How old is Pete Tong, who are the Heritage Orchestra and where did the phrase ‘it’s all gone Pete Tong’ originate?
He's been belting out banging beats on the BBC since 1981, and he's still going strong
PETE Tong is one of the most recognised names in music - and not just because he's a world class DJ.
He works for BBC Radio 1 and hosts programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection... and his name doubles as cockney rhyming slang for when something doesn't quite go to plan.
Who is Pete Tong and how old is he?
Pete was born in Dartford on 30 July 1960. That makes him 57. He was educated at King's School in Kent. His original musical interest was in drumming, but moved on to DJing when he played his first public gig at a friend's wedding at age 15.
After he left school, Pete set up a mobile disco based in a Transit van, but soon started his own club in Baker Street called Family Function.
He began his radio career in the late 1970s, and mde his first appearance on Radio 1 in 1981.
Pete's Friday evening show, branded as the Essential Selection for its first 15 years, started in January 1991 and still continues every week. He's the second-longest serving DJ -after Annie Nightingale - on Radio 1.
What's the Heritage Orchestra?
Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra, conducted by Jules Buckley, will be performing Ibiza Classics at various locations in the UK on the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th of December 2017.
Heritage Orchestra, a 30 to 60-piece orchestra, was founded in June 2004 by Christopher Wheeler and Jules Buckley.
The orchestra collaborates with present-day artists from the mainstream and experimental worlds of music and art and is currently resident at the De La Warr Pavilion in East Sussex.
They perform using amplification, sound design, and various other creative technologies that provide more layers to consider amidst the existing strings, brass, woodwind, percussion, and rhythm section.
They also collaborate with visual artists and light designers to creative immersive multi-sensory shows.
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Where did the phrase "it's all gone Pete Tong" come from?
If you've ever wondered where the phrase "it's all gone Pete Tong" came from, congratulations - you're in luck.
It's used as rhyming slang for "a bit wrong" and was first coined by Paul Oakenfold in late 1987 in an article about acid house called "Bermondsey Goes Balearic" for Terry Farley and Pete Heller's Boys Own fanzine.
It's All Gone Pete Tong is also the title of a 2004 film which portrays a fictional DJ's experiences as he realises he is becoming deaf. The DJ, Frankie Wilde, is played by Paul Kaye.
All Gone Pete Tong Is also the name of Pete's club night at Pacha in Ibiza and his nightly radio programme in America.