Pete Tong - the name that has launched some of dance music’s biggest ever global moments, inspired multi-territory cinematic releases and even established itself as a cornerstone of 21st century Great British vernacular. Tong’s high-profile DJ sets around the world are legendary, so too his exploits over two decades on mainstream BBC Radio 1. He is as close to celebrity as one gets within clubland. But that’s only the half of it. Pete Tong’s exalted position at electronic music’s top table has long been underpinned by an impressive set of underground credentials.
From the very start of his career, Tong’s ear for great, cut-through underground club music was in full effect. Commentators widely agree that he was responsible for establishing classic US grooves on UK shores such as Lonnie Liston Smith’s ‘Expansions’ and Ritchie Cole’s ‘Groovin On A New York Afternoon’. In 1979, meanwhile, Tong joined influential magazine Blues & Soul. He eventually left in 1983, but exposure to Blues & Soul’s taste-making newsroom would again hone his ear for exciting new grass roots music and artists.
Leaving the world of music journalism, Tong’s next move was to Polydor-owned London Records where, between 1983 and 1986, he was encouraged to sign the innovative sounds of Run DMC and early house protagonists Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley (‘Jack Your Body’, 1986) and Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk & Jessie Saunders (‘Love Can’t Turn Around’, 1986). As the success of independent dance-geared labels such as Rhythm King grew, so London asked Tong to launch dance sub-label FFRR – its own attempt to reflect and convey ‘indy’-style underground credibility.
For Tong it was business as usual – continuing to find impactful, underground productions from the formative days of dance music with potential, down the line, to become far wider cultural statements. Alongside releases by hip-hop-pop sensations Salt ‘N’ Pepa and Goth balladeers Shakespear’s Sister came a string of incredibly astute club cuts by some of house music’s finest names - Jamie Principle (‘Baby Wants To Ride’, 1987), D.Mob (‘We Call It Acieeed’, 1988), Marshall Jefferson (‘Open Our Eyes’, 1988), Frankie Knuckles (‘Only The Strong Survive’, 1988; ‘Tears’, 1989), Lil Louis (‘French Kiss’, 1988), Richie Rich (‘Salsa House’, 1989), Mr Fingers (‘What About This Love’, 1989) and Orbital (‘Chime’, 1990).
In signing acts like D.Mob and Knuckles, and licensing compilations such as The House Sound Of Chicago – Acid Tracks (the first volume actually appeared on London in 1986), Tong was A&R pioneer, championing the then new electronic sound of acid house and officially declaring its arrival in the UK. FFRR’s subsequent support of Mr Fingers, Orbital and Lil Louis, meanwhile, reflected Tong’s support of cutting edge deep house – the kinds of tracks that today, some 25 years on, are heralded as clubland classics; as history-making anthems.
Through playing at The Royalty, Tong would meet Nicky Holloway, one of its loudest and most loyal attendees. The pair’s association prompted a number of gigs around London and, come 1987, a hook-up with the UK dance scene’s other forefathers Danny Rampling, Johnny Walker, Paul Murphy, Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox. Tong was also soon running parties with Andrew Weatherall, Terry Farley and the revered Boys’s Own crowd. By now he himself had widened his sonic palette well beyond soul and jazz-funk to include hip-hop, electro and, naturally, house. He was at the heart of the UK house scene’s purest beginnings.
Tong’s early career was also synonymous with radio. During the late 1970s he appeared on pirate and commercial airwaves alike (Kent’s Radio Medway in the latter case) to spread his soulful word. Come 1981, aged just 18, he was invited to talk about the nascent dance scene on Peter Powell’s BBC Radio 1 Show – ‘Froggy’ who built Radio 1’s ‘roadshow’ soundsystems , had been the station’s original pick but, less eloquent than Tong, asked him what to say each week; the gig eventually became Tong’s outright.
He continued to deepen his broadcast experience, presenting on Kent’s new commercial station Invicta between 1983 and 1986 before landing the late-night soul and hip-hop show on Radio London (hired by Dave Pearce). Within a year or so of that, he was helming Saturday nights for London’s Capital Radio. This higher-profile appointment came as house was starting to enter the UK’s sonic mainstream – Tong ensured that the dynamic underground club sounds he loved had top-billing at all times.
Throughout the Nineties Tong’s radio profile grew and grew. He left Capital in 1991, taking over Jeff Young’s Friday night Radio 1 slot after his departure. But, as ever, Tong balanced mainstream with below-radar – he was pivotal in helping the station revamp its image and agenda, recommending the appointment of other rising DJs including Rampling and Tim Westwood. Tong’s own new Friday night show, the Essential Selection, was illustrative of Radio 1’s seismic change.
Dedicated to a wide sweep of dance music, domestic and international, the ground-breaking show quickly scored an almighty global following; not to mention spawned the similarly influential Essential Mix – a continuous early morning mix hosted by Tong and featuring guest DJs at the very forward-thinking boundaries of their craft. No talking, no trails, just the music. Tong’s ‘Essential’ endeavours at Radio 1 enjoy canonical status within clubland today.
As for FFRR, the label’s output was piquing ever wider mainstream interest in tandem with dance music’s relentless rise. Its roster, however, remained credible and firmly grounded throughout the Nineties and early Noughties, hits from the likes of Peter ‘Club 69’ Rauhofer, Orbital, DJ Pierre (as Photon Inc), Gerideau, Swing 52, Todd Edwards, Joey Negro and Armand Van Helden complimenting those from innovators outside of the house scene – Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Portishead, Luke Vibert, the Brand New Heavies and DJ Shadow - not to mention counterpoising pop-angled releases by East 17 and Sybil.
FFRR entered hibernation in 2003, just three years after parent label London was acquired by Warner Music. Tong had already left in 2001, wanting to spend more time fulfilling the relentless flow of DJ gigs coming his way. In 2008, he co-launched William Morris Endeavor’s electronic music division, one of the biggest DJ booking enterprises in the world. He also founded the International Music Summit (IMS), a major mouthpiece for the dance industry and weighty, Ibiza-led celebration of its current and historic highlights.
IMS throws some of the dance scene’s biggest parties, whilst operating as a credible ‘braintrust’ for promoters, producers and performers. Here Tong has established effective structure for thought leadership – dance music is expanding so very quickly today that even loose guidance from its key protagonists on where it needs to go next is hugely beneficial. As ever, Tong demonstrates a sincere connection to the art form upon which he has based his career.
In recent times, the dance grandee has relocated to Los Angeles. Alongside mega residencies at LA club Sound, Miami’s Story and Las Vegas’ LiFE (within the SLS hotel), he has helped introduce Clear Channel Entertainment’s Evolution radio brand to Stateside audiences. Undeniably, he is riding EDM’s emphatic momentum in America but attempting to switch local audiences on to more than simply brash commercial beats.
That same desire to connect good dance records with new audiences, wherever they may be, has in turn fuelled FFRR’s resurrection. Tong, retaining his keen A&R remit, has welcomed music from a new crop of talented artists offering solid deep and tech house references despite their brightly lime-lit images – Hot Natured, Oliver Heldens and Leicester duo Just Kiddin’ for example.
Personally, Tong has followed his own mid-Noughties remixes and productions on underground labels Saved and Om (as well as those on Ministry of Sound and Universal) with outings, last year, for influential deep dance staples Suara (weighty John Monkman collaboration ‘The Bumps’) and Pets (Catz ‘N Dogz’ imprint releasing Tong’s track-y joint effort with Paul Rogers and Tom Flynn ‘Hear Me Now’). He has also curated taste-making compilations for Defected alongside Skream and Tensnake and, later this month, releases another with Gorgon City.
It’s fair to say there is a lot more to Tongy than first meets the eye, and ear. Much of his lofty success stems simply from a deep appreciation of the origins of dance music. Tong’s career was forged in the creative molten of the embryonic house and club movement, firing him with a passion and deep respect for electronic music’s fundamental building blocks that has never gone away. He cares for its past, present and future and it is this crucially putting his fame in an entirely different bracket to that of so many of today’s fly-by-night, trend-following stars. Tong’s musical roots are firmly planted in the underground and so he continues to blossom.
In 2009, Annie Mac took over Tong’s original, primetime Friday night slot on Radio1. Today, he presents for the station between 10pm and 1am. “In a way I wish it had happened earlier” he told Mixmag a couple of years ago. “It helped me reinvent myself…With the new show [originally at 9pm] I can be completely focused on dance music.” That sharp yet honest focus makes Pete Tong more relevant than ever.
Words: Ben Lovett
All Gone Pete Tong & Gorgon City Miami 2015 is out 22 March (2CD / Digital) on Defected Records - order from iTunes
The legendary All Gone Pete Tong Miami Pool Party - now in its 8th year - is back at the Miami WMC on Thursday 26 March 2015 at the Surfcomber Hotel
