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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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Tom Real – Filthy House & Breaks for Dirty Stopouts!
Reported by Guy the Hornblower
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Submitted 28-01-05 16:08
Tom Real you say? The name rings a bell…. If you’re a hard dance fan, then it’s most likely it’s his big brother Ed you’re thinking of. If you’re a fan of all things filthy in house and breaks, then you may have caught Tom at one of his many gigs in and around the capital, and if you’re a fan of both, you’ve most likely seen them under the same roof at their monthly nuttier-than-a-bag-of-squirrel-sh*t shindig, Riot!
But, though he may be new to some, he’s already becoming a stalwart of the London scene, and spreading himself further afield than that. Years down the line from his first raves with brother Ed, he was one of quartet that formed the Ignition Crew, alongside Tom Neville, Matt Williams, and Hawk Dawson in 2000, and since then, as well as Riot! entering its 5th year in March, he’s played at festivals across the UK, including Glastonbury and the infamous Glade. He’s now on a one man (and woman, with his girlfriend Evy) mission to bring psy-trance to the clubbing masses of Britain.
But he’s far more than just a DJ. Promoter, PR, producer, music journo, you name it, and he’s probably involved. From working on Ed’s download portal www.trackitdown.net to putting on the legendary “At Night…” warehouse parties, he really is one of the all round good-guys of the scene. But don’t be fooled when it comes to his music, it’s still pure dirt! Guyster catches up with Riot! resident Tom Real to talk about life as one of the coolest DJ’s on the block.
How the devil are you?
Fantastic mate!
You’re a pretty ubiquitous DJ. As well as your residency at Riot! you play events as diverse as Old School Euphoria, Mob records parties, ‘Sundazed’ at the White House, ‘Read the Crowd’ at the Telegraph, the legendary “At Night…” Warehouse parties and beyond. Not a pigeonhole in sight. Do you enjoy your ability to play anywhere and everywhere?
From a DJ point of view it’s great; to be able to slot myself into all these different places is cool but I can imagine from a promoters point of view it can get confusing. As I’m not 100% house or 100% Breaks, I do think it has held me back in that sense. But saying that, I’m happy being able to drop a filthy acid-laden breaks track into a ‘funky’ house set and vice versa and it’s great watching a crowd react to something completely random. I feel as a DJ you should have your own individual style otherwise you become exactly the same as the other billion DJ’s playing either this sound or that sound. I’d get bored playing one specific genre all the time.
So what would you describe as your “sound”?
‘The silky smooth sound of Tom Real’… seriously? Perhaps ‘filth’? Only joking… OK ‘Dirty’? How about just ROCKING! (Tom would like to point out here whoever can pigeon hole his sound will win a weekend’s caravanning in Wales courtesy of Harderfaster!)
You had some acclaimed productions out on Functional Breaks last year, how has it been to properly get your teeth into the studio side of things?
Brilliant! I’ve always wanted to get into production and whilst I’m learning the ropes myself, I’ve teamed up with Ben Medcalf AKA The Rogue Element and we’ve been working on some tracks. It’s been great because he’s up for being as experimental as I want to be and not sticking to rigid formulas so we can turn out some nasty sh*t! The idea has been to make breaks that can be played in a house or techno set and I think it’s being received well, for example, Timo Maas has been supporting our forthcoming single ‘Just Bash Out’ with plays on Radio 1 which is exactly the type of crossover we wanted. Timo is one of my favourite artists and an inspiration to my sound.
You’ve just had another tune out recently too…. Enlighten us….
At the end of last year FUN Records released ‘High Noon’ which was named after the bit in Wayne’s World where Wayne goes ‘it’s high noon on my sundial dude’ when he sees a hot chick. Moving swiftly on!!!! It’s four to the floor breaks (in a 4 beat pattern) that steams into a huge trance riff that seems to work on the dance floor. Biff at the label asked JDS (Darren Pearce) to remix it, which is cool as he’s one of my favourite producers (‘Blackout’ and ‘Purple Funky Monkey’ are anthems!). It’s amazing when your idols and heroes start playing or remixing your tracks, when I heard JDS drop High Noon at last years Glade Festival I nearly fell over!!!
You’ve been known to dip your feet into the world of promotion from time to time, most notably your involvement with Riot! Now in its fourth year, how important a part has this club played in your career?
Riot! has been pivotal in my success as a DJ. It’s not just the fact it’s a Sunday afternoon party, it’s one of best venues in London if not the world, and has been an absolute pleasure to play at. In the early days it was hard to believe we were actually allowed to play there! When we (The Ignition Crew) originally started playing it was more of a laugh, but over the years it’s given me the opportunity to shape my sound and also play to some of the best crowds in London, I really relish the opportunity to play on such a PHAT sound system.
February’s party is not going to see you play your ‘normal’ set as you and big bro Ed are going back to back in the house room, how did this come about and what have you got install for us?
Well, Ed and I played our first mid tempo B2B set at the Harderfaster Xmas party last year. Before we’d only previously done B2B hard dance sets, so this was like getting Ed onto my terrain. I’d been aware Ed had been collecting some awesome electro tracks for a few months, but when we went back 2 back at that party the sh*t really hit the fan! Man, my jaw was on the floor at some of the killer tracks he had and it was a fun thing to do. So we made a pact then and there to do the same at Riot! I’ll just say, the last set was ‘ad-libbed’ and it was a killer, so we’re actually putting some practice into this one so be prepared, the house room at Riot! is not going to know what the f*ck has hit it! Make sure all your pets are locked firmly indoors for this one!
Crikey, that sounds wicked! As well as Riot, you’re also involved in the infamous ‘At Night’ parties. How does this compare to DJing for you?
If you’re a DJ I believe it’s essential to throw your own parties or club nights, especially when trying to establish yourself. It not only gives you a chance to play out on a regular basis, but you get to give yourself your ideal slot and also play alongside other DJs and artists you respect and you get to build yourself a solid following. On a non-self promotional level it’s great to throw a rocking party. I love getting involved with all the finer points like décor and little touches to make the clubber attending the event feel special, something I feel a lot of London club nights have forgotten. It’s hard work though, especially with events such as At Night when we are responsible for bringing everything to the venue such as sound/ lighting/décor… all the important stuff!
Considering the couple in Riot this year that decided to get “well acquainted” at the back of the Bar, what’s the strangest thing you’ve seen in a club?
That was well funny – I thought everyone was applauding my set and then I noticed everyone was actually facing the corner applauding the couple post-shag! One of the strangest things goes to a Free Party big bro took me to years ago in Oxfordshire. We’re just outside the main marquee and this dude was freakin’ out cos these two dogs where getting jiggy with each other and he thought they were stuck together and he was trying to get anyone who would listen to part these two animals… the poor dogs looks very embarrassed! There’s been plenty though… many too unmentionable on a public forum!
So we’ve heard about the DJ’ing and the club nights… rumour has it you’re a man with many fingers in many pies, what else goes on in the world of Tom Real?
Where do I start? When I finished my degree I moved to London with the sole purpose of seeing how involved in dance music I could get. In the last 5 years I’ve worked for the Ministry Of Sound (organising overseas tours), Virgin Records (promoting their dance label) managed Ed in my spare time and am now head of press and promotions for a company called Cypher PR. I’ve looked after promoting artists like Tiësto, Eric Prydz, Infected Mushroom, James Holden and loads of others. I didn’t think I would be good at PR (images of Patsy from Ab Fab would run through my head!) but the moment I was asked to take two magazines to Amsterdam for a long weekend (involving Tiësto, trips to the red light district and an exclusive ‘models only’ party and a healthy expense budget!) I immediately thought ‘yeah, I can do this’. On top of this I’ve also started doing a bit of writing, primarily reviews for Notion Magazine and M8 and myself and my girlfriend have developed a healthy taste for psy-trance and are doing our best to promote it here in the UK by writing articles for DJ Mag, Mixmag, M8 and various others. Writing is something I’m keen to develop as I really enjoy it.
You’re also heavily involved with www.trackitdown.net, one of the newest portals for music on the web. I hear the owner’s a bit of a tyrant. Care to divulge anything? 
Yep – Ed’s really a robot… there’s no other explanation to his relentless ways and ability to stay up for days on end ;o)
Last year was a good year for the Ignition Crew, with success all round. Do you still get the chance to play together at all?
I’ll be honest, 2004 was the year the Ignition Crew died. We started it in 2000 as a vehicle for us all to start playing out in London but we were all aware that the time would come that we’d all hit our chosen styles and sounds as DJ’s or producers and then the crew would disperse. Ignition as a party still rocks each and every Friday at Bar Inigo in Clapham, I’m not involved anymore but the other guys are still avin’ it week in, week out and it’s going mad. It does exactly what it says on the tin – kicks the weekend off right!
So, what was your highlight of 2004, musically or otherwise?
Going to loads of psy-trance parties – The Voov in Germany and Boom in Portugal were immense… some of the best parties I’ve ever been to in my 10 years of raving. The Glade Festival was rocking (and opening the Breaks Stage was pretty cool too!). Good to see you can still have parties like that in the UK. Can’t wait for this summers event! Releasing my first two singles alongside The Rogue Element was also another and having seen At Night grow into an entity of it’s very own. We’ve got some very cheeky events planned for 2005, so keep your ears to the ground!
So… DJing, promotion, production, journalism. Fingers. Pies. Everywhere! Is there anything Tom Real can’t do?
Snowboard… but I’m hoping to change that real soon (pardon the pun!).
Do you ever feel having a sibling so well known in the business is hard? Or is Ed just a big softie?
It gives me a hell of a milestone to live up to. This can be a good thing but also a bad thing too. Ed’s done so f*cking well in his time and hats off to him for properly rinsing out. I have to tell myself every now and again to stop marking my success against his ‘cos I always come off second! This said, when the cards are down at the end of the night at least I’ll know I played good music throughout and not that terrible hard dance nonsense! (in your face Real senior!) In all fairness Ed has helped me immensely in what I’m doing today and when he’s not barking the orders he’s actually fairly supportive.
So finally, what’s in store for 2005?
2005 looks set to be a good year, I’m already buzzing with excitement about what it has to offer. I hope to play loads of festivals both in the UK and beyond, release some more music (including some house tracks) and hopefully to watch both Riot! and At Night grow into unstoppable forces to be reckoned with. Oh and also venture into the world of radio…. that would be great… so nothing too big then!
Catch Tom Real giving his brother a pasting in the house room at Riot on Feb 13th – www.riotinlondon.com - also look out for Tom at Tilt @ Studio 33 on Feb 4th and Read The Crowd @ Telegraph, Brixton on Feb 18th
Photos sourced by Ed Real & Tom Real
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