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BY PETE! 20 Temmuz 2010 Salý Who else can boast sell out tours of the UK and Brazil, remixes for U2, Madonna and more, and soundtracking Michael Caine fi lms?
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Pete Tong, that’s who. And this is just in the last year for the man who will surely never retire. Consider the impact this man has had over the past two decades thanks to his still running Radio 1 show that’s franchised across the globe, thanks to his unerring ability to spot a TUNE and thanks to his tireless DJ schedule. So it’s no surprise that we’ve handed our sixth issue cover to Pete Tong, the man who’s so famous he has his own rhyming slang.
YOU’VE PLAYED SEVERAL times in Dubai (Trilogy, and most recently the 400) - how has the city changed for you? And how will your set change as you’re playing a beach bar?
It’s well documented that the change has been off the scale. Since I have been coming, it’s probably quadrupled in size and scale. Every time I fl ew in the boundaries seem to have been pushed further North, South, into the desert and into the sky! I remember seeing pictures of how it looked just 50 years ago - a few huts and a crossroads! It was scary to see the fi nancial crisis bring all this to an abrupt halt.
You were quite an early adopter of laptop technology for your sets, and it’s really taken off in recent years. Where else can laptop DJing go, and what skills do you need to be the best now the technology has changed? And how has Traktor revolutionised your sets?
The one thing you will always need is good taste and good sense of how to sequence a party and navigate your way through an evening on the dancefl oor. Laptop DJing and working with Traktor in particular, allows you to concentrate even more on what you play and how you play it and what you can do with the tune and what comes next. The one thing you are not worrying about is keeping two or three tunes in time. I spent another life time doing that. It’s sounding better than ever as well if you set it up in the
correct way.
You used to be a features editor - have you ever been tempted to get back into the magazine world, perhaps as a columnist? And who would you like to see on the cover of DJ Magazine?
I would like to be guest editor of a cool magazine for one edition, that would be fun. I do appreciate good writing and have always been a magazine junkie. You should put Afrojack on the cover, he’s going to have a big year. Or Tim Green, he’s a super talented boy.
Bryan Ferry is confi rmed to open your Wonderland night in Ibiza. There’s been a real shift towards a live music angle in dance music recently - what caused that do you think? And do you ever get nervous meeting and working with legends like that?
I think we are in an era of craving real live performance. We are in a world that devours celebrity also, which is pretty weird. It goes in cycles. Regarding meeting legend, not really, it all depends on the circumstances. Sometimes it can be very underwhelming and embarrassing if you catch someone at an awkward moment. Having said that Bryan is cool and has done his research on Ibiza. He’s a big fan of the island its beauty and the club scene.
You’re now entering your third season in San An - what can you do to keep raising the brand’s profi le and who are you most excited about hosting?
Well having Roxy Music legend Bryan Ferry for the launch is a good start, plus Steve Lawler, and Radio 1 newcomers Jaymo & Andy George, who will be doing the backroom with their Moda night all summer. We’ll be announcing more artists in the next few weeks - great names and lots of exciting new talent. We will strive to make every night special, that’s how you really raise a brands profi le. Consistency and quality.
You’ve moved slots on Radio 1, which presumably means less commercial pressure - how has that affected what you do?
I think the show is a more ‘even’ listen. It also translates better internationally in different time zones. The message is actually simpler than before - ‘here is the best electronic music in the world this week and you get to meet some of the people who made it.’ It’s rocking!
Annie Mac has had some big shoes to fi ll by stepping into your 7pm slot - how do you think she’s done?
Annie is doing great. She hasn’t really changed what she does that much, she’s bought her old show format pretty much intact. She has a very engaging style and she has a ‘sound’. You can’t ask for much more.
She’s really pin-pointed a rising music scene, with dubstep, bassline and drum and bass at the forefront. Do you think that fairly represents the clubbing scene in the UK?
To be honest here has always been a lot of diversity on the UK’s dancefl oors. I think Annie’s shining the spotlight brighter on those very british musical strands. It’s helping change the perception that this music isn’t necessarily room 2 or back room music anymore. It’s important to acknowledge that there is a new generation who have grown up with a more mixed up set of infl uences than say the acid house generation of the late 80s. Does it mean that house, techno and trance is now in the back
room? No.
You’ve still got incredibly diverse tastes - Tensnake sit next to Fedde Le Grand white labels and Pendulum on your playlist. Has dubstep entered your world, and if so why?
Sure it has. I have been known to drop a mad dubstep tune at the end of the night and many times on the radio. It’s an exciting area and truly born in the UK. As for diversity I think that is so important in making the show an essential listen.
You’ve also been heavily playlisting the new Groove Armada material - we’ve only heard the singles, but they’re quite simply stunning. Should we expect big things from the album?
Its a bold and beautiful thing and I’m very proud of them for going for such a profound change of style. Its brave and its bloody good. Big fan!
Your endoresment is still a huge sign of approval in the dance music world - what’s the best/worst bribe you’ve ever been offered? And how do you manage your time going through the tracks - do you have a team of sifters who do it for you?
A coffi n that said ‘dance music is dead’! I do have some people who help me, but I still listen to hours and hours of music every week. I also interact with as many DJs as possible on a weekl basis. That fl ow of information is most crucial.
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