Pete Tong has just released Classic House with The Heritage Orchestra. The album is a companion to Tong’s Ibiza Classics shows that will tour the UK throughout November and December, including a performance at London’s O2 Arena that sold-out in two hours.
This union of classical music and iconic dance tracks is another bold, brilliant move from one of the most influential figures in dance music. The album and shows are a follow-up to last year’s triumphant Ibiza Prom, where Tong worked with arranger and conductor Jules Buckley and the innovative Heritage Orchestra and its artistic director Chris Wheeler to pioneer a show that melded the world of dance music with an orchestra.
Jules Buckley collaborated with artists as diverse as Arctic Monkeys, Benjamin Clementine, Emeli Sandé and Dizzee Rascal. He picked up a Grammy for his work with Snarky Puppy earlier this year, and is one of the most in-demand conductors and arrangers working today.
This summer, he is conducting three Proms, including the highly-anticipated night that will celebrate the career of music and pop icon Quincy Jones. Buckley co-founded the acclaimed Heritage Orchestra in 2004 with Chris Wheeler; who has produced numerous orchestral shows with artists ranging from Björk, Aphex Twin, Goldie, Massive Attack and Giorgio Moroder.
Together, Jules and Chris have pushed orchestral music into new territory and established one of the most refreshing independent orchestras in the world bridging the gap between electronic music and the concert hall. It helps, no doubt, that The Heritage Orchestra first came to being in the clubs of East London amidst the underground dance music scene.
They will take the show to the next level with three UK arena shows in late November and early December and the accompanying studio-recorded album Classic House, produced by Mark Ralph and featuring Katy B, John Newman, Ella Eyre, Jamie Principle and Cookie, will capture the magic of a formula that reinvented and reinvigorated a number of club classics.
It will include special guests – one of Tong’s favourite things about the original Ibiza Prom was how contemporary artists joined the dots between the past and present – and feature some of the songs that lit up the show. These will include the euphoric take on Fatboy Slim’s ‘Right Here Right Now’, a track earmarked to open the show, and the mesmerising version of Faithless’ ‘Insomnia’. ‘Insomnia’ was the most repeated part of the set on iPlayer and ended up summing up the captivating chemistry between the two musical worlds.
• Classic House is out now. Ibiza Classics plays Genting Arena, Birmingham (30 Nov), The O2, London (1 Dec) and Manchester Arena (2 Dec).
