Pete Tong (1960 - )
Biography
Pete Tong (born July 1960) is a British DJ who works for BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programs such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his label FFRR Records, and for his own performances at nightclubs across the globe. Tong has also worked as a music producer. In a phrase such as "it's all gone a bit Pete Tong", the name is commonly used as rhyming slang for "wrong". --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Tong [Apr 2005]Essential history of dance
The history of dance music as seen through the
eyes of - Pete Tong From Radio 1 London
Welcome to the Essential history of dance. This is the Essential Selection's look back at the records, the clubs, and the people who've shaped dance music as we know it.
We start in the eighties...
1980-83
1980
Disco holds sway over the dancefloors of Britain and America. But in New York, the hip-hop scene explodes...
1981
Afrikaa Bambaataa's club - the Roxy - becomes a focal point for New York - where celebrities like Jagger and Bowie rub shoulders with breakdancers from the Bronx...
Meanwhile Studio 54's Larry Levan is playing spaced out disco at the Paradise Garage - music that will become known as "garage"...
1982
In London, the club scene is turned on its head by the "new romantics". Some - like Boy George - will go on to become pop stars. Most will just have a very full make-up draw!...
1983
The British soul scene revolves around the Hammersmith Palais and Rock City in Nottingham - not to mention the infamous Caister Weekenders... The DJs that matter are Radio One's Robbie Vincent, London's Chris Hill and some young shaver from Kent called Pete Tong...
And big records for the early eighties are Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force - "Planet Rock". D-Train's "You're The One For Me" - one of the earliest "garage" records. And the monumental "The Message" from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five...
1984-87
1984
The advent of samplers revolutionises hip hop. It also proves the old adage that where there's a hit, there's a writ...
1985
The souped-up disco sound of house bursts out of The Warehouse in Chicago and tops of the charts with hits 'Love Can't Turn Around' by Farley Jackmaster Funk and 'Jack Your Body' by Steve Silk Hurley...
1986
House music first grabs hold of The UK in clubs like Manchester's Hacienda and Nottingham's Garage - where an up and coming DJ - Graeme Park - is creating an experimental new mixing style...
1987
In London, it's the heyday of the West End, with ripped jeans queuing outside Soho clubs the Wag and The Mud Club. Illegal warehouse parties add an edge, and start the careers of DJs Norman Jay and a law student nicknamed 'Judge Jules'.
And Big records for the middle eighties are Eric B & Rakim - "I Know You Got Soul" (the record that really kicked off the James Brown sample craze). The infamous
"Pump Up The Volume" from DJs Dave Dorrell and CJ Mackintosh - aka MARRS. And the awesome "Jack Your Body" from Steve Silk Hurley...
1988-90
The Balearics come to Britain with Danny Rampling's Shoom and Paul Oakenfold's Spectrum bringing the hedonism of Ibiza to UK clubbing...
In Manchester - under the influence of a new drug culture - plus DJs Graeme Park and M-People - the Hacienda is turned into a tropical hothouse. The intense atmosphere galvinises local bands like the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses - and 'baggy' is born...
Illegal raves flourish around London's M25 orbital motorway - turning promoters of parties like 'Sunrise' and 'Biology' into heroes. Convoys of ravers become a regular site throughout the home counties - and the tabloids.
Big tunes for the late eighties - as featured on Jeff Young's legendary Big Beat Show on Radio One - are Royal House - Can You Party?. Back To Life from Jazzy B's Soul II Soul collective. And this classic slice of house from Lil' Louis - French Kiss (The first ever trance record?)
1991-93
1991
The dance scene begins to fragment- with a split emerging between the "Balearic" scene and the happy hardcore ravers...
Massive raves continue to spring up around the country - favourites including Raindance, Solstice, and the first Big Love - from Tribal Gathering organisers Universe...
1992
your Amazon recommendations
The Balearic flag is kept flying by Danny Rampling's Pure Sexy, Justin Robertson's Most Excellent and the legendary Venus in Nottingham...
And The Minstry Of Sound opens in November 1991, luring US garage heroes - Tony Humphries, David Morales and Frankie Knuckles...
1993
Progressive house, hardcore and techno - as championed by Fabio & Grooverider - becomes more fashionable. Travellers and trendies are thrown together at enormous open-air raves - like the infamous Castlemorton festival - but the Criminal Justice Act means promoters would find it harder and harder to party on other people's land...
And big records for the early part of the new decade are The Prodigy's - Charley Says, Passion from Gat Decors and the first outing for Neil Barnes and Paul Daley with Not Forgotten - Leftfield are born...
1994-96
Big Beat is born at The Heavenly Social where two scruffy student-types called Tom and Ed - aka the Chemical Brothers - mix up hip-hop records with pumping acid techno. Former Housemartin turned producer Norman Cook is so inspired by this new mix - that he goes back to Brighton to become Fatboy Slim...
Meanwhile, Jungle comes in from the cold and breakbeat leaders Goldie, Roni Size, Grooverider and LTJ Bukem become heroes to a new generation of clubbers...
Another bunch of old hardcore heroes put a different spin on rave, and the Prodigy come back with two groundbreaking albums 'The Fat Of The Land' and 'Music For The Jilted Generation'. They become one of the planet's biggest rock bands and Keith Flint gets to go out with Gail Porter...
Back in "proper" clubland journalists coin the phrase "superclub" to describe the empires of Cream and the Ministry Of Sound. Suddenly having a successful club isn't just about people on the dancefloor - it's about brands, mix albums and getting your logo on everything from record bags to keyrings...
And Ibiza, which had been warming up nicely in the early Nineties, suddenly goes ballistic. Manumission opens for business at Ku, while the mighty Cream becomes the first British club to export their hedonistic spirit and blend it with Ibiza's decadence. From
here on in, things are going to get very messy. . .
Big Tunes for the mid-nineties are Josh Wink's Higher State Of Consciousness, the legendary Armand Van Helden mix of Tori Amos's - Professional Widow; and the moment where jungle stopped being rave and became drum & bass - Inner City Life from Goldie...
1997
Dance music continues to diversify, as the many headed club beast begins to experience pre-millennium tension. In London, the underground garage scene blows up overground and "speed garage" is born...
On the drum & bass front, Roni Size's Reprazent posse throw live instruments and soul songs into the mix to make the album of the year. They deservedly win the Mercury Prize...
French boys Daft Punk's 'Da Funk' had been an underground hit for a couple of years, but now their 'Homework' LP blows everyone away, with its radical, hard techno house grooves.
One year on and practically all house records are made this way...
Meanwhile in clubland, Birmingham's clubbers are dressing more freakily, and dancing harder than ever before. The day is Sunday, the club is Sundissential, the DJ is Tony De Vit and the music is the kind of hard, hedonistic trance previously only played at London's after-hours gay clubs. The media spotlight might be on France, Bristol or South London, but over the next year what Madders and co are doing will change the face of British clubland forever...
And big Tunes for 97 are Rosie Gaines' - Closer Than Close, Brown Paper Bag from Roni Size Reprazent, daft Punk's Homework album, and the ground breaking Block Rocking Beats from the Chemical Brothers...
1998
Music sounds better with the arrival of 1998. . .
Throughout the year there's no avoiding Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter. He was the hero of 99, not only for that record, but also the awesome 'Gymtonic' - (with a little help from Bob Sinclar and Jane Fonda of course)...
Ibiza 99 was bigger and badder than ever. Manumission takes Balearic decadence to new heights at Privilege, Cream make sure Thursday nights at Amensia go off and Radio One - that's us - host a whole weekend of programmes by the (sometimes) seat of our pants...
Back in the UK and up in Liverpool, Paul Oakenfold reigns supreme over the Cream
Courtyard. And over in Sheffield a new generation of clubbers - fuelled on funny Japanese car logos - find new heroes in our own Judge Jules and German trance lord Paul Van Dyk...
Norman Cook releases 'The Rockafella Skank' and his LP 'You've Come A Long Way Baby' - and suddenly Fatboy Slim is more than just an underground hero - he's an international megastar. Then, in Ibiza - on a radio show - he meets some bird called Zoe Ball...
Big Tunes for 1998 are David Morales with Needin U, Paul Van Dyk's 'For An Angel', The Fatboy with 'The Rockerfella Skank'.
And of course the best dance record ever? - Music Sounds Better With You from Stardust...
Courtesy Of BBC Radio 1 London
