Tony De Vit

dutchy023 · Post: #1 (ID: 1233)

Hello --

Thanks for the downloads. I dug out some old tapes of mine from Trade and its harder cousin, FF, to share. The first two files are Tony De Vit live at Trade in December 1992. The second two files are from DJ Blu Peter live at FF on October 14, 1994. Feel free to comment on them.

Tony De Vit Part 1 http://www.mediafire.com/?ufgd44d1hdz

Tony De Vit Part 2 http://www.mediafire.com/?me2uj0amede

Blu Peter Part 1 http://www.mediafire.com/?mednl4olnd3

Blu Peter Part 2 http://www.mediafire.com/?jydmmdyb14o

Cheers!

RE

Post: #2 (ID: 1235)

Thanks very much. I'm downloading now and let you know what I think. I've never come across any Blu Peter live mixes, nice one. Smile

Post: #3 (ID: 1236)

Here's my opinion for what it's worth.

Hate to say this, but Tony’s mix sounds like one of those awful “Back to ‘92” rave compilations. If you listen he was trying to play music along the Daz/Trevor style...I really don't think he was that good at this style, and was seeking a similar sound, but the tunes hadn't been created yet. He eventually found it in harder house. Don't get me wrong, TDV was a great guy, but sometimes I think he was pigeonholed by hard house. My favorite events of his were where he played out longer sets and mixed in stupid s**t like Louise and Twangling. The Moneypenny's set on this site is a decent enough example of this.

Here's some historical context for the set. Pardon me if I go back to those days and pontificate...but Trade was so much more than just a nightclub. I can post my thoughts about the club itself, and what it meant for so many people (Gay men especially) but that's for another topic...

Trade in those days was about getting high with your friends and having a laugh. Certainly it was about the spectacle of so many of us together, fiercely dancing in a single environment designed almost like a ritual. The music was a big part, but honestly, if the music was consistently good that was a plus. It was rare that it was so. It was mostly about the 'high'. Musically, Trade didn’t really get good until the music lightened up and house got a bit happier and more vocally. More importantly, the punters that went there started making music to specifically be played at Trade, like Red Jerry (Hooj Choons), Baby Doc, Choci, Doug Osborne and Gordon Matthewman (ie Sourmash/Edge Records), Dave Randall, Jon Truelove, Rachel Auburn, Diddy, Rollo, Sister Bliss, etc. Also in late Spring 1993 a new variant of, uh, 'E'nhancer came out and punters who had stopped going out started going out again because they could afford it every week. An even better 'E'nhancer came out Spring 1994 and the floodgates DEFINITELY opened then.

Trade was seriously lacking customers during this period (Autumn 1992 - Spring 1993). I went weekly and I remember several mornings around 10:00 AM or so they started tearing down the wall decorations; there were only 10-15 people on the dance floor at this point anyway. They even tried some "Heaven/Trade" double entry promotion that allowed punters that were usually denied admission to Trade for whatever reason automatic entry, which drove attendance down even further. There was never a queue during this period.

Daz and Trevor were playing ridiculous, nosebleed, unfun hardcore techno without the slightest bit of camp or fun in it and they were driving everyone away until in one swoop Smokin Jo, Daz, and Trevor were permanently replaced by Tony and Ian M. They still needed a final DJ and Tall Paul got the job, but clearly because of his connections to Turnmills. That first year he was a terrible DJ, with poor choice of tunes and terrible mixing...I mean bad, just...awful. It's difficult to describe but picture this, hearing Ian play a piledriver of a set (but very danceable and fun) and then WHAMM the door closes and the rush of wind leaves the room. The reason DTPM started was because so many people were leaving Trade early after Ian finished but just a few minutes into Tall Paul's set (around 11:30 AM) and terrorizing the local Farringdon pubs that the police asked Laurence Malice to "do something". That's why he was involved in the creation of DTPM at Villa Stefano (as a silent partner, it was "promoted" by Lee), a short distance away (you could walk it) which started at 1:00 PM originally.

Anyway, Blu Peter’s mix in my opinion is a fantastic example of the blend of techno, hard house, NRG, and acid that musically made FF miles ahead of Trade and since I was REALLY into the music back then it was my preferred club. The music and especially the dancing made it completely different than Trade, everyone really, really knew how to dance. Plus a strict door policy that made it an ADULT club if you know what I mean…even the people who took 5 ‘vitamins’ seemed perfectly fine. If Susie didn't like you...man, you had no chance of getting in. Gay or not.

Post: #4 (ID: 1237)

Thansk very much for the share, I've had a listen and they're both great. I admit that I do prefer the Blu Peter mix but that is purely because '92 is a little before my time. I disagree with your point about Tony's mix, it doesn't seem to be too commercial, but again, I only have a limited knowledge of the music from that time - I was only 14!
I've never made it to Trade, we had our own version in Birmingham, Tin Tin's, but Tony had finished playing there by the time I had started going out - late '95. I did go to a couple of big Trade events in Birmingham in '97, both of which are still my 2 favourite nights out - for music at least. I was lucky enough to hear Tony regularly at Sundissential and because he was there so often he did mix his style and, to me anyway, he was still the best whatever he played.
Anyway, thanks for the mixes and for getting involved, this site doesn't get anywhere near as much traffic as it deserves, which is f**king scandalous in my opinion.
I will PM you with a couple of TDV mixes that I have recently transferred to MP3.

Post: #5 (ID: 1238)

Yes Yes My Friend Unlike the Others Who have Posted Comments Mine Wont be one of Moaning on And on About how TDV Mixed this Was;nt Good and that was'nt Right I;m Truly Gratefull For this Post And Every other post That Was done By The Legend...So Thanks Very Muchh....[b]Keep Em Coming Bouncing Grin

Post: #6 (ID: 1369)

Enjoyed reading Residual Effects comments on Trade and listening to the 1992 TDV mix he uploaded. I started going down to Turnmills towards the end of 92 and spent virtually the next 6 years worth of Sundays there. The first several months were a bit of a blur (snowballs etc.) but I do remember how the music changed from the hardcore rave style of 92 into the purer Techno/Trance of 93 and onwards till TDV became the main man down there with his inimitable style.

I can't say TDV was my favourite DJ (musically anyway), I loved the heavy Techno and Trance Daz used to play but do remember his last night at the club when it was clear that his music was getting too dark and fast and was alienating the punters. As the years went by I used to go just to listen to Alan Thompson, Malcolm Duffy (my fav) and Steve Thomas. After this the music became a bit hit and miss for me. When they started rehashing the older rave/hoover sounds again and again I became a bit disillusioned with the music and would leave earlier and earlier each week.

Without a doubt Tony was an awsome DJ. His mixing was sublime and he knew just when and where to bring in a new record to keep the momentum going. He kept stuff aside from his hectic DJ'ing schedule just to play at Trade and would stay behind after his set and sit on the fire exit stairs just to watch the dancefloor to get inspiration for his next production. I only spoke to him a few times but he was always the most approachable, charming bloke you could possibly meet amid all the madness that was going on around on those crazy mornings!

I'm pretty sure I have a few mixes of his knocking about in the many unarchived boxes in my loft. I would like some advice as to the best way to digitalise my tape collection. I use my girlfriend's MacG4 (TigerOSX) but the itunes capacity is pretty full already and I'm not that computer savy with the free software like Audacity. Is it better just to get a CD recorder and burn them onto disc. It's a bit annoying trying to convert 90 minute mixes onto 74 minute CD's or spread them over two discs. What do other people do?

Post: #7 (ID: 1409)

Just in 20 minutes of Tony's fisrt set and though not TDV style i'm really used to i DO really love it!!!