Pete Tong | |
|---|---|
 Tong at theGlastonbury Festival in 2009 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Michael Tong |
| Born | (1960-07-30)30 July 1960 (age 64) Dartford,Kent, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Website | petetong |
Peter Michael TongMBE (born 30 July 1960) is an English DJ who works forBBC Radio 1.[1] He is the host of programmes such asEssential Mix andEssential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard throughInternet radio streams, for his record labelFFRR Records[2] and for his own performances atnightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music."[3]
The phrase "It's all gone Pete Tong", where the name is used asrhyming slang for "it's all gone wrong", was reputedly coined byPaul Oakenfold in late 1987 in an article aboutacid house called "Bermondsey Goes Balearic" forTerry Farley andPete Heller'sBoys Own fanzine.[4][5][6]It's All Gone Pete Tong is also the title of a 2004 film which portrays a fictional DJ's experiences as he realizes he is becoming deaf.[7] Tong appears briefly in the film. It is also the name Tong has adopted for his club night at the nightclubPacha in Ibiza and his nightly radio programme in the United States oniHeartRadio's "Evolution" EDM format platform.[8][9]
In 2008, Tong was involved with organizing theInternational Music Summit inIbiza,[10] an event that has become an annual fixture (the 2016 Summit was held during 25–27 May).[11] In 2017, Tong won Radio Show of the Year at theElectronic Music Awards for "The Essential Collection".
Tong was born inDartford,Kent in 1960 and was educated atKing's School, Rochester, Kent.[12][13] Tong is a supporter ofArsenal F.C.[14]
Tong's original musical interest was in drumming, but he soon moved on to DJing. He played his first public gig at a friend's wedding at age 15.[15] While at school he and a couple of friends earned some extra money by promoting a couple of local bands and booking halls for gigs.[citation needed] He also worked as part of the Kent "Soul Mafia" bringing soul weekenders to seaside towns such asCaister-on-Sea andPrestatyn.[16] In his early years Tong was heavily influenced by the lateDJ Froggy.[17] The first album he bought wasThe Slider byT-Rex (1972).[18]
After leaving school, Tong set up a mobile disco based in aFord Transit van, but he soon started his own club inBaker Street called Family Function. He also booked bands for an alternative night, the first of which was the then unknownCulture Club. Tong originally performed as a DJ using the name "Kickstart Roadshow" and then later "OHMS Roadshow" with an extensive sound system.
Later, he became DJ and promoter at the Kings Lodge club in West Kingsdown. Later moving venue to the Hill Top, also in West Kingsdown, he was responsible for breaking classics such as Lonnie Liston Smith's "Expansions" and Ritchie Cole's "Groovin on a New York Afternoon".
In 1979, Tong became an advertising sales assistant forBlues & Soul magazine.[19] After a year he also contributed some reviews, gossip and sales charts, which continued until 1983. He left Blues & Soul to joinLondon Records as anA&R manager. Through his connections in London Records, Tong was exposed to the newly emerginghouse music sound from Chicago. In 1986, Tong organised a compilation album,The House Sound of Chicago, Vol. 1, the first British release to gather and expose this genre.
Along withJules Buckley and theHeritage Orchestra, Tong was part of the 2015BBC Proms season, performing the Radio 1 'Ibiza Prom'.[20]
Tong's first appearance on radio was in the late 1970s onRadio Invicta, Europe's first soul music station.[21] Later, he appeared on local radio stationBBC Radio Medway, as part of the 'Soul Mafia' and performed occasional mixes forRadio London.[citation needed] In 1981, Tong made his first appearance on Radio 1 as the host of a 15-minute feature onPeter Powell's show—he played new tracks and covered the latest gossip and news from the dance music industry.[citation needed]
WhenInvicta Radio started in Kent in 1984, Tong became the host of a regular soul show on the station. As Tong had joined the developing dance-DJ management company of DJ-turned-journalistEddie Gordon, of theKent Messenger, he built a prominent county profile and performed at Gordon's local club the Slammer.[13] Tong joinedCapital Radio in 1988 to present a weekly dance programme.
In January 1991,[22] Tong began his Friday evening show, branded as theEssential Selection for its first 15 years, on BBC Radio 1. The show still continues every week (currently it is broadcast at 10 PM for two hours, either pre-recorded from Tong's garage at his home in Los Angeles or live from the eighth floor ofBroadcasting House)[23] and Tong is now the longest serving DJ on the station (following the death ofAnnie Nightingale). Additionally, a one-hour Sunday edition of the programme, called "The Essential Selection - Part 2", was broadcast from April 1992 to April 1993.[24] A spinoff, titledThe Rap Selection (featuring rap, ragga and new jack swing), aired on Thursday evenings[25] on the station from 9 to 10 PM from April 1991 until March 1992.
From October 1993, Tong oversaw the production of theEssential Mix show, which was devised and, until 2003, produced by Gordon.[26] The show was the first BBC production to broadcast live fromIbiza,Spain.[27] The 500th mix was broadcast on 23/24 April 2010, featuring solely Tong on the Friday night and Tong, plus DJs Sasha and Richie Hawtin, live from Circus nightclub inLiverpool, UK, for the second section.[27]
In 2011, Tong filed a restraining order against theMassive Attack singerShara Nelson after she harassed him with nuisance calls and falsely claimed they were married. She was given a 12-monthcommunity order and 80 hours of community service.[28]
In November 2012, Tong was asked byClear Channel Communications in the US to help launch a new EDM channel, on theiriHeartRadio platform, called 'Evolution'. Along with the launch of the channel, Tong introduced a nightly two-hour programme titledIts All Gone Pete Tong, which is similar to his BBC 1 programme. The platform would later form the basis for Clear Channel to expand the Evolution brand, with the 20 December 2012 launch of the format onWEDX/Boston that included Tong's station promos and voice-overs. Likewise, Tong's iHeartRadio programme is also broadcast on WEDX.[citation needed] In addition, a supplemental 2-hour weekly programme,Evolution Beatport Show, is also aired on various Top 40/CHR and Rhythmic stations in the U.S. and in other countries and is syndicated byPremiere Networks. In 2019, Tong started a series for BBC Radio 2 calledPete Tong's House Nation, a personal exploration of house music.
Tong is one of Britain's most recognised DJs, having gained a large following of fans from hisEssential Selection programme.[citation needed] He was appointed a Member of the Most ExcellentOrder of the British Empire in the2014 New Year Honours for services to Broadcasting and Music.[29][30]
From 2003 to 2007, Tong was the resident DJ atPacha nightclub in Ibiza, where he oversaw thePure Pacha events. In 2008, Tong left Pacha and signed with Eden nightclub inSant Antoni de Portmany to host his ownWonderland night. Tong explained in a 2009 interview that he, "from a UK perspective", has played in Ibiza since inception (1991) and, as of the time of the interview, divided his time between the UK, Ibiza and the US.[31]
In March 2011, he announced that he would be returning to Pacha on Friday nights with a new event named 'All Gone Pete Tong'.[32] Tong played the Together Winter Music Festival in London, UK, atAlexandra Palace on 26 November 2011.[33] He appeared in the 2016Grammy-nominated documentary film about American DJ and producerSteve Aoki, titledI'll Sleep When I'm Dead.[34]
Tong has returned to DJ in his native Kent several times in his professional career, including several stints at The Loft in Maidstone.[35]
Additionally, Tong hosts a pool party each year duringMiami Music Week at one of the hotels onSouth Beach. In 2018, Tong was joined byIdris Elba,The Black Madonna,Black Coffee andThe Martinez Brothers, among others.[36][37]
All chart positions are in theUK Compilation Chart[38] except forClassic House (2016),Ibiza Classics (2017) andChilled Classics (2019) where the chart positions are for theUK Albums Chart.
|
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
