Friday Five: Pete Tong On 25 Years Of The Essential Mix

In this week’s Friday Five we’re leading with a piece from Rolling Stone where Pete Tong traces back the history of his venerable Essential Mix radio show, a beacon for dance music where being a guest has been a rite of passage for many DJs. We’ve also got pieces from Forbes, Pitchfork and Red Bull Music Academy. Have a great weekend ahead!

1. The Essential Mix At 25 – Pete Tong has been at the helm of one of dance music’s most important radio shows for a quarter of a century now. Read about its beginnings and his plans for its future. Rolling Stone has it Read more
2. How Marshmello Became A $44 Million DJ – The future bass phenomenon is en route to becoming one of the richest DJs in the world. Forbes digs deep to find out how he did it Read more
3. How Pop Became Dark & Sullen – Remember when top 40 meant sunshine and rainbows courtesy of Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen? There’s a reason why none of them are in the charts today: pop itself has taken on a more brooding, morose tone. Rolling Stone has it Read more
4. There Will Never Be Another Song Of The Summer – Rolling Stone argues why streaming services, online radio and increasingly niche tastes are making demographic-crossing summer songs obsolete Read more
5. Synth Stars: Collect Them All – Check out what your favourite synth wizards and producers look like as cartoon trading cards. Red Bull Music Academy has it Read more

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