Peter Michael Tong (born 30 July 1960) is an English disc jockey who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as '' Essential Mix'' and ''

Essential Selection The ''Essential Selection'' is a radio show on Friday evenings on BBC Radio 1, originally conceived by producer Eddie Gordon and hosted by Pete Tong. History "The Essential Mix programme was originally produced by Radio 1 producer Eddie Gord ...

'' on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records and for his own performances at nightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music." The phrase "It's all gone Pete Tong", where the name is used as

rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymin ...

for "it's all gone wrong", was reputedly coined by Paul Oakenfold in late 1987 in an article about

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

called "Bermondsey Goes Balearic" for

Terry Farley Terry Farley is a British DJ, remixer and producer from London, active since the mid-1980s. Career Farley started out going to clubs in the late 1970s and first visited Ibiza in 1982. He then started working as a DJ, performing at the same clubs ...

and

Pete Heller Pete Heller is an English electronic and house music producer from Brighton, England. Biography He is recognised in the dance community for his solo work, and his remixes with frequent collaborator Terry Farley. As a duo, they have rel ...

's ''Boys Own'' fanzine. ''

It's All Gone Pete Tong ''It's All Gone Pete Tong'' is a 2004 British-Canadian mockumentary-drama film about a DJ (Paul Kaye) who goes completely deaf. The title uses a rhyming slang phrase used in Britain from the 1980s (Pete Tong = "wrong"), referring to the BBC Ra ...

'' is also the title of a 2004 film which portrays a fictional DJ's experiences as he realizes he is becoming deaf. Tong appears briefly in the film. It is also the name Tong has adopted for his club night at the nightclub Pacha in Ibiza and his nightly radio programme in the United States on

iHeartRadio iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...

's " Evolution" EDM format platform. In 2008, Tong was involved with organizing the International Music Summit in

Ibiza Ibiza (natively and officially in ca, Eivissa, ) is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. Its l ...

, an event that has become an annual fixture (the 2016 Summit was held during 25–27 May). In 2017, Tong won Radio Show of the Year at the Electronic Music Awards for "The Essential Collection".

Biography

Early life

Tong was born in

Dartford Dartford is the principal town in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, England. It is located south-east of Central London and is situated adjacent to the London Borough of Bexley to its west. To its north, across the Thames estuary, is Thurrock in ...

, Kent in 1960 and was educated at King's School, Rochester, Kent. Tong is a supporter of

Arsenal F.C. Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

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. 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. He also worked as part of the Kent "Soul Mafia" bringing soul weekenders to seaside towns such as Caister-on-Sea and Prestatyn. In his early years Tong was heavily influenced by the late DJ Froggy. The first album he bought was '' The Slider'' by T-Rex (1972). After leaving school, Tong set up a mobile disco based in a

Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...

van, but he soon started his own club in

Baker Street Baker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid out the street in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detec ...

called Family Function. He also booked bands for an alternative night, the first of which was the then unknown

Culture Club Culture Club are an English pop band formed in London in 1981. The band comprises Boy George (lead vocals), Roy Hay (guitar and keyboards), Mikey Craig (bass guitar) and formerly included Jon Moss (drums and percussion). Emerging in the New ...

. 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 for '' Blues & Soul'' magazine. After a year he also contributed some reviews, gossip and sales charts, which continued until 1983. He left Blues & Soul to join

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

as an A&R manager. Through his connections in London Records, Tong was exposed to the newly emerging

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

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 with Jules Buckley and the

Heritage Orchestra The Heritage Orchestra is a British orchestra founded by Chris Wheeler and Jules Buckley. They perform mainstream, cult, experimental and popular music. The orchestra, which ranges between 25 and 65 members, has performed internationally in ve ...

, Tong was part of the 2015 BBC Proms season, performing the Radio 1 'Ibiza Prom'.

Career

Radio

Tong's first appearance on radio was in the late 1970s on Radio Invicta, Europe's first soul music station. Later, he appeared on local radio station

BBC Radio Medway BBC Radio Kent is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Kent. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at The Great Hall in Tunbridge Wells. According to RAJAR, the station has a weekly audience of ...

, as part of the 'Soul Mafia' and performed occasional mixes for Radio London. In 1981, Tong made his first appearance on Radio 1 as the host of a 15-minute feature on Peter Powell's show—he played new tracks and covered the latest gossip and news from the dance music industry. When Invicta 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-journalist Eddie Gordon, of the ''

Kent Messenger The ''Kent Messenger'' is a weekly newspaper serving the mid-Kent area. It is published in three editions - Maidstone, Malling, and the Weald. It is owned by the KM Group and is published on Thursdays. History The ''Kent Messenger'' grew from ...

'', he built a prominent county profile and performed at Gordon's local club the Slammer. Tong joined Capital Radio in 1988 to present a weekly dance programme. In January 1991, Tong began his Friday evening show, branded as the ''

'' for its first 15 years, on BBC Radio 1. The show still continues every week (currently it is broadcast at 10PM for two hours, either pre-recorded from Tong's garage at his home in Los Angeles or live from the eighth floor of

Broadcasting House Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. The main ...

) and Tong is now the longest serving DJ on the station (following the death of

Annie Nightingale Annie Avril Nightingale (born 1 April 1940) is an English radio and television broadcaster. She was the first female presenter on BBC Radio 1 in 1970, and is its longest-serving presenter. Early life and career Nightingale was born in Osterley ...

). Additionally, a one-hour Sunday edition of the programme, called "The Essential Selection - Part 2", was broadcast from April 1992 to April 1993. A spinoff, titled ''The Rap Selection'' (featuring rap, ragga and new jack swing), aired on Thursday evenings on the station from 9 to 10PM from April 1991 until March 1992. From October 1993, Tong oversaw the production of the '' Essential Mix'' show, which was devised and, until 2003, produced by Gordon. The show was the first BBC production to broadcast live from

, Spain. 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 in Liverpool, UK, for the second section. In 2011, Tong filed a restraining order against the Massive Attack singer Shara Nelson after she harassed him with nuisance calls and falsely claimed they were married. She was given a 12-month

community order Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...

and 80 hours of community service. In November 2012, Tong was asked by

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

in the US to help launch a new EDM channel, on their

platform, called 'Evolution'. Along with the launch of the channel, Tong introduced a nightly two-hour programme titled ''Its 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 on WEDX/ Boston that included Tong's station promos and voice-overs. Likewise, Tong's iHeartRadio programme is also broadcast on WEDX. 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 by Premiere Networks. In 2019, Tong started a series for BBC Radio 2 called ''Pete Tong's House Nation'', a personal exploration of house music.

DJ

Tong is one of Britain's most recognised DJs, having gained a large following of fans from his ''Essential Selection'' programme. He was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the

2014 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2014 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to Broadcasting and Music. From 2003 to 2007, Tong was the resident DJ at Pacha nightclub in Ibiza, where he oversaw the ''Pure Pacha'' events. In 2008, Tong left Pacha and signed with Eden nightclub in Sant Antoni de Portmany to host his own

Wonderland Wonderland may refer to: Places Municipalities * Wonderland, California, a ghost town in Plumas County * Wonderland, Ohio, a ghost town in Columbus, Ohio, U.S. Roads, streets, and trails * Wonderland Avenue, a roadway in Laurel Canyon, Los Ang ...

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. In March 2011, he announced that he would be returning to Pacha on Friday nights with a new event named 'All Gone Pete Tong'. Tong played the Together Winter Music Festival in London, UK, at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

on 26 November 2011. He appeared in the 2016

Grammy The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated documentary film about American DJ and producer

Steve Aoki Steven Hiroyuki Aoki (, ; born November 30, 1977), best known as Steve Aoki, is an American DJ, record producer, music programmer, and record executive.

, titled '' I'll Sleep When I'm Dead''. Tong has returned to DJ in his native Kent several times in his professional career, including several stints at The Loft in Maidstone. Additionally, Tong hosts a pool party each year during

Miami Music Week Miami Music Week (MMW) is a weeklong marathon of electronic dance music that takes place in Miami, Florida. During the last week of March, the event is attended by hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world. In 2015, over 1,000 artis ...

at one of the hotels on

South Beach South Beach, also nicknamed colloquially as SoBe, is a neighborhood in Miami Beach, Florida. It is located east of Miami between Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The area encompasses Miami Beach south of Dade Boulevard. This area was the fi ...

. In 2018, Tong was joined by Idris Elba, The Black Madonna, Black Coffee and The Martinez Brothers, among others.

Discography

Mix albums

All chart positions are in the UK Compilation Chart except for '' Classic House'' (2016), ''Ibiza Classics'' (2017) and ''Chilled Classics'' (2019) where the chart positions are for the UK Albums Chart. *''Cream Live'' (1995) (#3) (CD1, mixed with Paul Oakenfold) *''

The Annual The Annual is a series of compilation albums currently published annually by London-based electronic dance music brand Ministry of Sound. Described as Ministry of Sound's "flagship" series, the popular albums feature house, big beat and trance ...

'' (1995) (#13) (CD1) *''The Annual II'' (1996) (#1) (CD1) *''Dance Nation 3'' (1997) (#1) (Mixed by Pete Tong and Judge Jules) *''Essential Selection Summer 1997'' (1997) (#4) (Orange cover) *''Dance Nation 4'' (1997) (#2) (CD 1) *''The Annual III'' (1997) (#3) (CD1) *''Essential Selection Winter 1997'' (1997) (#10) (Light blue cover) *''Dance Nation 5'' (Mixed by Pete Tong and Boy George with samples taken from DJ Karrington Coles music) *''Essential Selection Spring 1998'' (#4) (Green cover) *''Essential Selection Summer 1998'' (1998) (#4) (Red cover of strawberries) *''Essential Selection Summer 1998'' (1998) (Limited Edition) (#2) (Yellow cover of strawberries, CD3 is ''Twelve Ibiza Classics'' mixed by Paul Oakenfold) *''Essential Selection '98 Tong/Oakenfold'' (1998) (#13) (Orange cover of oranges) *''Essential Selection '98 Tong/Oakenfold'' (1998) (Limited Edition) (#11) (Purple cover of tinted oranges, CD3 is mixed by Carl Cox) *''Essential Selection Spring 1999'' (1999) (#13) (Cover of gold, green and purple easter eggs) *''Essential Selection Spring 1999'' (1999) (Limited Edition) (#3) (Gold cover of easter eggs, CD3 is ''Hacienda Classics'' mixed by Graeme Park) *''Essential Selection Ibiza 1999'' (1999) (#11) (Cover of blue, red and yellow buckets and spades) *''Essential Selection Ibiza 1999'' (1999) (#7) (Cover of green, purple and virdian bucket and spades, CD3 is mixed by DJ Pippi) *'' Essential Selection Presents Music From The Motion Picture Human Traffic'' (1999) *''Essential Millennium'' (1999) (#10) (Mixed by Pete Tong/

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

/Paul Oakenfold) *''Essential Selection Spring 2000'' (2000) (#8) *''Essential Selection Ibiza 2000'' (2000) (#11) *''Essential Mix 2000'' (2000) *''Essential Mix Mixed by Pete Tong'' (2001) *''Twisted Beats'' (2001) *''Essential Selection Presents The Clubber's Bible Winter 2002'' (2001) *''Fashion TV Presents Pete Tong'' (2003) *''Essential Selection Pete Tong'' (2003) (did not chart) *''Pure Pacha Ibiza: Mixed by Pete Tong and Andy B'' (2004) *''It's Showtime! (Pete Tong Presents Pure Pacha Vol.II Summer Season 2005'' (2005) *''Essential Classics'' (2005) *''Pure Pacha Vol.1'' (2006) (Mixed by Pete Tong & Sarah Main) *''Essential Dance Mix'' (2006) *''Pure Pacha 3'' (Mixed with Pete Tong and Sarah Main) *''Wonderland'' (2008) *''Pete Tong Presents Wonderland 2009'' (2009) *''Pete Tong Presents Wonderland 2010'' (2010) *''Pete Tong and Riva Starr: Future Underground'' (2011) *''All Gone Pete Tong & Felix da House Cat Ibiza '11'' (2011) *''All Gone Pete Tong & Groove Armada Miami '12'' (2012) *''All Gone Pete Tong & Skream Miami '13'' (2013) *''The Pete Tong Collection'' (2013) *'' Classic House'' (2016) (UK #1) *''

Ibiza Classics ''Ibiza Classics'' is a compilation album by Pete Tong with Jules Buckley and the Heritage Orchestra. The follow-up to '' Classic House'' (2016), it was released through Universal Music on 1 December 2017. It has sold 97,663 copies as of March 201 ...

'' (2017) (UK #11) *''Chilled Classics'' (2019) (UK #20) *''Pete Tong & Friends - Ibiza Classics'' (2021)