Saturday Night Session 041: Riot Ten channels his positivity in the midst of the world’s chaos and crafts unrelenting one hour mix
Few moments are more sacred than the reprieve Saturday night provides from the daily grind of school and work. Its importance is meant to be emphasized, and thus, a feature dedicated to “doing the night right” was born. Saturday Night Sessions are set around energizing mixes meant to get the party started. New or old, each episode has one cornerstone thing in similarity: they serve as the perfect backdrop for the weekend pregame.
El Paso based Christopher Wilson has never produced music for the faint of heart. The music producer ascended into notoriety within the Dubstep community in his early twenties under the moniker Riot Ten, and his screeching synths and booming drops have been feeding the ears of bass lovers ever since.
He has given fans a heavy hitting reprieve from the COVID lockdowns with his recent EP release, Hype or Die: Emergence. He is known to not hold back, whether it is his opinions, his life, or the unrelenting drops in his music, and Wilson continues that theme when speaking to Dancing Astronaut about the EP itself in addition to his reactions to everything going on in the world.
When talking about why ’emergence’ as a concept is what he wanted to build his new EP around, Wilson discusses how 2020 has been the first time in many people’s lives where we can’t count on the experts to help us navigate unprecedented situations. There are many politicians, scientists, and doctors who don’t have the answers to address the plethora of issues our country is facing. As he puts it, people are in the dark, and the chaos in the world is coming to the light. He shares that he feel there will be positivity that comes from the darkness that is emerging, noting,”On the positive side, we’ve seen mass protests and outrage unfold combating injustice in America and people are FINALLY paying attention. There’s legislation on the way that is going to enact real change. To that note, I’ve never been more proud of the EDM community in taking such a universal stance on this. The amount of donations that I’ve seen is incredible, and people are speaking up daily. The message is clear across the board: change was needed, and change is happening.”
The artist is also channeling positivity into his personal life when it comes to using every minute he isn’t touring to the fullest. In addition to losing twenty pounds and spending as much time with his two sons as he can, he reveals that the break from touring has also allowed him to dedicate himself to creating more music. Fans will be excited to hear him share, “I’m certainly able to focus more now without being gone for weeks at a time on the road. I’ve never been good at producing while on tour, so this has helped me accomplish a ton. I’m pretty sure my music schedule is built out through December so you can expect a jam packed year from me musically.” Given Wilson’s seven track EP was released a week ago and he is already promising more music, he showcases the one upside of the lack of touring, which is more time for artists to spent on new music and quality output.
Now all that is left is for the producer to be able to get back on the road to share the live accompaniment to his recent EP in addition to teasing the new music in his pipeline. In the meantime, Wilson has created an hour long Saturday Night Session, which he describes by saying, “The fans know what to expect from my sets and I’ve never been shy to melt faces from start to finish. My Saturday Night Session will not be for the faint of heart.”
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We’ll start with a simple one since there is a lot going on in the world right now. How are you doing? I’m doing pretty good actually, considering everything going on. Just trying to look at the bright side in the situation. I get to spend a lot more time with my kids, for one, which is nice. I’m also able to spend a lot more time in the studio, and I feel like I’m making some of the best music I’ve ever made right now. As you know, there’s not a ton of touring pressure, which I think helps on the creative front.
In an official quote about your recent album release, you talk about how you named your EP Emergence due to the chaos in the world now coming to light. Can you talk about this? Well, I feel like this year has been such a whirlwind of chaos and misinformation in general. For the first time in my life, and most others, we found ourselves in a situation where you can’t even turn to professionals in the medical and science fields for answers. The political spectrum has been at the forefront of conflict, the people you turn to for answers suddenly don’t have any, local businesses are suffering and shutting down, child education is suffering, unemployment is at an all time high, and we are constantly in the dark about what’s happening next. People are scared and uncertain with how they are going to pay their bills. And even if they’re able to temporarily put them on hold, how are they going to be able to pay back that new found debt when this is over? In addition, but on the positive side, we’ve seen mass protests and outrage unfold combating injustice in America and people are FINALLY paying attention. There’s legislation on the way that is going to enact real change. To that note, I’ve never been more proud of the EDM community in taking such a universal stance on this. The amount of donations that I’ve seen is incredible, and people are speaking up daily. The message is clear across the board: change was needed, and change is happening.
Do you have a favorite track from the EP or a song that is most personal to you? “Save you” is probably my favorite song on the EP, but that’s a tough one. This EP is likely my favorite to date. The vocalist on “Save You,” however, Megan Stokes, is my actual cousin and I’d wanted to get her on a song for the longest time. To be able to do it on a song like “Save You” was just perfect. Her voice is truly incredible and I can’t wait to work with her again in the future.
With touring being halted for the foreseeable future, how have you reacted to this? Has this been tough for you or a welcome break? It’s been difficult for sure, but as mentioned in the first question, I’ve just tried to look at the positive side. Since the shutdown, I’ve lost over 20 pounds and I’m getting back in shape. I spend a lot more time with the kids, and I’m working on new music daily. I do miss seeing the fans and feeding off their energy though. The first show back is going to be unreal and I’m beyond ready for it.
Have you noticed your creative inspirations change as you write/produce music now that life looks very different than it did before? Not necessarily the inspirations, as my inspiration has always been my two boys. But I’m certainly able to focus more now without being gone for weeks at a time on the road. I’ve never been good at producing while on tour, so this has helped me accomplish a ton. I’m pretty sure my music schedule is built out through December so you can expect a jam packed year from me musically.
Do you have any passions or things that are unique to you that fans may not know about? I actually pride myself in being transparent with the fans. They know about my kids, they know that I’m a huge gamer and play APEX and Rocket League regularly. They know about my weird food habits and how pickles are life. Haha And they know I’m a Washington Redskins fan- this is our year!!! hahaha – If the NFL season actually happens that is.
What kind of a Saturday Night is your Saturday Night Session going to get fans ready for? The fans know what to expect from my sets and I’ve never been shy to melt faces from start to finish. My Saturday Night Session will not be for the faint of heart.