That Tong Tong Tong

"Yeah, he isn't that big in America, but I think he's catching on," was overheard while house DJ John Devo warmed the Axis crowd up with his set of grooves.

BBC radio DJ, London Records A&R director and house DJ du jour Pete Tong brought his masterful artistry to Axis last week. And while the creator of the rabidly followed "Essential Selection" radio show may not be as popular Stateside as in his native Britain, the crowd seemed more than eager for him to begin his set. Already, the breakdancers and raver-types with glowsticks were in full revelry before he made his appearance.

A big-name DJ who has also managed to retain the respect of the underground, Tong's Essential Selection show on BBC Radio is now into its ninth year. He has deftly pulled off the precarious task of threading the line between hosting a national radio dance show with a listenership of two million, while keeping up with the latest trends in house, hip-hop, jungle, funk and soul. His Essential Selection compilation albums and his work with London's famed Ministry of Sound club have also kept the average music listener up to date with the latest tunes.

Axis must have been a big change for Tong, considering the lack of attention he has received here in the US. Indeed, throughout the set Tong seemed to be very cautious of the crowd, almost as if unsure of their reaction. He prodded and probed, dishing up an eclectic mix of house, throwing in Latin-tinged tunes and loops centered on nothing more than thunderclaps and screeching squawls. The crowd continually surged towards the DJ console, raised above the dancefloor, in droves of sweaty, giddy masses. The bespectacled Tong, not even looking up from the console, coolly mixed and manipulated the music into a mishmash of heavy studded beats and euphoria-inducing grooves.

At one particularly memorable moment, he held the crowd transfixed with an extended shrill noise, the omnipresent backbeat echoingly nonapparent. The crowd waited desperately for the percussive release, and when it finally came, the place went crazy. Bodies flailed all over the place. The sight of hundreds of maniacal clubbers was truly astounding.

Yet, as if he had done enough to prove himself, Tong seemed to fade off towards the end of the set. The crowd didn't seem to notice and fell back on its usual inane activity of fiddling with glowsticks and posing with absurd dance moves. Despite its initial brilliance, the night trailed off into aimless idling on the part of both Tong and his audience.

If Tong had meant to increase his profile with his series of DJ sets, he had both succeeded and failed. He may not have been at his best, but the masses could certainly do with a better appreciation of house. Club-oriented dance acts like Fatboy Slim, Prodigy and the Chemical Brothers have successfully crossed over into the mainstream. Maybe this time it's the turn of a DJ to become a superstar.

PETE TONG

at

Axis

October 4

at

Axis

October 4