyone kind of knows each other or becomes friends by the end of the night. I like that feeling…like the whole room is connected somehow.
Last question. What’s the mood for this year?
We lit.
Interview Aqil Karlzafri
Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our latest issue.