Pete Tong Turns 20

This year, Pete Tong celebrated 20 years at Radio 1. We met him at his London studio to look back on a life dedicated to dance music – and find out just what it is that keeps him coming back for more.

Pete Tong has had a recurring nightmare for 35 years. “It’s always the same,” he says, “I’m DJing, and the record I’m playing starts running out… and I can’t find another one to put on. I’m looking everywhere and I’m panicking and then just before it runs out I wake up like this.” At this point he clenches his fists and shudders convulsively, like a man running at top speed who’s just come to the end of his invisible rope.

We’re sitting in Pete Tong’s studio space in leafy Parsons Green in south-west London. Gold and platinum records line the walls, the trophies from the three strands of Pete’s career: radio presenter, record label A&R and club DJ. Above the decks is an original print by Goldie, who Pete describes as, “Like family –I think we were brothers in another life or something.” There’s memorabilia spread out everywhere today, as Pete’s been digging through his archives for Mixmag – ancient flyers from Soul Weekenders, pictures from Ibiza in 1988 or sitting at huge archaic mixing desks at forgotten radio stations, even the framed sleeve of the antique orchestral record that Pete found years ago in New York, and which gave the name to his famous FFRR