2 Man Riot is an electronic music group that was founded in the summer of 2021 by Alex Span and Rutger Steenbergen. The group quickly made a name for themselves with the release of their debut track "Iridescense" on Elpida Music, an imprint of Black Hole Recordings. The track received global support from well-known DJs such as Daniel Wanrooy, Artento Divini, H.X.E., and Suzanne Chesterton, and helped establish 2 Man Riot as a rising force in the electronic music scene.
In 2022, Rutger decided to focus on his solo projects, De Facto and Bombario, but continues to play a role behind the scenes in 2 Man Riot. Despite this change, 2 Man Riot has continued to produce top quality music that has been highly regarded in the industry. Their remixes of tracks by H.X.E. and By Xavier have received rave reviews from the original artists, further cementing their reputation as talented producers.
2 Man Riot's music is known for its unique blend of melodic and energetic elements, featuring driving beats, soaring synths and emotive vocals.
We are very glad that we can have an interview with Alex Span aka 2 Man Riot to talk about his forthcoming release and to get to know better this upcoming artist with bright future ahead of him.
1-Dimitris: It would be nice to start by telling us your 3 most important achievements or goals fulfilled in your career so far that you very are proud of.
2 Man Riot: My most important achievement is releasing Iridescence with Elpida Music. It was my first commercial release and I'm still very proud of it. Since then I've mostly done underground work and some uncredited mixing and mastering for some very talented producer friends, so while I'm still proud of those jobs I can't really specify them here.
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
2 Man Riot: I started producing when I was 16 and still in school. I was taking keyboard lessons at the time and the music school had this atari Cubase system that looked very interesting, but I was not allowed to touch. Via shareware (which was still a thing at that time) I came across software that was called a "tracker", that was the starting point of it all.
3-Can you note down the top 3 producers that have influenced your decision to get involved in the electronic dance music scene and you admire and respect them very much?
2 Man Riot: 1. Ferry Corsten - It must have been 2010-ish when I discovered Ferry (with all his aliases) was behind all the tracks I used to love in my youth.
2. Giuseppe Ottaviani - his youtube videos and subsequent masterclass material I found very inspiring. There is a certain honesty with which he explains his production techniques and they aligned pretty well with what I do myself.
3. Sean Tyas - The man seems to be a machine, dropping banger after banger track.
4-Dimitris: Back in 2021 you released the brilliant Iridescence on Daniel's Wanrooy label Elpida Music. Can you recall for us how this great track was conceived?
2 Man Riot: Iridescence started as an idea for an uplifting trance track by fellow 2 Man Riot member Rutger. I was listening to some Coldharbour sets at the time and thought the melody would work better at a slower tempo, so I started sketching an arrangement. We then sent ideas back and forth, Rutger writing the iconic cello part for the break, me sound designing the climax and the epic kettle drums, and so forth.
5-Dimitris: Can you explain how did you produced it?
2 Man Riot: Rutger sent me his MIDI tracks and a few audio stems as well. He works in Studio One so our DAWs are not really compatible otherwise. I imported everything in Ableton and started to make a rough arrangement and sound design. When we worked on the track, every new element got its place in the arrangement and mix. Some sounds worked so well together they seemed to blend together when evolving in the time spectrum – whenever that happens I know it’s going to be good. Then it came to mixing and tweaking everything to achieve maximum impact, and then a bit of mastering to finish it all up.
6-Dimitris: Any specific technical difficulties that you had faced during its production and is worth mentioning?
2 Man Riot: Other than us working in different DAWs there were no real difficulties. I don’t see the different DAWs as a difficulty either to be honest, it triggers creativity when you need to improvise stuff instead of just pressing the load button.
7-Dimitris: Fast forward in 2023 your 2 Man Riot remix on Sequi Somnia will see the light of the day soon . Please tell us how this track came about and what was the idea behind it.
2 Man Riot: My latest release is a remix for fellow 2 Man Riot member Rutger. He sent me a track that he intended to release under his alias Bombario. I thought it was a nice track but a bit too sweet and soft, and asked if I could remix it to give it the 2 Man RIot treatment; to make it a bit more exiting and energetic! The track is called Sequi Somnia and will be released early June.
8-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
2 Man Riot: Rutger sent me his MIDI tracks and a few audio stems as well. I imported everything in Ableton and started to recreate the arrangement and vibe from the original, albeit with a higher tempo and a beefier kick. Then I started to layer the original sounds with my hardware synths. I also thought the track needed a different hook for the break and climax, so I started writing that. Then it came to mixing and tweaking everything to achieve maximum impact, and then a bit of mastering to finish it all up.
9-Dimitris: Did you had any particular difficulties accomplishing that particular track or any specific technical challenges or obstacles that you had to overcome during its production.
2 Man Riot: With a remix like this there are a lot of elements already available to write the track with. The challenge it to not just make the same track again but with different elements. In my opinion a remix needs to complement to the original version. In this particular case it took me a while to write a good hook to make the remix pop.
10- Dimitris: Which music composition software or hardware you prefer and why? What is your opinion of the latest movement to produce music with more analogue equipment and with less or without any digital software?
2 Man Riot: I use Ableton Live, after having used FL Studio and before that I used Trackers. Ableton (with my collection of plugins) gives me all the tools I need to produce and also has a lot of features for live performance.
Analogue equipment definitely has a spot in music production, mixing and mastering. There is a non-linearity in the analogue realm that is hard to reproduce in the digital world. I like using my DIY hardware (SSL clone) compressor when mixing and masting for example. The sound difference is very subtle compared to plugin reproductions of the same hardware, but it is just fun seeing the needle on a VU meter dance and touching real knobs.
My setup will definitely stay hybrid though. Analog where it adds something, digital for the superior convenience.
11-Dimitris: Do you prefer instrumental dance tracks or you adore vocals? Please explain to us your position and if in your latest production you have vocals tell us how did you choose the specific singer and if it was great to work with her/him?
2 Man Riot: I can appreciate a good vocal. Some of the classic tracks I love have vocals in them. When listening to a DJ-set I do prefer instrumental tracks over vocal tracks or at least a healthy ratio of 25% vocal to 75% instrumental.
12-Dimitris: If you really like to produce vocal tracks which vocalist/singer or lyricist on electronic dance music you aspire to work with?
2 Man Riot: Christina Novelli, she seems to make any lyric sound fantastic. Or, from out of the scene, Willemijn Verkaik. One of the best singers out there in my opinion.
13-Dimitris: Do you believe that artwork on your latest track is good and do you believe that artwork can attract listeners or record buyers? Can you mention the best artwork of a track ever released?
2 Man Riot: I love visual aesthetics as much as musical ones. A good record cover can definitely attract a listener or buyer. But in this digital era where music is consumed from streaming services the importance of a cover that stands out has been made less important. The best album art ever has to be Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. Even people who have never even heard the tracks on the album know the iconic art with the prisma
14-Dimitris: Can you pick your top 3 record labels including the one released the track that we discuss in this interview and give us a short comment about them?
2 Man Riot: Elpida Music - Professional and friendly guys. Learned very much from them!
15-Dimitris: Do you have your own record label?
2 Man Riot: Not exactly my own labels, but from friends where I release as well.
Regius Records is my fellow group mate Bombario's label (check out Sequi Somnia and especially my remix ;)
Studiolics is a label where I released a deeper Melodic Techno track called Brumaire a couple of weeks ago.
I think the most prevalent reason musicians start labels is to have more control over their own music. I won't be going that route myself anytime soon because I just suck at the promotion work that comes with doing this yourself.
16-Dimitris: Are you planning to complete an album or mix compilation soon? if yes please give us all the details about regarding tracks and how will look and sound like?
2 Man Riot: I have no concrete plans in that direction.
17-Dimitris:How much time do you spend promoting yourself in your social media and you see this as essential tool for self promotion and getting bookings too? Which social media is the one that seems to work better for you?
2 Man Riot: I know it is beneficial for my music career, but I really suck at social media and promotion. Since I'm not a full-time musician I choose to ride the flow of things and not push myself on social media too much. The only one I use is Instagram.
18-Dimitris: Do you have any gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2023 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
2 Man Riot: I will play at a few private events. The most exited I am for is the wedding of my best friend. It must be said I focus mainly on producing; performing is fun but it does not have my full attention at the moment.
19-Dimitris: Please share your most funny and most serious incident that happen to you during your DJ performance?
2 Man Riot: Both the most funny and the most serious would be that, due to not paying enough attention to the settings on the decks, I started my set a full 10 bpm too fast, so 144 instead of 134. I was so focused I didn’t even notice at first. That unintendedly spiced things up a lot!
20- Are you happy with the way that royalties system works particularly regarding streaming revenue? Do you believe that artists get what they deserve from streaming providers/DJs playing your tracks in gigs/radio and selling music in physical formats like CDs/Vinyl or digitally.
2 Man Riot: I think the pay is very meager but there is so much content out there it's hard to compete for streams. Since I'm not a full-time artist I just take it easy and do not focus on the financials of it.
21-Dimitris: Please note for all the new talents that read this interview to get some inspiration from you any technical tips in relation to your DJing or music productions. Also any piece of personal or music business' advice that has helped you to progress even further and is worth telling to the new upcoming talents.
2 Man Riot: I always learned a lot from just recreating tracks from other artists and/or make bootleg remixes. You need Quantity to improve your Quality. So, if you ever find yourself without inspiration to write an original, make a bootleg instead!
22-Dimitris: Many DJs who are producers too they offer online masterclasses or teach to music production courses. If you are offering any of these services please tell us about it.
2 Man Riot: I don't do this on a large scale. I have done a few online/attended production/mixing/mastering sessions for fellow musicians. If there is any interest, my contact details are on my website: 2manriot.com
23-Dimitris: Is there a club classic that you would like to remix or rework in 2023? Do you attempt often to do your own bootlegs of classics?
2 Man Riot: I do bootlegs all the time! I am working on a bootleg of a classic gem that is not so well known right now.
24-Dimitris: Many artist right now attempt to come closer to their fan base and use the various services in order to offer exclusive content to their most dedicated followers. Do you have any plans to do the same by connecting even more with your most dedicated fans?
2 Man Riot: Yes, I offer my fans exclusive content if they sign up for it via my website.
25-Dimitris: Can you describe your music as certain music genre such as trance, house, techno or your music exempts these categorizations? What is your opinion about hybrid styles and the artists who are attempting to mix influences from various genres in their tracks?
2 Man Riot: My productions are fluid between genres. I borrow from other styles where I can; psytrance with bigroom, peak time techno with uplifting elements, whatever works. Mixing genres up is what makes music interesting in my opinion.
26-Dimitris: Is your music business your full time occupation and are you able to make a leaving out of your music business (DJ/producer/label owner/teaching or mastering tracks)? If not what other jobs are you doing in order to support your income?
2 Man Riot: I am an IT (network) architect by day.
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
2 Man Riot: Look after yourself, and be happy!
Thanks to Alex aka 2 Man Riot for this fantastic interview.
Thanks to Daniel Wanrooy owner of Elpida Music for organizing this interview.
Additional info:www.2manriot.com
https://www.instagram.com/2manriot.trance/