Hardhouse Event

Keeping it Real: interview with Father Ted

Where to start?! From the glory days of Nukleuz to fronting one of the most acclaimed hard dance labels in recent times (Riot! Recordings), to being at the forefront of the digital download revolution, Ed Real truly is one of the kings of hard dance. The Riot! parties at The End really were the stuff of legend and he’s as well known for his party antics as he is for his relentless dedication to the scene and his work.

Ed plays CyberKitten’s Xtreme Xmas Party on December 1st, as they kick off the festive season in style @ Fever in Northampton, giving me the opportunity to ask him some questions. Will we ever see a return of Riot! at The End? Just how Xtreme is Ed really? And what’s been going on in the Real world? Read on to find out..

You started off this year with a tour of Brazil and have subsequently been all over the world launching the Riot album. How would you say 2006 has been for you?

2006 has been great fun! Personally I’ve had time to broaden my horizons and play some different sets and check out some new and very exciting scenes. Big up Bang Face!

On a professional level the Riot! album ‘Filthy House for Dirty Stopouts’ sold out which was a milestone for the label. Listening to two disks of amazing tough music from across the spectrum and knowing that all of it was signed and released on our label was a great feeling and plans are already afoot for the next edition. Trackitdown.net has seen a 500% increase in business this year and whilst it’s been sad to see vinyl fall to the side, this massive jump is a vindication of what we’ve been saying for the last three years. If you haven’t dipped your toe in the digital water then it’s about time…

2007 looks like it’s going to be vintage!

You used to run local night Vurt in Portsmouth (well local to me!). Was that where it all began for you and tell me what I missed out on with Vurt when I was clubbing to cheesy chart music down Fifth Avenue?

You missed out on a young red-haired and pierced Ed Real learning his craft alongside people like; Roni Size, LTJ Bukem, Colin Dale, Kenny Ken, The Producer, DJ Zinc, Shut Up & Dance, Ellis Dee, Dr S Gachet, Colin Favor, The Surgeon, Brockie and a wealth of other legends. Absolute insanity — I just wish I had digital versions of the pictures… I don’t even recognise myself!

As a footnote though — it’s brilliant to hear that Vurt is still going apparently! Nice one to the team who inherited it from us…

Riot! is one of those labels that never leaves my box. It’s pretty unique to have a label that cuts across so many genres effortlessly producing quality release after release. Was your vision for the label always around variety of styles or has that evolved over time?

Like the good days at Nukleuz, where we were able to release quality music from across the 4/4 spectrum Riot! has always adopted the policy that if it makes us move then it’ll make you move too! Check the album to see just how much variety and quality there is; from the pumping electro of Black Russian, to the psy of Dino Psaras and the big room anthems of BK himself, there’s something for everyone.

It must have been a proud moment to be able to put together the Riot! album this year and then take the launch of that on tour. You’re renowned for being a party animal, what’s your best tour story?

There are so many absolutely classic moments from touring over the last seven years. Our scene has some of the funniest and maddest characters and sometimes it really seems like what’s happening is a dream (or a nightmare!). From Scarface moments to side-splitting entertainment I’ve had them all. From partying with the Columbian connection in Tokyo or going to a ‘house party’ on the roof of a 20 storey apartment in the centre of Vancouver, touring is all about experiences and it’s the people who you meet who make it memorable. Hopefully there’ll be more to come!

Looking at your personal productions, I’ve caned ‘Bitch’/’Information Overload’ and I was overjoyed when you released ‘Monkey Techno’ as a digital only download on TID (I’d been waiting for it’s release ever since it appeared on Anne Savage’s Euphoria CD). Are there any more Ed Real productions in the pipeline? Who will you be working with next?

I’ve nothing really planned I’m afraid! ‘Dub War’ with Defective Audio was the last release (on Kaktai) during the summer which seemed to have a great response. Problem is that I’m a musical schizophrenic — I love so many styles and studio sessions seem to be a case of throwing everything and the kitchen sink into a track. Sometimes the fusion of dark drum and bass and hard house works as with ‘Information Overload’ but more often than not the results are a little scrappy…

Which up and coming producers are you tipping for the top in 2007?

Our recent remix competition on Riot! Recordings drew 500 entries from bedroom producers around the world and I have to name check all those who won; JB & Kriptos from Brazil, Yuri & Leonid aka 2Special from Ukraine, DJ Lace from UK and Systembot from Australia. Each remix of Systematic by BK represents a different genre that’s kicking it right now and we’ll be working with these guys next year to help then release some original productions. We’re here to support the next generation and will be holding another competition soon, so check www.riotinlondon.com for news!

My first Riot! event was the legendary August Bank Holiday @ the End last year which I reviewed for Harderfaster and it was actually one of the best events of last year for me I must say! Are there any plans for one-off Riots back at The End? I know it’s not just me that would love to see this — there are always periodic threads on here asking for it!

Riot! at The End represented a different time for hard dance. The scene has moved on and so do we, so 2007 will be about taking the show on the road like we’ve been doing this year. However, I’m a promoter and have been since 1992 so don’t rule anything out! The key to a successful club is judging the marketplace and Sundays @ The End were perfect for 2001–2005, but there isn’t enough support for it right now…

The next event I’m working on is Hard Dance Awards @ Brixton Academy on 24th February. Tickets are selling fast and CyberKitten is going to have a massive representation I’m proud to say — as it should be, as Yojo and the team have made a massive impact on hard dance and this energy must be rewarded! www.harddanceawards.com is the place to make yourself heard if you agree…

You are well known for playing diverse sets cutting across the hard dance spectrum and beyond. What’s your top 10 at the moment to give us a flavour of where it’s at for you right now?

http://www.trackitdown.net/genre/hard_dance/track/214558.html

Hard dance right now is a catch all for the best hard house, hard trance, hardstyle, techno and psy sounds and I’m supporting the best of each! Big up all the producers and labels who are sticking their neck out and being original with sounds and vocals — that’s what makes a tune! Bottom of the class to the knock out a tune a day brigade who have really flooded our scene with generic twaddle… it’s making the dancefloor less interesting and that hurts the clubs.

And what ring-tone have you got on your phone? A Riot! tune? Any Crazy Frog shenanigans?

I have the ‘No No No’ speech from Ray Winstone’s ‘Sexy Beast’! It’s obscene and certainly ensures I’m running to answer the phone before the serious profanities kick in!

Much has been written about the decline on the hard dance scene in recent years. You play all over the world and all over the UK and as you mentioned will again be hosting this years Hard Dance Awards (at Brixton Academy on February 24th — the biggest venue for the awards to date!). Where do you see the scene heading?

Events like Party Proactive hopefully point to the future and music programming at events like this hark back to the golden days of clubs like Universe’s Final Frontier at Club UK in Wandsworth, South West London. 3,000 people would pack the club every Friday night to see a line-up that’d include; Paul Oakenfold, Sven Vath, Sasha and Carl Cox all in the same room!

Readers who know the style of each of these probably couldn’t imagine how it’d run but the flow and variety of music grabbed your attention from start to finish. Paul Jack includes techno, trance, hard house and psy in the main room and if I had the night off that’s where I’d go to check out the sounds. More of this please promoters — open your minds…

Of course your involvement with Trackitdown is well documented, you and Nolan were one of the first to latch on to the explosion in mp3 as a format for djs, building the site into one of the largest mp3 download stores for the scene. How are things at TiD towers and what’s your plans for 2007?

2007 starts with a new partnership with Kiss FM whereby we make the playlists of Carl Cox, Armin, Digweed and Hype available to buy. The future of radio lies with the ability of the listener to instantly purchase music they hear and we will be pioneering this with the most famous dance radio station on the planet.

February 24th is the sell-out 4th Annual Hard Dance Awards powered by Trackitdown. 4500 hard dance faithful are going to have the time of their lives at Brixton Academy. The line-up is heavyweight and will go down in hard dance history!

We are launching a load of new features on the site for 2007 that’ll include a favourites section whereby users can get updates on new music released by the favourite labels and producers. With over 100,000 dance tracks from 3500 labels it’s becoming more important to be able to filter selections and that’s our main project right now.

You are headlining at CyberKitten’s Xtreme Xmas party on 1st December @ Fever, Northampton. There’s a massive buzz on in the CK camp regards you playing this particular date. Promoters Yojo and Col Davies are renowned for their tireless enthusiasm and quality parties (and CK has such dedicated clubbers!), what’s your take on these two hard dance die-hards?

What would the scene be without the tireless energy and hard work from people like Yojo and Colin? It’d be crap! I salute you guys and can’t wait to come and smash it up… prepare yourselves

As it’s an Xtreme Xmas party tell me what’s the most Xtreme thing you have ever done?

I love windsurfing and back in the day a trip to the south coast when a gale was blowing would be the best way to spend a Saturday. If anyone’s been out on the high seas when it’s really honking with just a bit of plastic sheet to hold on to then you know what I’m talking about.

And finally is the rumour true you may come dressed as Santa aka Father Ted, and what goodies have you got planned for us?

That would be letting the cat out of the bag Kittens! As you all know, I’m all up for getting into the party spirit and if there’s something I can do to make the night more fun then I’m game. You’ll have to come along and find out…

Thanks Ed! Will see you there. For more info on Mr Real check out:www.riotinlondon.com / www.trackitdown.net / www.harddanceawards.com