A new documentary about legendary British DJ Tony De Vit is coming out
The film documents love, loss, gay identity and attitudes to AIDS through the hard house pioneer's rise to stardom
A new documentary titled Don't Ever Stop: Tony De Vit is coming out next month, marking the 25th anniversary of the legendary DJ's death.
The feature-length film is premiering at nationwide UK film festival Doc'n'Roll, which kicks off on October 26 and runs across nine cities.
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It charts De Vit's rise from playing at local pubs in Kidderminster as a 17-year-old to becoming one of the most respected DJs of his generation.
In his early 20s he held his first club residency at the Nightingale, Birmingham, and worked at Beacon Radio. Tony's De Vit's tidy turnabling took him to famed London gayclub Heaven in the late '80s, where he would play two Saturdays a month and establish himself as one of the top DJs in the country.
Further residencies, hard house hits and remixes followed, with De Vit winning BBC's Essential Mix of the Year in 1995.
The star tragically passed at the peak of his powers in 1998; having earlier contracted HIV, De Vit died of bronchial and bone marrow failure at a hospital in East Birmingham. His death was only months after he had released 'The Dawn' on Tidy Trax, which is widely considered his best production and looked set to push him towards international stardom.
The British label has released 10 new remixes of Tony De Vit, by Patrick Topping, Eats Everything, Nicole Moudaber, Alan Fitzpatrick, Hannah Laing, BK, Absolute, Mark Sherry, Airwolf Paradise and Morgan Seatree, which can be purchased here.
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Through the lens of the Birmingham DJ and producer, Don't Ever Stop delves into love, loss, gay identity, stardom and attitudes to AIDS. The documentary combines archive footage with interviews from the likes of Eats Everything and De Vit prodigy Fergie.
Doc'n'Roll is a female-led film agency that champions marginal voices in the music industry, and will roll out the new documentary at the 10th edition of their headline, BFI-supported film festival in late October.
The film is produced by Phill Smith and Stuart Pollitt of Restless Films, who are former BBC filmmakers.
Watch the trailer for Don't Ever Stop: Tony De Vit below.
Tibor Heskett is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter.
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