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Ed Real on Riot!
Reported by Tom Allen
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Submitted 27-02-03 02:57
As Nukleuz records label manager and with a hectic DJing schedule taking him to clubs all over the world, you'd think Ed Real would have enough on his plate. Obviously not, as in his spare time he's managed to take Riot! from nascent after hours Sunday club to number one in the UK's most influential clubbing magazine, Mixmag. Read on as Ed gives us the lowdown...
Tom Allen: Firstly Ed, congratulations on Riot achieving first place in this month's Mixmag - you must be delighted!?
Ed Real: Happy doesn’t even come close mate. I’ve been buying Mixmag and putting on parties since the summer of 1992 and have always tried to get national recognition so I got properly plastered when the magazine arrived!
TA: Was it something that you'd known about for a while and had to keep under your hat, or did you find out on publication?
ER: I’m the eternal sceptic so I got wind of the news but didn’t want to believe it until the magazine was in my hands.
TA: Taking us back a bit, tell us a little bit about how Riot first started.
ER: I read that someone got shot at the garage event that had been held on Sundays at The End and got in touch with the venue and offered my services! The worst thing that the security have seized in our two years of Riot! has been a battery-powered light-saber!
TA: What was the original concept for the club? Was it always to showcase both hard dance and funky house alongside each other?
ER: I wanted somewhere to go after a hard weekend travelling around the UK or Europe DJing. It’s a wicked life but I wanted somewhere that like-minded spirits could go and have it right off without having to leave after my set. Variety has always been the spice of life as far as I’m concerned so a second funkier room was just the ticket as it brings in a whole group of sexy folk who wouldn’t necessarily come along.
TA: The funky house room is at the very core of Riot, even for a harder sounds devotee like myself it's almost impossible to make it to the bar and back without getting into the groove for a few tracks. When Riot first kicked off which was the more popular area of the club, was it the funky house room that fed off the main room or the other way around?
ER: Unbelievable as it sounds now but no other ‘straight’ hard dance promoter in London had ever entertained anything other than bosh bosh bosh on the musical menu! I mean, how dull is that!? Bar Riot! kicked off immediately and that attracts dressed up party people and the gay crowd which still gives us the edge as far as atmosphere is concerned. People who don’t usually party together are all on the dancefloor giving it some without a care in the world. That’s the Riot! vibe…
TA: What is the relationship between Riot and the DJ Agency Element-7 and how did it come about?
ER: Nolan is my right-hand man. My original partner called it quits and without his help over the last six months there would be no party. He’s brought a level of organisation that has meant that we’re now drawing people from all over the UK and beyond (it’s not unusual to have a contingent from Ireland, Holland or even Greece in the house!) to our little party and it makes for an even better mix of lunatics!
TA: How would you describe the makeup of the crowd you have down to Riot?
ER: We’re the United Nations of raving! We have regulars who are white, black, gay, straight, Russian, Japanese, Brazilian, British, whatever! What links us all is that we all have high expectations when we go out and want to hear the best music in nice surroundings with other people who are like us – fucking mental!
TA: Describe for us a few highlights (other than the Mixmag article) of your time promoting Riot?
ER: Like the Sixties dude – if you can remember them then you weren’t there! Seriously, every party has its drama’s unfold. On a personal level, the last six months have been the best for me as I’ve had the opportunity to bring in new DJ’s and music. The Riot! crowd have proved that they are receptive to new things and are willing to look outside the London hardhouse ghetto for their kicks!
TA: Are there any particular DJ sets which you think have stood out from the rest over the years?
ER: In all honesty, I don’t really get to hear a lot of the music at Riot! – I’m too busy getting the tequila in at the bar! I trust my residents BK, Danny and the Ignition Crew to do their job and the guests we have to do their thing. Having said that, Glazby followed by Tara Reynolds last October was awe-inspiring. I’ve never felt such intensity from the crowd before. Those guys rock!
TA: With your head honcho position at Nukleuz, hefty DJing schedule and Riot promotional responsibilities, we have to ask, how on earth do you find the time?
ER: I rely on the help of people like Nolan, TC, Mandy, Anna, Danny, Rumble, the Ignition Crew, F-Squad, Bob and of course Ajay, Liam, Layo and the staff of The End to make Riot! what it is. Without them and the hundreds of nutters who come from all over the place, it would all be a pipe dream for me. I salute you!
TA: We've seen XStatic vs Riot at the Fridge in 2003 - do you think the Riot vibe works well at other clubs or is it closely tied to the unique setup at The End with the funky house room so closely allied to the main room?
ER: Hmmm, the jury is out on that one. Riot! should mean a seal of approval that clubbers can trust. Anything that we put the name to will be as good as we can possibly get it, but there is only one club like The End. However, I’m a party planner and a doer and there will be other adventures beyond our Sunday session so I hope that people will be up for checking them out otherwise you might miss something special!
TA: One thing we've always thought would be an unbelievable party and again ideally suited to the venue would have to be a Riot at Space in Ibiza - has that ever occurred to you? You’ve had DJ Gee play over here in London - any chance of it happening do you reckon?
ER: Watch this space! It’d certainly be one to remember!
TA: I imagine you'll be getting a lot more interest from high profile DJ's and their Agencies now that Riot has been thrust into the national limelight - can we expect DJs with more national exposure to be gracing the decks or are you going to retain the focus on London based talent?
ER: Interesting question. I have a list of DJ’s like Scot Project, Uberdruck, Umek, Marco Bailey and even the likes of Fergie who I think would go down a treat on the Thunder Ridge sound system. Whether they would be up for it is a different matter! As for London-based talent… I’m doing my best to stay away from the status quo ‘cos Riot! is a leader not a follower.
TA: Can you give us a preview of ways in which you're going to keep Riot at the very forefront of London clubbing in 2003?
ER: More love is needed this year. I’ve had enough of negative player hating vibes and that’s the message that Riot! will be broadcasting every month at The End! We’ll be inviting different DJ’s to spin and we’ll be teaming up with other people to try and spread that message…
TA: Tell us about the upcoming Riot Two Parter you've got coming up in March.
ER: Well there’s not enough hours in the day so we thought that the second birthday would be a good opportunity to double our exposure and let it all hang out for twice as long! 16th March is gonna be mental with Glazby b2b Karim for the first time since their legendary debut at the Vicious Xmas party and the 30th is going to be super sexy Agent Sumo who are responsible for producing the Bar Riot! anthem 24hours touching down. With HHA being the night before the 16th it’s going to be one messy old day! Yay!
TA: Can you give me your top 5 Riot tunes of all time (both Funky and Hard)?
ER:
HARD – Storm ‘Storm Animal’ / Organ Donors ‘Radio Waves’ / Paul Clarke & M Ramone ‘Get In Funky’ / BK ‘Bad Ass’ / BK ‘Revolution’
FUNKY – Agent Sumo ‘24hours’ / Organ Donors ‘4 Tribes’ / Junior Jack ‘Thrill Me’ / Cassius ‘Sound Of Violence / Coloursound ‘Fly With Me’
TA: Thanks for your time Ed.
The Riot Birthday Special Part 1 hits The End on Sunday 16th March featuring Glazby b2b Karim  - for full details click here. Guestlist open March 3rd!
Part 2 is on the 30th March with the talents of Anne Savage, BK and Ilogik amongst other highlights - full details are here.
Relevant Links
www.emulation.i12.com/riot
www.nukleuz.com
Thanks to Spacehog for photos 1,2 & 4 
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Other Features By Tom Allen:
Hardhouse Academy Preview: Interview with Nuw Idol
The Thirsty DJs Interview with DJChewy
Lashed Preview 2: Interview with Charlotte Birch
Interview with Nick Rafferty
Interview with Jana
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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