The Festival Experience with... Eddy Temple Morris

 Image: Eddy Temple Morris

Eddy Temple Morris' presence within the modern music scene is undeniably a multi dimensional one. Throughout his career, the Cardiff born broadcaster has helped break bands and raise awareness for tinnitus, as well as displaying his talents as a top class live DJ.

For 15 years he worked at XFM London, with his show The Remix providing a weekly Friday night party between 10pm - 2am. Here, Temple Morris merged rock with dance, with a series of mixes featuring some of the finest remixes of indie and dance hits, helping to popularise the mash up genre. His show also helped to break top talent including Kasabian, Plan B, Reverend and the Makers and 2ManyDJs, with each of them receiving their first ever air play via Eddy's show.

His career as a selector has taken him to events around the world with the likes of The Prodigy, and as well as curating festival stages across the UK, he was also selected by the man behind Ibiza Rocks as the first ever resident at the White Isle event. All of this makes him a perfect candidate to talk to us about his festival experiences, ahead of his set at Enjoy Music which comes to Aberdeen on Saturday 3rd June.

How are you? What have you been up to, any exciting projects in the pipeline? 

I'm very well thank you. I've been doing yoga and cold water therapy every day and I've never felt fitter or stronger. Actually today I just heard that an exciting new project I've been working on, called 'Trailblazers' will be available soon on Deezer, then via the usual podcast platforms. It's the desert Island Discs of electronica, presented with Nick Halkes, the man who started XL Records and signed The Prodigy.

Together, we're going through the lives of every electronic music 'fire-starter' to talk about their lives and how music wove into into it. Our guests have all been fascinating: From Gary Numan, Mary Anne Hobbs, Zinc, to more unsung heroes like Mike Pickering (from M People) who signed  Happy Mondays, Kasabian and Calvin Harris, or Renaat from R&S Records, who signed Aphex Twin and Joey Beltram, or the UK's first ever superstar DJ, Tony Prince, who started Mixmag and The DMC Championships…my gosh, the stories! Really excited about how this will develop and looking forward to speaking to more trailblazers like Don Letts, Carl Cox and Giorgio Moroder, all of whom have been approached.

What three things make for a great music festival and why?

My favourite festival isn't a festival, it's a serious four day party (Secret Garden Party) and any festival that reflects the vibe there makes for a great experience. It's about the love of the party, both from the people who organise it and the people who form the community around it.

Beatherder, Blissfields, Shambala, Kendal Calling, are all great examples. Glastonbury is wonderful because there's a small festival in and around Shangri-la, The Unfairground and Avalon fields, within the corporate behemoth festival elsewhere. With a great festival, for me,  it's less about who is playing and more about the holistic experience. Great food, great crowd, of course the music is important but it shouldn't be the be-all and end-all.

Having said that, Enjoy Aberdeen has got the greatest band ever to come from Scotland, Primal Scream, and one of England's best contemporary acts in Chase & Status, so we are guaranteed wonderful musical experience. Primal Scream must be the most perfect festival band.

Which festivals abroad do you like playing at the most?  Which countries are your favourite to play in and visit?

My favourite festival abroad was Lake Of Stars, in Malawi, the "warm heart of Africa" - because it's powered by volunteers and done for love, plus to raise funds for The Jacaranda Orphanage, the experience feels so special. You're surrounded by Baobab trees and on the beach! It was the most thought provoking gig I've ever done. Meeting people who have -literally- nothing, for whom my pink wristband became their *only*possession - was truly humbling.

I love playing in Spain the most, especially in and around Barcelona, because I have a long history in that city, playing every year at the legendary club, Razzmatazz, so the spanish get me and I get them, we always have a great time. They have such a profound knowledge of our music too.

What are your earliest festival memories, did you go to a festival as a DJ, broadcaster or a punter first? Where did you first go?

I went to Glastonbury as a punter in the 1980s, when I was around 18-19. The Cure and Echo & The Bunnymen were the headliners that year and I remember it was the first year of Mutoid Waste Company, so seeing all those incredible little bikes/lawnmowers/insect cars was really inspiring. Now, then I see the colossal spider like stage 'Arcadia', I always remember its humble beginnings that year.

Overall what are the most memorable moments you have experienced at a festival? A few different examples would be great, particularly if you have experience as both a DJ and broadcaster?

Wow, so many to share:

I saw The Verve on Stage 2 of Glastonbury in the afternoon, when Nick McCabe blew up his guitar amp and Richard made Simon and the drummer bosh out a groove and they just jammed while the amp was fixed! While I was rolling a cigarette, someone stepped directly over me and I had a strange feeling…I looked up and it was Jeff Buckley, looking back at me and smiling. OK it may have been more than a cigarette...

I've only cried at four gigs in my life, two of them were at Glastonbury, once with Delays, in the John Peel tent, who played such a perfect set I just didn't want it to end, and main stage for Page & Plant. When they started playing Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, I lost it, tears came streaming down because I knew that was the closest I'd ever get to seeing the Zep, and I'd never see John Bonham play.

Every set I've done at Secret Garden Party in the past 15 years has been emotional, and I've had so many great moments seeing acts there like UNKLE, Jacques Lu Conte, Sub Focus, Andy C, Goldie, Nero, Example, Utah Saints, I could go on….each one bringing something unique to the party.

Seeing Goldie play Glastonbury for the first time, when most people didn't know what jungle music was. He closed Sunday night on Stage 2 and that was just incredible. So many people came up to me and asked "what the fuck is this?!" most of them were mind-blown!

Which acts do you look at as future festival headliners, is it a more pop route so more Ed Sheeran or do bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen have a chance of headlining at the biggest festivals in the UK? Or is it say, grime etc? 

There are so many festivals now that any band that achieves success will headline something. There are two acts that I want to see headlining in the future, because they seem perfect for any festival. One is Lost Colours, a brand new band from Leeds, who've just signed to Sunday Best.

It's an 8 piece live band featuring members of Adele/Jamiroquai/Corinne Bailey Rae/Amy Winehouse bands - really top level musicians -and they make the most beautiful, blessed out psychedelic electronic music, a bit like UNKLE, if UNKLE had never had a come-down [laughs].

 The second is a Brixton project called The Dandadda, it's a big beat band fronted by ten Rastafarian singers, rappers, dancers and musicians. It's not reggae but it's got a skank to it and it's so infectious and danceable, their gigs are like miniature festivals anyway! Flags waving and people smiling, I cannot wait to see them play on next years bills!

Who are the best acts you have witnessed at a festival?

Sigur Ros, Delays, Massive Attack, Page & Plant, Deftones, Dan LeSac Vs Scroobius Pip, UNKLE/James Lavelle, Tricky, Andy C, Sub Focus, Reverend & The Makers, Goose, 2ManyDJs, LCD Soundsystem, Jon Hopkins, Oasis, Tame Impala, Radiohead, The Verve, Nero, Green Day, A Perfect Circle and, of course, The Prodigy - they are still the best.

When you play festivals, there's a good chance you'll play in front of first time fans - what is the best way to make a good impression in front of a festival crowd?

Play them something classic that you know they'll love!!

You're also involved in Enjoy Music - do you have high hopes for the festival - are you looking forward to Primal, Chase & Status etc?

I've played all over the UK and Europe and I would honestly say that the most nuts crowd I've ever experienced was, many years ago, in Aberdeen. The joie-de-vivre up there was inspiring. I played the last set, so finished near dawn and the club was still packed to the rafters, as it had been earlier. Everybody was there to have it right off and by the end they were all chanting my name and singing at the tops of their voices. I got mobbed on the way out, in the nicest possible way, I'll never forget that experience and so high hopes indeed!!

I've seen Primal Scream many times and loved every show, same with Chase & Status, we've shared many bills over the years. They are fantastic producers and will always set a crowd alight, whether it's live or a DJ set with MC Rage out front, provoking the crowd. I'm looking forward to seeing John Digweed, that's an act I've never seen and he's a legend, it'd be great to experience his vibe and see what he brings to the party.

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