Ed Real Raves Round Riot Police

Hard house hero Ed Real dodged riot police and helicopters last weekend to perform at a massive outdoor rave in Hampshire.

The Riot records chief came under police scrutiny as he approached the rave's original location of Ridgeway, Oxfordshire, the site of the ancient Anglo Saxon monument the White Horse.

"As we came up to the Ridgeway, which is the highest point in the Thames Valley, you could see a searchlight and as we got closer we could see it was a police helicopter, hovering over five or six sound systems which had already set up on the site," Ed told Skrufff.

"There were maybe a thousand people who'd already arrived and loads of police with megaphones telling everybody to stay in their cars, saying 'the rave will not be happening here, please leave the site'. I actually went for a wee while we were waiting and they put the helicopter floodlight on me and everybody started cheering," he laughed.

After police successfully shut down the first party, Ed said the revellers set off in a convoy of over 100 vehicles, eventually crossing the county line in Newbury before setting up in a cornfield around 3am.

"By the time Hampshire Police arrived there were about 15 sound systems running with three of four thousand people, it was absolutely insane, it all happened without fliers or publicity, just all down to phones," he revealed.

The party then continued until the early hours of Monday, with sounds from the main stage being broadcast via an impromptu pirate radio station.

"Someone turned up with a 20 foot radio aerial and they were broadcasting it live to the whole of the South of England, it was absolutely incredible," he chuckled.

"These guys are the true, unsung heroes of the dance movement. People weren't there to hear any me or any other DJs they were there to hear music in the outdoors, without rules or anyone telling them what they could or couldn't do. We had it right off," said Ed.

Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)
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