| T R I B U T E |
The industry pays tribute to "Tony de Vit was like a brother to me, always looking over my shoulder, making sure I was doing the right thing, even when we had a spell of not speaking to each other, he would still enquire how I was and give me advice via friends. That's how he was all the time - concerned about people's well being, no matter who or what. Even in his hour of need, he was still concerned about other people instead of thinking about himself. He was a DJ for the people, making sure everyone enjoyed themselves - gay/straight/black/white, it didn't matter, as long as they were dancing on the floor. I've seen him turn a lame dance floor into a rocking one with people shaking his hand after and congratulating him for a fabulous night. He didn't even care what size venue it was he would still play it - 50 people to 5000 people, it was all the same to him. Respect to the crowd
& other DJs, that was another good quality he had,
always keeping his opinions to himself, unless he was
forced. Boy! then you would know about it! I learnt a lot
of good things from Tony and respect was one of them. Our
friendship was based around it and even more so after we
had sorted out our differences. I will miss Tony a lot,
not just for his DJ skills, but as one of the closest and
dearest friends I ever had. He'll be in my thoughts every
time I get behind the decks. "We are both totally shocked and devastated by the news of Tony's death. We all have our special memories of Tony which should be treasured but on a larger scale, Tony was the greatest musical ambassador the gay scene has ever had, breaking down the straight/gay barriers more than any other gay DJ has ever achieved. His love and passion for music remained his pleasure to the end, which we should all be grateful for and for which we will never forget him. God bless Tony." 'Pride' - Look the work up in a dictionary and it will tell you "exalted position" - a "feeling of elation and pleasure du to action or circumstance that does one credit" ... "be proud of" ..."best of a class". On Thursday July 2nd at 8.30am, Tony De Vit died peacefully in his sleep at the Heartland Hospital in Birmingham. He was 40 years old. To all that knew him ... whether personally, professionally or socially, the news was devastating. As I'm sure you already know, Tony played a fundamental role in helping make Trade the club it is today. But Tony achieved much more than that. He was the biggest DJ export from the gay scene in recent times, perhaps ever ... Tony's DJ-ing took him all over the world. Over 20 of his remixes have made the UK Top 40 and because of these, and other achievements, he was (and probably will be for quite some time yet....) a fantastic ambassador the Gay Men and Lesbians. Aside from this, he was still very much human - eighteen years old at heart ... always with a twinkle in his eye and just occasionally, and perhaps thankfully, capable of being the 'flounciest queen' you could ever meet! I first met Tony in 1993, he'd just begun DJ-ing for 'Trade'. He told me it was his "dream gig". I knew exactly what he meant. At the time I was a weekday afternoon 'jock' for Kiss 100 FM in London and I too had desires for that "dream gig" at Trade. However, I thought it so unlikely that Laurence Malice would ever entertain the idea of a 'Kiss DJ' being a Trade resident that I put the idea out of my head ... In those (too short) five years of friendship, some things changed. They saw Tony himself join Kiss 100 as a presenter, and saw me join Trade as their newest resident DJ at the beginning of 1997. To be frank, this would not have happened without the constant support and relentless interference (!) from Tony ... who basically would not stop nagging Laurence until he'd ..."got me in there". Tony was in the DJ box at my 'first' Trade - "I couldn't miss seeing you lose 'yer' Trade virginity, could I? ... " he joked, going on to spend the entire duration of my set on the dance floor, yet still giving me a thorough critique at the end! He went on to tell me that my nerves on that day were nothing compared to his own on his first day at 'Trade', recounting that even before he put his first record on the turntable, he was so nervous - he'd had to rush up the back stairs to throw up...! Hearing Tony De Vit on the turntables had been a formative experience for me, the (at the time) novice DJ. Even now, I can honestly say that I have never heard any other DJ deliver a set to such a consistently high standard on such a regular basis. That is probably the best tip he ever gave me, without even knowing he'd done so. Tony was also unlike many DJ's I had met before....in the sense that he was still a 'real person'. He had kept his own sense of identity, where he'd come from and how hard he'd had to work for what he was achieving. He had a thoroughly enviable personal moral code - always a very decent bloke. It may surprise you that he was also a quite, shy and thoughtful man - if you got to know him on a one-to-one basis. It is the times I spent with him (whether surrounded by his fish tanks in is own home in Birmingham, or engulfed by the clutter at my flat in London) that were the most revealing of his character, most revealing because DJ'ing or clubland were never mentioned. Tony was constant in his support for all of the other Trade DJ's who were not just colleagues ...but real friends. He gave us nicknames and of course Tony had his "Microwave Mavis" ... and "Sarah Sunbed". (I do hope he can read this!) will be a lasting memory of mine to see Tony mixing into his last record of his set in Johannesburg, South Africa in February this year ...then turn round whilst grinning from ear to ear and stick his tongue out in fun at me, as he watched me realise that the record in question is an acetate of my remix of "Hooked" (99th Floor Elevators). He knew that I didn't know he had a copy. He also knew that I didn't know he planned to sign it for release on his own TDV label. Sadly, that now won't happen. It was after Tony's funeral in Kidderminster on Friday 10th July, after the 'unofficial' wake at the pub and after the 'proper' wake at the hotel, when I came to a conclusion on what would be my overriding emotion of him whenever he comes to mind. It was whilst looking at the floral tributes laid where he had just been buried. If you didn't see them for yourself, they extended 25-30 feet beyond the foot of his grave, an impressive and moving sight. The emotion was Pride. Pride - "an exalted position" ...a "feeling of elation and pleasure, due to action or circumstance that does one credit" ..."be proud of" ... "best of a class". .....and ALL of those words can describe Tony De Vit. Pete Wardman "On hearing the
tragic news of Tony's death, all the Tidy team are in
complete shock. Our producers recently had the pleasure
of working in the studio with Tony. He was not only the
finest DJ in the country but one of the nicest people you
could hope to meet in the industry. There is now an
irreplaceable gap in the DJ-ing fraternity. All our
feelings and deepest sympathy are now with Tony's family
and friends." "We are greatly saddened at the news of Tony De Vit's sudden death. As everyone will know, Tony was one of few who's contributed much to the dance industry. His commitment to club and radio DJ-ing as well as his remix and production work was second to none. It almost seems a greater tragedy when a person with such talent is lost. However, we are positive that Tony will be remembered through his music for years to come and will continue to give enjoyment to thousands in clubland. As opposed to mourning,
I'm sure Tony would have wanted us all to celebrate his
life in the only way we know how. Rest in peace
TDV." "Of all my nights
of clubbing, the most memorable was the night (or rather
Sunday morning) spent dancing to music spun by Tony De
Vit at Trade, missing my plane back to Paris and not even
caring. I had never heard music like that before: a mix
of pounding rhythms that warped my ideas of what house
music sounded like (this was before I had heard anyone
say 'hard house') that had echoes of techno and
Euro/Hi-NRG and yet was distinctly different. I got up on
a speaker and got lost. Tony will be very much missed,
though through his music never forgotten." "Tony De Vit
created an instantly recognisable sound that was all his
own. It's hard to think of any other DJ's in the history
of dance music that have done this. For this reason he
was a crowd puller second to none. More importantly, in
an industry that can sometimes be hollow and fickle, Tony
was a genuinely lovely guy who had time for everyone and
a real love for what he did. To say he will be missed
would be a massive understatement." "I was deeply saddened by the death of Tony De Vit. Tony and I worked together from the earliest days of the London dance scene when, from the start, his imagination and adventurousness as a DJ was plain. It is a cruel irony that he has been taken from us just as he was obtaining long overdue wider recognition as one of the world's foremost progressive DJ's and as the sound he pioneered becomes such a popular and influential part of mainstream music. Tony played a
fundamental role in making Trade such a successful club
and my fondest memories of him will always be of those
days in the early 90's as we struggled to make the world
listen. More than any DJ he popularised and made the
world sit up, stand up and dance to the Trade sound. Tony
was more than an innovator - he was a revolutionary DJ.
Even once international stardom began, he still returned
faithfully to play in his resident's slot for his loyal
Trade fans most Sundays. They will be shocked by the
news. It is a further irony that he has died on the eve
of the Gay Pride Weedend, which always meant a lot to
him. Tony De Vit - bangin' it in Heaven. "I have never known any DJ with the enthusiasm, dedication or generosity of Tony De Vit. He has set an example for and entire generation of DJ's and producers but most importantly, he gave pleasure to tens of thousands of clubbers every week. Over the last six years I have known him, he has climbed to the pinnacle of his profession, without compromising to the blandness that is all around. Tony has influenced my
music (and that of many others) more than any single
person and I feel privileged to have known him and to
have worked with him. Tony De Vit, you were an
inspiration! On behalf of the entire Truelove Collective,
thank you." "For someone who
was able to make so many people happy - young, old, gay
and straight, you could only be described as a
"Master". Somehow things will never be the same
on the dance scene that you were very much a part of.
Till we meed again, God bless." "In memory of a man
who pioneered a style of music, which has finally got the
recognition it truly deserves. He will be sorely and
sincerely missed." "We were as shocked
as the rest of clubland to learn of Tony's untimely
demise. He was a consumate proffesional and his talent,
dedication and drive took him to the very top of an
industry in which it is notoriously hard to stand out
from the crowd. Tony was a down to earth and friendly
person with a genuine and passionate love for all aspects
of the club scene. He wil be hugely missed." "An inspirational
driving force behind so much of the current UK scene.
Tony will always remain one of the House's true legends
and will be sorely missed throughout the industry." "Tony was an
inspiration through both his music and his superb talent
as a DJ. I have so many great memories of his mindblowing
sets at Trade. He'll be so sadly missed." "We were shocked to
hear of the sudden loss of Tony De Vit and our deepest
sympathies go out to all his family and friends. We had
the great fortune to work with Tony on many occasions and
found him to be one of the nicest and most friendly DJ's
that we have had the pleasure to work with. This is a
very sad day for the music industry with the loss of a
great and very talented person. He will be greatly missed
by all at Fantasia and indeed, everyone in the dance
music scene." "To our good friend
and the best DJ in the world. You were our inspiration
and with your help and support you made us believe in
ourselves and our music. You will ALWAYS be our number
one and your music and memory will live forever in our
hearts." "Tony had the
strength of character not to compromise his music style
which is the main reason he became popular with club
goers on both the gay and straight scene. He was great
fun to be with and everyone at React and our artists will
miss him tremendously." "No other person
was more influential on the way D-Bop sounded than Tony
De Vit, the king of the 'hoover' sound. He was always so
encouraging and supportive of everything we did, it was
always a huge rush when he played one of our tracks at
Trade. He was a good friend to both of us and a brilliant
person to be around. We both miss him terribly." "As a customer, a
remixer, a great fan and supporter of Tripoli Trax, a
champion of the hard house sound and most of all a friend
- Tony De Vit will be dearly missed by us all - a truly
outstanding individual!" "From all of us at
ZYX we were very sad and shocked to hear about the
untimely death of one of the UK's best and well loved
DJ's, of course we are talking about Tony De Vit. Now
there is a massive gap in the world of dance which will
be very hard to fill. Our feelings go out to all of
Tony's family and friends." "To me, Tony was
more than just a DJ/Remixer. He was also a very good
friend and a mentor. On numerous occasions I would be
playing what I considered to be mediocre sets when he
would appear and like magic they would become ten times
better. He was a great person to be around and I owe a
great deal of my success to him. Both I and the world
will miss the master, Tony De Vit." "Tony mixed by
track, 'Passion' and I've had many a laugh with Tony in
the DJ box at Trade. I was deeply saddened by the
unexpected news. Tony was one of the worlds most
creative, inspirational and exciting DJs. A genuine
clubber, a brilliant remixer and a friend to us all - may
you rest in piece." "You will be sadly
missed by all of us here at Champion and Cheeky. Your
warmth, humour and genius will live on in our hearts. God
bless you." "
One of our fondest memories of Tony is when we accompanied him and Andy to New York for Trade at the Sound Factory. When we arrived at the club we were told he was playing in one of the upstairs rooms. All the way through the set he was very careful not to play too hard, only playing tracks that you would expect Malcolm Duffy or Alan Thompson to play. At the end of his set the crowd were screaming for one more, he turned around to me and asked what he should play, and I managed to get him to play "Are We All Ready" - the crowd went mad. He ended up playing for the next hour his usual set. It was at this time that the security came up and told him to finish as the club had closed well over an hour ago! The rest of the club was empty, Tony had successfully emptied the rest of the club into "his room". Which other DJ could ever manage to do that???? |
Whatever part we play in the dance
music industry, whether it's as a DJ, a remixer, a
clubber or perhaps a worker within a record company, Tony
touched us all. Whether we met with him face to face, or
the closest we ever got was to be in the same room where
he was DJing, Tony touched us in a way that made us all
feel we knew him personally. As the dance nation comes to
terms with his tragic loss it is this fact which will
ensure his legend goes on, for he lives within all of us
and we shall never forget him. As you read the tributes
from friends and colleagues within the music industry
below, you'll see one word repeated over and over -
'inspiration'. May you rest in peace, Tony - you were
truly an inspiration to us all.