He’s been called everything from the Pied Piper of dance to the head honcho of house, and not without reason. Pete Tong has spent his career shaping electronic music as we know it, whether it’s from behind the mic at BBC Radio 1, behind the decks onstage or behind the desk for his label FFRR Records.
For the first time this year, Papa Tong will be bringing the love down under, touring his expansive Ibiza Classics show to Qudos Bank Arena in Sydneyand the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Performing with the 65-man Heritage Orchestra headed by Jules Buckley, you can expect a ton of cuts from his harmonious 2016 super-LP House Classics, a mish-mash of dancefloor anthems reimagined as mixed orchestra arrangements (and a few surprises, I’m sure).
Here are five essential cuts from that release that’ll get you movin’ in all the right ways.
If there’s one thing Pete Tong ain’t wrong about, it’s his house classics. Count down to his Aussie tour with 5 reimagined essentials.
Porcelain
Originally performed by Moby, Porcelain is that track you’ve heard in hundreds of commercials and film soundtracks without even knowing it. The Youtube comments are full of users joining the dots for the first time… it’s just one of those songs.
That glorious, glittering piano line forms the perfect basis for Tong’s arrangement. Bliss out below.
9om (Till I Come)
Easily one of the most recognisable hooks in dance music. ATB’s 1999 trance anthem Till I Come still wrecks dancefloors in 2017, despite reaching an almost laughable level of fame (think Sandstorm-level).
Tong trades the synth lick for a soaring string line and forgoes some of the heavier percussion work in his version.
Pjanoo
Throwing together a club compilation without including a spot of Eric Prydz would be heresy, and Tong didn’t disappoint with his version of Pjanoo.
The Heritage brass section throws its weight in hard here, providing some bassline muscle and that extra little smattering of disco sauce in the bridge.
Right Here, Right Now
It may be the obvious choice on House Classics, but it’s far too hard to pass up Right Here, Right Now. The arrangement isn’t too different from the original… but that’s for a reason. Fatboy Slim’s magnificent version relied quite heavily on strings, so it was an easy fit.
If you haven’t seen the clip before, educate yourself below.
Insomnia
Tong’s version of Insomnia is near-perfect, only missing out on the punchy, almost beat-poetry-esque vocals from Faithless in his original. That being said, it’s still a righteous cut.
The song’s first half is warped into a subtle, club-ready rhythm that would edge on deep house if the strings never kicked in. Don’t worry though, the tail of the track takes off as hard as you’d expect.
Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics tour kicks off on Wedneday November 1st at Qudos Bank Arena before kicking on to Melbourne two days later. Grab your tickets here.
