BBC Radio 1 is to celebrate the 500th DJ to take part in the ‘Essential Mix’ with special live broadcast.
The extended live show will be on-air between 1am and 5am on the morning of Saturday 24th from Circus in Liverpool.
The four hour show will also include sets from Richie Hawtin, Sasha and Pete Tong.
The identity of the landmark 500th mix, voted for by an expert panel of dance music figures will be unveiled earlier on in the night at 9pm on Pete Tong’s show, the host of the Essential Mix since its conception and also its first performer.
On reaching this monumental 500th mix Pete Tong said: “Bringing the Essential Mix to the nation on Radio 1 has always and continues to excite me. It’s always been a platform to showcase the best DJ talent and new music from around the world, whether it be legends of dance music or future stars. The thing that excites me most is introducing new genres and breaking artists to a wider audience. There have been 500 fantastic essential mixes here's to another 500!”
Ben Cooper, Deputy Controller, BBC Radio 1, says: “The list of contributors to the Essential Mix reads like a who’s who of dance music and underlines the programme’s significant part in popularising the genre. The list also highlights the show’s unique ability to inform listeners every week of dance music’s many musical shifts and trends from 1993 to the present day.”