DJ Tony de Vit to be honoured with blue plaque in Birmingham

Tony de Vit, the late hard house DJ, is set to be honoured with a blue plaque in Birmingham.

The pioneering Kidderminster-born DJ and producer, who passed away in 1998 aged 40, is the first DJ to ever receive the honour, which is commissioned by the Birmingham Civic Society to recognise individuals who “achieved greatness” and “made [the city] what it is today”.

de Vit will be posthumously honoured during an unveiling ceremony at the Custard Factory in Digbeth on September 24. His blue plaque is set to go on display at the site of the Custard Factory recording studios where he produced and remixed more than 100 tracks between 1994 and 1998.

Birmingham Music Archive’s Jez Collins said in a statement that he was “so delighted that a historic institution like the Birmingham Civic Society is recognising 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”.

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

“Not many people realise that Tony started his career in Birmingham DJing at the seminal Nightingale Club, where he would take his music from a predominantly gay audience into the mainstream,” Collins added.

“It was at the Custard Factory where he launched V2 Recording Studio with Simon Parkes, so it is fitting the Blue Plaque is on this site.”

The ceremony will be followed by a live event, ‘Are You All Ready?’, at The Mill in Digbeth, which will feature an exclusive UK appearance from Fergie – tickets are available to buy here.