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Tony De Vit
Background information
Birth nameAntony de Vit
Born(1957-09-12)12 September 1957
Kidderminster, England
Died2 July 1998(1998-07-02) (aged 40)
Birmingham, England
GenresHouse, techno, hard house, hard NRG
Occupation(s)DJ, producer
Years active1976–1998

Antony de Vit (/dəˈviː/ də-VEE; 12 September 1957 – 2 July 1998)[1] was an English DJ and music producer. He is considered one of the most influential[2][3] of his generation.[4] He was credited with helping to take the "hard house" and fast "hard NRG" sounds out of the London and Birmingham gay scene into mainstream clubs.[5][6] His single "Burning Up" reached number 25 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1995, with "To the Limit" making number 44 in September 1995.[7][8] During that year, he won BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix of the Year Award, as voted by listeners of the show, and Music Week's re-mix of Year Award for Louise's "Naked". He remixed several UK top 40 hits during his career with artists such as Taylor Dayne and East 17.[9] Between 1994 and 1998 his popularity[10] with the clubbing public was rivaled by only Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox.[11] In September 2010,[12] Mixmag UK announced the nominations of 35 DJs chosen by other big names[clarification needed] in the world of dance music as those they considered the best DJs ever. A subsequent 15-month survey, which polled hundreds of thousands of global votes, asked who was the "greatest DJ of all time" and when the result was announced in January 2011, de Vit was ranked number 9.[13][14]

Early life

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Antony de Vit was born to Raymond de Vit and June Silcock in Kidderminster.[1]

Career

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Tony de Vit began DJing at the age of 17, as a wedding DJ in 1976 playing at local pubs in his home town of Kidderminster, followed in his early 20s, by his first residency at the Nightingale in Birmingham on a Monday night where he played pop and hi-NRG. He would often have to sweep floors and empty ashtrays after the club had closed.[15] During the early 1980s, he worked at Wolverhampton's Beacon Radio, playing club tracks during a regular late-night slot on the show hosted by Mike Baker of Smooth FM.

Around 1988 London's gay superclub, Heaven was looking for an alternative DJ. For which De Vit was employed, playing the main floor two Saturdays a month.

In 1990, another soon-to-be-influential club named Trade emerged onto the scene. De Vit stood in one night for DJ Smokin' Jo. Following his set, de Vit landed his own residency at Trade. Later in his career he would perform a 12-hour DJ set on two occasions at Trade; some consider these his defining moments as a DJ.[16]

In 1992, the illegal raves in the UK moved into the clubs in a bid to legalise the scene. One of the key figures of the house music scene at this time was a Birmingham promoter called Simon Raine, who took an interest in de Vit's career. He put de Vit on the bill alongside Fabio and Grooverider at The Institute and encouraged him to move into other house parties as de Vit had predominately played in the gay club scene. Raine had launched the Gatecrasher club nights and, taking his advice, de Vit played at the 'Chuff Chuff' events sharing the bill with Sasha.

In the same year, de Vit teamed up with Simon Parkes to create the V2 recording studio based in The Custard Factory, Gibb St, Birmingham with a view to co-write new material for de Vit to play within his sets.

At this time he recorded and released his first record, "Feel the Love". His second release was a track called "Higher & Higher", which became the future benchmark for de Vit and Parkes' V2 concept. De Vit's/Parkes' track "Burning Up" went to No. 24 on the UK top 40 charts.

In 1995, Radio 1 contacted de Vit for his first Essential Mix. de Vit featured on a number of compilation dance mix albums during this year including Fantazia House Collection Volume 2 and the Remixers album, Sound Dimension's Retrospective of House Volumes 2 & 4, Boxed's Global Underground series Live in Tel Aviv, Live in Tokyo, Kiss Mix 97, Trade Volumes 1 & 3, and the international release, Trade Global Grooves.

With the launch of Jump Wax Records in 1996, hard house music in the UK became more mainstream. De Vit's "Are You All Ready?" and "I Don't Care" received radio play and sales. Following the closure of Jump Wax Records in 1996, de Vit launched his own label (TDV Records), which saw him release "Bring the Beat Back" and "Get Loose", both co-written with Simon Parkes. De Vit went on to play at dance clubs/events in the UK, including Legacy @ The Manor in Ringwood, Slinky @ the Opera House in Bournemouth, Cream, Gatecrasher, Godskitchen and Creamfields. He garnered a string of awards and nominations during the year, including Mixmag's '2nd Best DJ of the Year 1996', M8 magazine's 'Best DJ of the Year 1996' and was selected by Music Week as 'Top Remixer of 1996'. His remix of Louise's "Naked" earned Music Week's vote as the 'Ground breaking Remix of 1996'.[citation needed]

In 1997, de Vit was offered a show on 'Kiss 100'. He was ranked number 5 in DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs in the World the same year. In early 1998, de Vit recorded "The Dawn" with Paul Janes and Andy Buckley, which was part of the six-track Trade EP. De Vit commented that he was 'very proud of it'. Paul Janes went on to remix "The Dawn" as a tribute to de Vit's work. The track has been considered to be his best work.[17]

Death

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He tested HIV+ in 1996. His drug regime never settled and he suffered many side effects. On 2 July 1998, at the age of 40, he died of bronchial failure and bone marrow failure at Heartlands Hospital in East Birmingham. He had collapsed a few days earlier during a holiday in Miami, Florida.[1][18] After de Vit's death, a conflict kept his records unavailable for many years, but finally a compilation album of his songs and remixes was released called Are You All Ready? on Tidy Trax records.[19]

Influence and legacy

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The influence of the Tony De Vit is sufficiently significant for the music press to dub him the "godfather of UK hard house", and in 2023 the DJ Mag journalist Stewart Who cited him as a "true hero of UK dance music".[20][21][22] A number of artists have cited Tony de Vit as an influence, such as Fergie,[23] Andy Farley,[24] Dave Pearce,[25] Paul F1 King,[26] Steven J,[27] and Lisa Lashes.[28]

In 2022 a blue plaque commemorating De Vit was unveiled at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham, where he had a recording studio.[21] In 2023 to commemorate the 25 year anniversary of his death, the record label Tidy Trax released a compilation of remixes of De Vit's work by artists including Eats Everything, Nicole Moudaber and Hannah Laing, and a documentary about his life was released by Restless Films, called Don't Ever Stop: Tony De Vit.[20][29]

Discography

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Releases[30]

Albums

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  • Are You Ready 2xCD, Tidy Trax, (2003)
  • TDV25 – Tony De Vit – Greatest Hits 2xCD, Tidy Trax, (2023)

Singles & EP's

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  • Feel the love/Make love to me (12"), V2, (1993).
  • Burning Up (7 versions), Icon Records, (1995).
  • To the Limit (4 versions), Xplode Records/PWL International, (1995).
  • 99th Floor Elevator's (5 versions) featuring Tony De Vit-Hooked, Labello Dance/PWL International, (1995).
  • 99th Floor Elevator's (3 versions) featuring Tony De Vit-I'll be There, PWL International, (1996)
  • I Don't Care/Resistance is Futile (9 versions), Jump Wax Records, (1996).
  • Are You All Ready/UFO (4 versions), Jump Wax Records, (1996)
  • Feel My Love/Get Loose (3 versions), TDV Records, (1997).
  • Bring the Beat Back (Club & Trade Mixes) (12" White Label), TdV Records, (1997).
  • Don't Ever Stop/Bring the Beat Back (3 versions), TdV Records, (1998).
  • Steve Thomas/Tony De Vit-Trade EP Disc 02 (12" EP), Trade Records, (1998).
  • Tony De Vit featuring Petronella-Do What You Do (3 versions), TdV Records, (1998)
  • Paul King/TdV-Kick it In/Bring the Beat Back (3 versions), TdV Records, (1998).
  • Splash Down/Are You All Ready (2 versions), Tidy Trax, (1999).
  • The Dawn (3 versions), Tidy Trax, (2000)
  • Tony De Vit-Stimulant DJ's (Tidy Trax Sound EP 12"), Tidy Trax, (2000)
  • Destination (2 versions), Plenty Records, (2002)
  • Tony De Vit (feat) Niki Mak-Give Me A Reason (4 versions), Tidy Two, (2003).
  • Give Me A Reason/Bring the Beat Back (12" TP), Tidy Two, (2003).
  • The Dawn/I Don't Care (12"), Tidy White, (2004).
  • Tony De Vit/Lee Haslam-The Dawn/The Music is a Drug (12"), Tidy Classics, (2005).

DJ Mixes

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  • Mark Moore/Tony De Vit-Chuff Chuff Chuff Summer Ball 93 (2 cassette mixed), (1993).
  • The Fantazia House Collection 2 (CD3) – Tony de Vit (1995).
  • The Remixers-Tony De Vit (CD Mix), Fantazia Records, (1995).
  • Tony De Vit & Jon of the Pleased Wimmin live at Bangkok (1995).
  • A Retrospective of House '91–'95 2 (CD2) – Tony de Vit (1995).
  • A Retrospective of House '91–'96 4 (CD1) – Tony de Vit (1996).
  • Trade Volume Three, Steve Thomas (CD1) & Tony De Vit (CD2), Feverpitch, (1996).
  • Global Underground GU001 Live in Tel Aviv (4 versions), Global Underground Ltd, (1996).
  • An Introspective of House 3 (CD2) – Tony de Vit (1997).
  • Graham Gold and Tony De Vit-Kiss Mix 97 (2x Mix CD), Polygram, (1997).
  • Jim 'Shaft' Ryan-Mark Moore-Tony De Vit-Glamorous One, Miss Moneypenny's Music, (1997).
  • Global Underground GU005 Tokyo (5 versions), Boxed, (1997).
  • Trade Global Grooves Volume 1 (2 versions), Feverpitch, (1997).
  • Seb Fontaine-Tony De Vit-Elements (1st Testament) (2x CD Mix Compilation), Warner Music UK Ltd, (1998).

Other releases

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  • Notes: This section includes the body of Tony De Vit's work other than his own releases during his career.

Appearances (170)

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Include:[30]

  • Albums (4)
  • Compilations (51)
  • Mixes (109)
  • Singles & EP's(5)
  • Videos (1)

Unofficial (32)

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  • Mixes (27)
  • Singles & EP's (5)

Credits (304)

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  • Acting, Literary and Spoken (1)
  • Featuring and Presenting (8)
  • DJ Mix (25)
  • Production (35)
  • Remix (2013)
  • Technical (4)
  • Writing and Arrangement (18)

Awards and nominations

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BBC Radio 1 Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1995 BBC Radio 1 Tony De Vit Essential Mix of the Year Won

British Entertainment and Dance Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 BEDA Archived 15 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine Tony De Vit Dance DJ of the Year Nominated

DJ Magazine Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 DJ Magazine Tony De Vit No1 DJ of the Year (5th) Nominated
1997 DJ Magazine Tony De Vit No1 DJ of the Year (5th) Nominated
1998 DJ Magazine Tony De Vit No1 DJ of the Year (12th) Nominated

DJ Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1998 DJ Awards Tony De Vit Special Award 'Honoured' Won

International Dance Music Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 IDMA Tony De Vit Best DJ Nominated

Music Week Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 Music Week Tony De Vit Ground Breaking Re-Mix of the Year for Louise's "Naked" Won
1996 Music Week Tony De Vit Top Re-Mixer of the Year Nominated

M8 Magazine Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 M8 magazine Tony De Vit Best DJ of the Year Nominated

Muzik Magazine Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 Muzik Magazine Tony De Vit Best New DJ Nominated

Mix Mag Awards

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
1996 Mixmag Tony De Vit DJ of the Year (2nd) Nominated
2011 Mixmag Tony De Vit Greatest DJ of All Time (9th)[13][14] Nominated

Vice Magazine/Thump TV

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Selected awards
Year Award Nominated work Category Result
2014 Vice-Thump Channel TV Tony De Vit The 20 Greatest Gay DJ's of All Time (Honoured)[31] Nominated

See also

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  • Fergie – Northern Irish DJ and electronic music artist
  • Daz Saund – British DJ
  • Smokin Jo – British musician
  • Carl Cox – British DJ
  • Mrs Wood – British DJ and record producer.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Thedeadrockstarsclub.com Archived 11 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine – accessed May 2011
  2. ^ "Entertainment Influential dance DJ dies". 2 July 1998. BBC News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  3. ^ Brewster, Bill; Broughton, Frank (2014). Last Night a Dj Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Grove Press. p. 205. ISBN 9780802146106. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  4. ^ "Interview by Mixmag TV with DJ Fergie on Why Tony De Vit was so good". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
  5. ^ Gerstner, David A. (2012). Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture. Routledge. p. 154. ISBN 9781136761812.
  6. ^ "New Musical Express Report". 3 June 1998. NME Newspaper. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  7. ^ Roberts, David. Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Ltd 17th edition (2004), p. 145 ISBN 0-85112-199-3
  8. ^ "DJ Tony De Vit Dies After Holiday Collapse". NME. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2007.
  9. ^ Talevski, Nick (2010). Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door. Music Sales. p. 130. ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Freedom Gala G. Mex Manchester". 25 August 1996. Manchester District Music Archive. Archived from the original on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  11. ^ "Respected UK club DJ and producer, has died". 3 June 1998. New Musical Express (NME). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  12. ^ "MIXMAG LAUNCHES 'GREATEST DJ OF ALL TIME' POLL". 16 September 2010. Source Wire News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  13. ^ a b Mayer, Nssim (19 January 2011). "Tiësto named 'Greatest DJ of All Time'". 19 January 2011. Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 22 January 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Mixmag Announces Results Of "Greatest DJ of All Time" Poll – Tiesto won". 19 January 2011. House Planet DJ.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  15. ^ Deeks, Russ (July 2001). "Legends". IDJ. Hedrush Media: 114.
  16. ^ Cross, Dave (January 2003). "Mad moments in Trade". Mixmag. EMAP plc: 127.
  17. ^ Staff, Elliott (13 March 2017). "5 tracks that made Hard House legend Tony De Vit an iconic figure". Four/Four Magazine. Four Four Magazine 13 March 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  18. ^ "DJ TONY DE VIT DIES AFTER HOLIDAY COLLAPSE". NME. 3 June 1998. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Discogs entry". Discogs. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  20. ^ a b Guttridge-Hewitt, Martin (13 July 2023). "Tidy Trax commemorates Tony de Vit's 25th anniversary with compilation featuring Patrick Topping, Nicole Moudaber, more: Listen". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 21 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Tony de Vit: Plaque unveiled for 'godfather of hard house'". BBC. 24 September 2022. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
  22. ^ Who, Stewart (7 November 2023). "Don't Ever Stop: Tony De Vit, Trade, and the infinite energy of hard house". DJ Mag. Archived from the original on 27 January 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  23. ^ Cluboverload.com (13 January 2012), DJ Fergie talks TONY DE VIT, archived from the original on 21 December 2021, retrieved 7 June 2018
  24. ^ "Celebrity DJs Andy Farley – Hard House Legend". 23 March 2015. DMC World Magazine. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  25. ^ "Who were your early influences?". 2015. Official Site Dave Pearce. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  26. ^ "20 DJs, 20 Questions: Paul 'F1' King (No9)". Irish Daily Star. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  27. ^ "Influenced by one of the most credible DJ / producers of his generation "Tony De Vit"". 2015. Microcrate Webzine. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  28. ^ Ong, Andrew. "I was happy being a Marks & Spencer's accountant". 17 October 2000. In The Mix Webzine Australia. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  29. ^ Heskett, Tibor (22 September 2023). "A NEW DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LEGENDARY BRITISH DJ TONY DE VIT IS COMING OUT". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Tony De Vit". Discogs. Zink Media, Inc, 2017. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  31. ^ Glazer, Joshua (10 October 2014). "The 20 Greatest Gay DJs of All Time". 10 October 2014. Vice Magazine Canada. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
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