Tony de Vit, the late hard house specialist, will be remembered with a blue plaque in his hometown Birmingham — marking the first time a DJ has ever received the honor.
De Vit died in 1998, at the age of 40 and at the very peak of his game.
During his lifetime, de Vit carved out a niche as as one of the go-to DJs for harder-edged house sets. His reputation was confirmed in 2011, when Mixmag’s “Greatest DJ Of All Time” poll ranked him at No. 9.
The blue plaque, which the Birmingham Civic Society commissions, is said to recognize an individual who has “achieved greatness” and “made [the city] what it is today.”
The official unveiling will take place Sept. 24 at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, the site where de Vit launched V2 Recording Studio with Simon Parkes, and cut or remixed many of the 100 tracks he released during his lifetime. Eleven of those singles impacted the Official U.K. Chart in the five years before his death.
The Birmingham Music Archive remembers de Vit as a “pioneering and hugely influential DJ in the LGBTQ+ community who brought his music to a mainstream audience.”
I'm super proud to have played a part in getting @BirminghamCivic Blue Plaque for Tony De Vit, a pioneering & hugely influential DJ in the LGBTQ+ community who brought his music to a mainstream audience. Birmingham music, history & culture! Unveiling 24/09 Thanks @djmarkkavanagh https://t.co/lyWElUvyrp
— BirminghamMusicArch (@brummusicpics) August 19, 2022
Adds Jez Collins of the Archive, “I’m so delighted that a historic institution like the Birmingham Civic Society is recognizing the contribution that Tony de Vit has made, not only to Birmingham’s dance and music culture, but also the influence he’s had on a generation of DJs, clubbers, promoters and audiences.”
A pumping dance party at The Mill will complete celebrations, with de Vit’s protégé Fergie, Tall Paul and Seb Fontaine among the headliners.
