On Friday the 25th of July, Paul King and Chris B will be playing the closing set for Slinky Classics at the Opera House. Their set will be a tribute to Tony De Vit and will mark the tenth anniversary of him passing away. We spoke to Paul about his memories of Tony De Vit. This is what he had to say.

1. Hi Paul, it's now ten years since Tony De Vit passed away and he has left a lasting legacy on hard house which still resonates with clubbers young and old. Are there any special memories or stories you could share with us about him?

I always remember meeting up with Tony when he had Mixmag following him for the day. We ended up coming out of Trade at 10am onto the streets of London, a little worse for wear with Mixmag taking photos of the whole thing. I think I still have the copy from 1994.

You also knew when Tony had started to play in Trade because the whole atmosphere of the club changed. I’ve never seen anyone else do that.

2. How do you think the hard house scene has changed over the last ten years since Tony's passing? You’ve been involved with the music since the early days so must have seen some trends come and go – what are the differences between 1998 and 2008?

I think the music was a lot more inspirational. There were less genres back then and I think that helped mix the pot up a bit. As a sound, it was definitely pushed forward by the likes of Tony De Vit and several others - and I don’t think we have anyone who is that pioneering in the scene these days.

3. You recently announced that you were giving up DJ’ing hard house. Is that a reflection on how the scene is now, or have your tastes simply changed?

It’s a mixture of both and also the fact that I’ve been playing and producing for nearly fifteen years. I don’t find any inspiration in the scene these days and that makes it harder to enjoy it when you’re playing.

I believe that if you have that spark that makes you want to make music, then you will enjoy what you play. I also have a big musical background and I wanted to explore more of it, rather than being just tied into one style.

4. You will be DJ’ing for Slinky alongside Chris B under the Pants and Corset pseudonym. How did your musical partnership with Chris come about?

Chris originally put me in touch with Tony. I played him my Odyssey track a few years later and Chris had an idea to add the Commander Tom riff into it to be played out at Trade. Things kind of went from there, but in the end musical differences were too high a factor for us to continue.

5. Finally, what can the Slinky clubbers expect from you on the 25th of July at the Opera House?

Well as it’s a TDV set, mostly TDV music, but with a twist. Expect tracks like Funkydory, Hooked and Marmion to all be in there - but we may add a few surprises in as well!

Slinky Classics @ The Opera House - Friday 25th July

Main Room

Agnelli & Nelson
Lost Witness
Gaz White b2b Tim Lyall
Lee Haslam
Closed by Pants & Corset – Totally TDV Set

Totally TDV Room

Ian M
Kym Ayres
Velos

£8 MEMBERS / £10 IN ADVANCE / £12 ON THE DOOR

Click to say you're coming @ Slinky Classics - Totally TDV