Pete Tong’s DJ diary: New York, 10/24/08

New York, 10/24/08

“New York is one of those cities where it seems really silly to spend less than 24 hours, but nevertheless that is what we were about to do, so a 9am flight after a late night in Montreal was the only option to get the most out of the Big Apple…

I have been coming regularly to NYC since 1979 so for me it’s like a second home and I regret that I have never been able to find a way to live there and actually make it home, if only for a year or two.

Following a visit to my favourite gastro pub - the Michelin-starred Spotted Pig - run by my old U.S. manager Ken Friedman, we check in to the Fillmore/Irving Plaza, the venue for tonight’s INSIDERS show.

It’s a new concept where I get to curate a micro-festival in one extended evening, showcasing an eclectic mix of established and up-and-coming electronic acts. Think BBC Introducing meets In New Music We Trust ....goes to America!

Putting three bands and four DJs on the relatively intimate Plaza stage was proving a bit of a challenge for the production staff, which led to our show running a little late.

The Whip kicked things off and cranked impressively through their routine with aplomb. They were followed by Rob De Bank, Luciano, Late Of The Pier, James Lavelle, Soulwax and some bloke called Pete Tong.

Considering we had our fair share of production problems when things went a bit ‘Pete Tong’, the crowd and artists kept in good spirits.

Luciano unfortunately had a computer meltdown 20 minutes into his set which messed up his Radio 1 Essential Mix recording and I eventually got on at around 3.45, about an hour later than first planned.

My set will be used as a back up and regular listeners on the show should excuse the fact that the mix will be similar to the warehouse project a few weeks before - it wasn’t planned for broadcast.

Soulwax were awesome and are now becoming a major force live, not too soon before they will be on par with the Chems, Daft Punk etc....

Soulwax rocking!

Great to spend time hanging out with the Dewaele brothers backstage, too, as they revealed they just bought an old drum machine in Belgium that had the original Marvin Gaye ‘Sexual Healing’ pattern on it and was the same machine that programmed the original!

All in all a refreshing thing to be involved with, CMJ certainly gave us the thumbs up, and hopefully I’ll be able to do it again in the not too distant future.

How do you follow Soulwax?!

Big tunes in New York

‘Mind Dimension’ Tiga
A major tour favourite, now actually produced by Soulwax.

‘Shake It Down’ Atrak & Laidback Luke
I have a wicked mix on the go between this and Tiga that can run for ages. Heavywweight action!

‘Bot’ Deadmau5
New from the Mau5 house, another hotel room creation from the dark side of the mouse.

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