Ed Real: I've Never Been Arrested But . . .

Prolifically successful as a DJ, producer, promoter and now website developer, hard house star Ed Real is a shining example of what can come from a life spent raving. With a career stretching back twelve years, the 29 year old Brit has done everything from running his own record shop to air scratch mixing on Top Of The Pops as well as establishing Nukleuz Records and more recently Riot Recordings and trackitdown.net. Though it could have all have ended so differently if he'd have been frightened off by the cops after one of his very first parties attracted their unwelcome attention, outside his home town of Cirencester in the Cotswolds.

"It started off as a birthday party for me and the girl whose Dad owned the land we were going to do it on; we printed up some tickets then everything spiralled out of control," he recalls.

"The polce found some forged tickets in the back of a stolen car that was taken by ram raiders and ended up involved in a police chase in East London. I came home from school one day to find Cirencester CID (detectives) standing in my living room with my parents basically saying 'We can't have this party happening'."

With the year being 1992, the region was party central for massive outdoor illegal raves such as Castlemorton which drew 20,000 revellers over 10 days, prompting a media and political frenzy as thousands of ravers began driving into the West Country each weekend, literally hoping to bump into impromptu raves.

"My Mum said to the policemen 'what happens if he does choose to do this party-' and I remember this lovely Chief Inspector saying 'well Madam, your son will go to jail'," Ed continues, roaring with laughter.

"So the party was off for me and I was placed under curfew on the evening. My dad actually went up to the site and about a thousand people turned up to find about 300 riot police from four different counties 'protecting' the area. That was the closest brush I've had with the law and luckily we've kept a respectful distance away from each other ever since."

Sitting in a Bayswater pub today, he admits that he's just spent the previous weekend dodging police roadblocks to DJ at a massive illegal rave off the M4, though these days he's equally likely to play legal events like Magma or Holland's mighty Dance Valley rave. He's also recently discovered the delights of fetish club Torture Garden, having attended a recent night dressed as surgeon.

"I was Doctor Decks," he chuckles.

"My friend is an intensive care nurse at one of the London hospitals. I can't say which one, and she managed to liberate some full green ER style emergency outfits, one for me and one for BK, who was my able assistant on the night."

He's also playing more events for Tidy Trax including their Magma event this weekend

"I'm playing at Magma in Sheffield for Tidy Trax for the first time, though for the last 18 months I've been playing all the Tidy events, from the Weekender to their Tidy London parties," he says, admitting he also finds Northern clubbers quite different to those in the South.

"The northern vibe is encapsulated by the Tidy weekender events, they do a 3 day non stop shindig at Pontins (Holiday camp) in Prestatyn, in North Wales and really you get to see the full on Northern experience. And those guys are fucking hardcore, they really are," says Ed.

"In London, you have the opportunity to rave from Thursday night right through until Monday lunchtime without a break but up North it still seems to be centred around that classic Saturday night experience. Everybody seems to live for the Saturday night big event, they dress up and really go mad in a way that is quite full on if you've not experienced it before. They're crazy, they're friendly and Northern people are much more likely to come up and chat to you and really show their appreciation. From a performer's point of view it's instant gratification."

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Magma's a big event with 5,000 reve Tags

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