Pete Tong — House DJ & Radio BroadcasterAbout Pete Tong
Pete Tong is English DJ and broadcaster Peter Michael Tong MBE, born in Dartford, Kent, whose career has made him a central tastemaker in house, electronic dance music and Ibiza club culture. His first public gig was at a friend's wedding when he was 15, followed by mobile discos and the Baker Street club Family Function. After working at Blues & Soul magazine and in A&R at London Records, he encountered Chicago house and compiled The House Sound of Chicago, Vol. 1 in 1986, credited with exposing the style to UK listeners.
He joined Capital Radio in 1988, then began his BBC Radio 1 Friday show in 1991. Essential Selection ran under that name for 15 years, and from 1993 Tong produced Essential Mix, including the first BBC production broadcast live from Ibiza. The 500th Essential Mix featured Tong, Sasha and Richie Hawtin live from Circus nightclub in Liverpool. He held a Pacha Ibiza residency from 2003 to 2007 with Pure Pacha, then signed with Eden in Sant Antoni de Portmany.
He later launched iHeartRadio's Evolution channel and Its All Gone Pete Tong, and began BBC Radio 2's Pete Tong's House Nation in 2019. Awarded an MBE for services to music, Tong remains a DJ whose long-running radio curation has linked club culture, new house music and an international audience.