Kevin Manning [Interview]

Hailing from Ireland, Kevin Manning is best known for being a part of the Bemannte & Bruder duo who first emerged in 2021 with a series of releases via Stripped Recordings. Armed with a timeless progressive sound, Bemannte & Bruder were immediately tipped as a name to watch, with subsequent projects via Aletheia Recordings, Brisbeats Records, Clubsonica and Voodoo & Prayers landing across the next three calendar years. The debut of Kevin's solo moniker came courtesy of Musique de Lune Noire earlier this year with a well-received remix of 'More Than A DJ' by SIX. Now presenting his first original project as a solo artist, Kevin returns to Musique de Lune Noire with 'The Rave Machine', alongside a remix from 'Mauez'.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Kevin to learn more about the release of 'The Rave Machine', his background, electronic music in Ireland, DJing, and much more. Enjoy

Hi Kevin, thanks for talking to us today. How has the first three quarters of the year been for you so far?

Hello thankyou for having me. It has been a year of firsts for me in terms of being a solo artist and getting signed by labels and I am enjoying it so far.

Let’s look back on the year up to now, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

This year has been very quite for me in terms of gigs as I have completely reset and started from scratch as a solo artist. I am hoping for a busier 2025 once my solo tracks start to see the light of day

Now let’s look at tracks (not your own), what is a track or tracks which have come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

My favourite track of the year so far is a track called never gets old from Antrim. I find the track to be high energy and uplifting whilst building an epic tension before its main drop which is right up my street.

Could you take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your work? What does a day in your life look like?

A typical day for me starts early either with work or if im off i get up with my young daughter. I got married last year and me and my wife are dog lovers so we are always out walks with our child and 2 dogs. I work in an airport so my days can be very busy. I am constantly listening to music throughout the day when i get the chance. Either on my headphones or at home or in the car.

For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you?

I would say that is accurate. I take influence from many djs and producers and I am not afraid to admit that.

How did growing up in Ireland affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer?

Growing up here was a big influence on me musically as there was a thriving trance scene when i was a teenager and into my 20's. I was always big into trance growing up. So much so that It was all I ever thought about. I fell in love with the club scene in general as a result and any plans I made were always around what DJ I would go and see next. I would often travel around various festivals and clubs and i continue to do so to this day although in my later years my sound changed to the progressive house sound you hear from me today.

When I think of Ireland nightlife the first club that I think of is Lush, where does it sit in terms of impact and importance in Ireland’s electronic music history?

Lush was somewhere I would frequently go to. Either on a bus, car or even by train. It didn't matter how I got there. Lush was in my opinion one of the best nightclubs you could wish for and I have been in clubs all over Europe so i know that is an accurate description. It was truly one of the greatest clubs not only because of its set up but because of the musically educated crowds that's would go. Its hard to think of anywhere more up for it than a Lush dance floor on those big nights.

You are part of the Bemannte & Bruder duo which has been around for about the last half decade, releasing on Clubsonica and Stripped most notably. This year you decided to branch out and start releasing solo productions as well, tell us about the decision making process behind that and why was this year the right time to do that.

I had been making music alongside my brother and we had started getting some success. We had always lived together and it was working great as a result as we always were together both DJing and producing. However he moved away to another country a while back and it had become more complicated to make tracks and DJ together. We decided that we would take a break and work on our own material but I have never closed the door on it entirely and my brother is someone that i always enjoyed working with.

You have a new single ‘The Rave Machine’, your first ever under the Kevin Manning alias in fact, which is out now via Musique de Lune Noire. Tell us a bit about the track and what sort of vibe you were going for on it.

I was aiming for a high energy track. I wanted to make a track that would get people moving. Either on dancefloors or wherever they may be. I wanted a track that would sound good anywhere not just on the big sound systems.

Is there a special meaning behind the track title for you? 

I just thought that the name the Rave machine suited the vibe and energy of the track.

How much play has it gotten in your sets and to what reaction?

I have played the track on a local belfast radio station on a guest mix that I done and it got a very positive reaction. I have also send promo copies to friends who DJ and have been told that it always gets a good reaction when played.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on ‘The Rave Machine’?

My studio set up is not anything to fancy at all. I use a macbook with logic pro and all the widely used industry plugins with my favourite being the diva. A lot of the sounds on the rave machine were created using that particular plug in. I have my midi keyboard for creating melodies plus an insane amount of sample packs that I have accumulated over the years.

You first appeared on Musique de Lune Noire earlier this year with a remix of ‘More Than A DJ’ by SIX and now you’ve returned for your first original, please tell us how you discovered the label and why it was a good home for you to release ‘The Rave Machine’.

I was aware of musique de lune noire being a relatively new label and one were they seemed to be giving opportunities to up and coming / New artists and I was aware of Jordan Robinson the label owner as he seems to be at all the big progressive events and i had seen him on my instagram feed for example. He seems to really love the scene and does this for the love of the music so I knew my tracks would be in safe hands on his label.

There is also a nostalgic progressive remix from Mauez, how involved in the remixer selection process were you? And why was Mauez a good choice to re-interpret this track?

I didn't have any say in who the remixer was. That decision was down to the label A&R JFR and Jordan and personally I think they made a great choice.

Shifting to DJing for a moment, what were some of the main challenges and goals when starting out as a DJ and how have they changed over time?

The main challenges for me was learning how to mix on turntables with vinyl back in the 90's before todays internet tutorials etc. My goal setting out was to be able to have fun and beatmatch. I didn't set out to try and make career from it i simply did it for the fun. DJing now can be learned relatively quickly however I truly believe that being a good dj is either in you or it isn't. Some people have it more naturally than others.

What is it about DJing, compared to producing your own music, that makes it interesting for you?

I will always prefer actually DJING to production. With djing you can just fire on tracks effortlessly in any moment were with production things can get complicated and frustrating although I do enjoy producing tracks most of the time.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

Working as a dj / producer hasn't really changed my opinion of music. I love it today just as much as I always have. On the production side it has given me an appreciation for the music people make and it has made me appreciate talented people no matter what the genre they produce in as I know just how difficult it is to do.

How much prep do you put into the sets you play, or are they spontaneous for the most part?

Everytime I listen to any tracks at all I am mentally prepping sets in my head. I do not actually physically prep a set unless it will be recorded for radio or something and even then I generally have only a rough idea of what I may play. My prepping is done by knowing the music I play inside out.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

These tracks are in no particular order they have just been going down well and have got good reactions.

1. Antrim - Never gets old
2. EANP - Hypnotica
3. Bagsol - Disciplina
4. Mazayr - Falling
5. Paul Deep - Odyssey (Dmitry Molosh Remix)

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

I would most likely be out a nice walk or a drive somewhere. I will still probably have my headphones in or music blasting in my car listening to a set of some sort. No matter were I be I always have an ear buds in and that is no exaggeration.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists? (Do not include yourself)

EANP to open the night. Hernan Cattaneo and nick warren b2b on middle of the night and Sasha and Digweed b2b to close.

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life?

I don't really think a lot would change as I have a pretty balanced life anyway. Music would play a big part in it regardless.

What’s something people do not know about you?

I was a proper trance head back in its glory years late 90's to early 2000's. Most people who know me in more recent times anyway probably would not know that about me and it definitely influences the style of progressive house that I am into the most and like to make.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

I only really watch football on tv these days but I do watch a lot of YouTube content instead. I am a fan of South Park and the older style adult cartoons like beavis and butthead.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

My family life and my 2 dogs.

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2024? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

I have quite a few tracks coming out over the next few months that I am looking forward to. I have a 3 track EP on balkan connection as a solo artist and various remixes for some big names that I can't announce just yet. I also have a 3 track ep coming on Clubsonica records as part of the bemannte and bruder alias that has been pending release for quite some time now. It is shaping up to be a busy end of year.

'The Rave Machine' is available now via Musique de Lune: https://tinyurl.com/3hdd9mfr