Over at the Dolores Delargo Towers Museum of Camp our latest "exhibit" features the legendary Laurence Malice and his notorious gay nightclub 'Trade'.
Laurence Malice with curator Anne Marie Garbutt in front of the tribute to Tony De Vit at Islington Museum
I was pleased to be invited on Thursday to attend the preview/launch of a new exhibition Trade - often copied, never equalled at Islington Museum, celebrating 25 years since the "mother of all super-clubs" opened its doors - which coincides with the club's very last ever outing next week. One of its centrepieces is a tribute to one of the individuals without whom 'Trade' would not have been so successful...
Among the hordes of DJs who graced the decks of 'Trade', one name stands out above all others - that of Tony De Vit, a man for whose innovative mixes and ineffable ability to whip a dancefloor into a frenzy many who followed in his wake have paid due homage. After his death, Carl Cox dedicated a DJ award he was given to Tony as a tribute.
Famously described as "the Michael Barrymore of techno, the Dale Winton of banging house" (for his perma-tan and his self-deprecating wit), Mr De Vit (pronounced "de vee") in his day was ranked 5th in DJ magazine’s "Top 100 DJs In The World", 2nd in Mixmag’s "Best DJ Of The Year 1996", "Best New DJ" in Muzik magazine, "Dance DJ Of The Year" at the Molsen BEDA Awards and "Best DJ" at the International Music Awards. He also earned Music Week’s vote for "The Groundbreaking Mix of 1996" with his remix of Louise’s Naked.
And so, in keeping with today's "all things 'Trade'" theme, here are just a few of Mr De Vit's finest moments:
RIP Tony De Vit (12th September 1957 – 2nd July 1998).
Read an interview with Tony De Vit in the 90s.
The exhibition Trade - often copied, never equalled is at Islington Museum until Saturday 16th January 2016.
I never got to trade but LOVE the music,
ReplyDeleteEspecially "Hooked"... Jx
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