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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! |
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From Brixton to Brazil - Ed Real tour diary
Reported by Ed Real
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Submitted 27-01-06 18:22
After 6 full-on gigs and over 1500 miles on the motorway between Boxing Day and New Year's Day, the last thing you really want to face is having to curl up your 6' 4" frame into 18" of leg room and spend 16 hrs at 30,000 feet [apologies metric fans and overseas readers! ed]. But, come lunchtime on 2nd January that's what Team Real set off to do as Ed Real and his fiancé Rhiannon embarked on a two week mission to take hard dance and hard partying to Brazil....
Over the last few years the London scene has been infused with a colourful and barmy Brazilian army of party people led by the wonderful Maria. Ever since I had the pleasure of spinning at the launch party of her Too Much some four years ago it’s been a quest to make it to her country to see whether they’re all quite as crazy as this legendary lady.
Brazil is a country that has paid the extra 30p to go large! Everything is super sized and more vivid in comparison to the grey of Britain in mid-winter. Driving between major cities doesn’t happen as it’s about 10hrs down the road, and the cities themselves dwarf our own London; Sao Paulo has 18 million people within its confines making it twice the size of London. Being in the Southern hemisphere we arrived in the middle of summer and a thriving party season. Our main man in Rio, radio DJ and all round local hero Roger Lyra booked us into our hotel right on the beach in the Leblon district of Rio (right next to the famous Ipanema and Copacobana beaches) and we hit the club!
Wednesday night during summer heralds a weekly party at Nuth in Baja Tajunca in the suburban southern sprawl of Rio, where the night starts with dinner overlooking the dancefloor and then grooving until 6am to a cool sound of electro and tech trance spun by Roger and his guests from the Hypno DJ Agency. It’s unbelievably packed and rocking until our jetlag and party lag from NYE starts to kick in and we retire at 4am. Unlike UK clubs, customers are given score cards upon entry that the bar staff mark when you get a drink or food and that tab has to be paid before you are allowed to leave the venue. Rhiannon and I manage to have consumed about a substantial amount of both and eyebrows are raised by locals and staff alike — it’s the start of a trend...
Thursday night and another local spinner Jay B and I have an impromptu back to back at the very trendy Skylounge club. Once again it’s electro and tech trance in this big white room venue and Rhiannon and I manage to beat Wednesday’s bar tab. Our poor livers!
In the morning it’s straight to the airport and we fly an hour south to Curitiba. Described by local DJ and our host Rafael Arauja as a ‘first world city in the third world’, it’s home to 2 million people and considered small in the scale of Brazil, although clearly it’s the size of Birmingham but much newer. Indeed, the centre would put most European cities to shame. Rafael and his business partner Ilan Kruger are a two man techno army and run their own record labels, promote events of all sizes and perhaps most interestingly, Brazil’s biggest DJ school. Based in a converted house, the school has taught 300+ students in the last two years, all of whom have graduated from an intense month long full time course created by the guys. Impressive stuff and incredibly professional.
We jump in the car and head down the highway to Camboriu, 100 miles away on the coast. It’s a resort city rather like a giant San Antonio bay and funnily enough, tonight Mauro Picotto is spinning at the 6,000 capacity Ibiza club. During the summer the city has a population of about 100,000 people but this swells to around 1 million during the summer. Over the course of January the Ibiza club plays host to the likes of Mauro, Tiesto, Paul Van Dyk and Eric Morillo. As the name suggests, the club is modelled on the Ibizan superclubs but the beers cost about £1 rather than the extortion anyone who’s been to the White Island will know well!
Saturday night and I’m spinning at another resort city called Guaratuba. The club is on the beach and it’s techno techno techno all the way to the 2,000 odd party people and holidaymakers on the dancefloor. Ilan and Rafael rock the place there every month and I leave pretty jealous. It’s a hot spot with a big outdoor area on the beach. Paradise.
Sunday night and we’re on another plane but this time it’s personal! Team Real have a well earned week off on the holiday island of Floripa. Staying on the beach in beautiful weather we indulge ourselves in an orgy of eating and chilling out. Just like the rest of the country that we’ve seen, it’s a beautiful place and the people we meet are friendly and generally intrigued as to how a pair of ragamuffins such as us have got the inside track on their secret treasure island (thanks Mike!). Not being one for sunbathing I have a go at dune boarding which is like snowboarding, but on 100 ft high sand dunes. I also rekindle a love for windsurfing which is something I used to do all the time pre-raving.
In Floripa we get to sample the delights of a Churrascaria restaurant. It’s a Brazilian invention that is an all you can eat buffet with sushi, salads and cold dishes. Once the diner has returned to the table so a procession of waiters then bring skewer after skewer of meats to add to your plate. The food is fresh and cooked to perfection but it’s impossible not to have to loosen the belt after about 20 minutes of meat onslaught! Total feast and the icing on the culinary cake as everywhere we turn we’re teased by tasty morsels.
Rested and refreshed, we bid a reluctant farewell to Floripa. Team Real make a pact to return next year for more pampering.
Our destination is Sao Paulo. Coming from paradise it’s a shock to the system as the city is beyond huge. Having lived in London, local hard dance nuts Frank and Fabio are working hard to get the scene off the ground and have put together an event at Cyberdog to kick things off. Just like in Camden, the Sao Paulo store has a massive sound system but unlike the UK it’s open until dawn and serves booze! About 400 people cram into the venue and the store manager Rodolfo keeps us plied with our usual rider of Tequila slammers. As to be expected the party goes into overdrive and the crowd go away thoroughly entertained. Consider the scene kick-started!
After the obligatory post-event drinks it’s Rio-bound for the last leg of our trip. The Summerfest is a 10,000 capacity outdoor rave featuring tonnes of Brazilian rock stars, local DJs and Ted. It runs over two nights and unfortunately by the time we get there the crowd look a little worn out. However, Roger Lyra, Jay B and myself inject a shot of energy into the dance arena and the place is rocking. Mixing up electro, trance, techno and hard dance in a way that wouldn’t really be possible in the UK, the three of us enjoy the awesome sound system whilst Rhiannon manages to drink her way through 12 Skol beers. Impressive stuff and a great way to finish off the mission.
The hospitality of the local crew was amazing and we couldn’t have done it without the help of everyone mentioned and Maria, Mike Redina and Claudio’s driving skills in Rio — even if he did lock his keys in the car and had to wait all night in the car park at Summerfest to get them out! Special thanks to Lucio Polli who we met at the first gig and who flew around the country taking photos for Harderfaster — good work fella! If we have forgotton anyone or spelt names wrong please accept apologies — too much Skol!
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Other Features By Ed Real:
Dr Duzzit I presume?
Hard Dance Awards preview: meet the regional heroes who keep the UK pumping!
Bang Face: the neo-rave revolution will not be televised!
100% my first time
My first time
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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Comments:
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From: Matt Smallwood on 27th Jan 2006 19:02.37
Wow, wicked read! Oh to be a fly on the wall, haha!
From: Ed Real on 27th Jan 2006 19:10.51
you would have loved the Skol baby - it's the national drink!
From: Maria on 27th Jan 2006 19:27.44
Sounds you had a brilliant time in my country. I'm so glad that everything went well and you enjoyed it. Hopefully next year we can go together. Let's work hard here to make it real! Btw...Floripa is on my state and its the only place that I want to live if i'm back to live in Brazil on day again!
From: Meena on 27th Jan 2006 21:10.55
Sounds like you had a fantastic time. Can't wait to go to Rio for Carnival now - 3 weeks and counting 
From: Olly Perris on 27th Jan 2006 21:56.15
Immense stuff Ed, superb read and glad you had a good one!!
From: voodoobass on 28th Jan 2006 01:18.53
 Just waiting for my opportunity to play in Brazil, hopefully I won't have to wait too long!
From: dani d on 28th Jan 2006 11:43.22
That was amazing Ed ,I now that in Brasil is it a huge music teritory.
From: dj moni on 28th Jan 2006 14:32.37
Ed this looks absolutely fantastic!! Next time you must take me with you is that a deal? hehehehe. Kisses from Moni
From: JAY B on 28th Jan 2006 18:59.10
NICE ONE ED !!! It's a pleasure to have you guys down here !! I'm looking forward to see you again very soon !!!
From: Dr DUZZIT on 29th Jan 2006 13:48.37
still tanned form it too i see Brazil is now a place i must visit before i die.
From: Gordan on 29th Jan 2006 18:16.27
Glad you saw for yourself what I have been on about - Floripa is an undiscovered paradise on earth... With Balneario's clubs it's even maybe better than that!
From: Ed Real on 29th Jan 2006 18:26.04
I think the measure of a place is whether you can see yourself living there full-time - both rhiannon and i came away thinking that it really wouldn't take too much persuasion! it's a beautiful country...
From: Karl Schmidt on 29th Jan 2006 21:02.52
Rocking Ed... Sounds like a definite place to check out!!
From: Gustavo FRICKEN on 30th Jan 2006 00:06.12
Very glad you enjoyed your time here! Next time we´ll have to make sure you play here in my city, Belo Horizonte!
Cheers, or Saúde 
From: djcheekee on 30th Jan 2006 08:52.46
wikid Ed and people ask me why im moving there.
me and my wife are friends of franky, glad you experienced his great hospitality
From: Richard Launch on 30th Jan 2006 09:57.26
Sounds great Ed...!
From: Dan Cheshire Cat on 30th Jan 2006 13:55.23
Wicked diary. I wanna go now!
From: bennett on 30th Jan 2006 19:31.12
you lucky lucky git!
From: danj on 30th Jan 2006 23:51.52
I just wish he wasn't so tanned, it's hard on the eyes.
From: Hard House Hippy on 1st Feb 2006 00:56.22
Well I guess I'll have to persuade Sir Richard of Branson to start up a new route then Ted.
Sounds like you guys had a blast. You can tell me all about it when I see ya next....I guess that'll be the 11th then ;-)
From: Kiko on 1st Feb 2006 01:52.12
Good stuff Ed! Glad you enjoyed our contry and yes, we do consider the hard dance scene kick-started. It's just the beginning...
From: Franky on 1st Feb 2006 13:50.44
Hey Ed. Thank you so much for playing for Evoxx. You rocked Cyberdog (just for a change). São Paulo´s crowd just loved you. Hope to have you again playng for us. Say hi to Rhianon.
Cheers!
Brazil´s just crawling on the clubbing scene. There´s so much to do over here. Any DJs interested to come have a chat with Maria or myself and we can organise something whether you play electro, house or hard-whatever!
From: maliksta on 2nd Feb 2006 01:13.14
Mr Rave Baron.
Wicked Article.. Glad to see you are still pumping your sound and spr ED ing the Real Gospel.
ha ha
maliksta
From: Ed Real on 2nd Feb 2006 09:31.32
cheers malik! hope ur well bru! :-)
From: shane on 2nd Feb 2006 20:46.35
nice one ed! glad your back though,now ya can spin us some new tunes that are pumpin down there.
From: *Ting* on 3rd Feb 2006 12:36.57
Nice one Ed. It's lovely to read something a bit different and you look so natural on those waves boyeeee.
From: richbowenuk on 4th Feb 2006 00:17.22
Looks fab and a gr8 read mate!
From: rockin russ on 4th Feb 2006 11:54.48
i don't usually read these review's, but i was amazed Ed..this stopped me in my tracks!
Keep up the good work, dude:-)
From: maliksta on 6th Feb 2006 11:15.21
when you coming to japan ED! need to here da man rocking. which email can I get you at?:
From: eduardo herrera on 6th Feb 2006 23:45.40
Literally ROCK in Rio!!!! Good one!!!
From: Lucio Polli on 15th Feb 2006 17:58.02
Hi Ed ! if u want to have a look at the link for Ed in Rio :http://www.harderfaster.net/?sid=af20e81e8bc908089a2243ce10c12770§ion=photos&action=showphotoset&setid=8391
Im back to Curitiba, will be in London soon. do you want some SKOl?
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