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"BBC Radio 1 will next month celebrate Pete Tong&amp;#039;s two decades at the station with a night of shows dedicated to his broadcasting career.  On April 8, A Celebration Of Pete Tong kicks off at 7pm with a countdown of the Top 20 best dance tracks of the last 20 years, as voted by Radio 1 listeners. Tong will be joined in the studio for the rundown by special guests Basement Jaxx. At 9pm, Radio 1 will air a three-hour recorded tribute from Maida Vale Studios featuring a diverse lineup of artists, including Groove Armada, Chilly Gonzales, Chase &amp;amp; Status, Guy Gerber, Martin Solveig, and Alex Metric and Shingai Shoniwa from the Noisettes. Tong will get behind the decks at 1am for his very own Essential Mix, his first since 1995, delivering two-hours of classic tracks and &amp;quot;future-facing&amp;quot; music. From 3am, International Pete Tong will bring together the DJ&amp;#039;s best global moments from the past 20 years, including his first ever Radio 1 show at Cafe Del Mar in Ibiza and New Year&amp;#039;s Eve on Australia&amp;#039;s Bondi Beach. Rob da Bank will bring the 12-hour special to a close with A-Z Of Pete Tong at 5am, a two-hour documentary exploring Tong&amp;#039;s record collection. &amp;quot;It&amp;#039;s a privilege and an honour to have been presenting my shows on BBC Radio 1 for the past 20 years. What started out as a passionate hobby turned into an amazing career,&amp;quot; said Tong. &amp;quot;The station&amp;#039;s commitment to electronic dance music and culture has been absolutely fundamental to the scene&amp;#039;s growth and development not only in the UK but around the world, and I am proud to be part of that story.  &amp;quot;That passion to find and introduce hot new talent to the world burns stronger than ever in 2011 and we will be celebrating in style with the 12-hour takeover on April 8... hold tight. The story continues!&amp;quot; Ben Cooper, deputy controller of Radio 1 and 1Xtra, added: &amp;quot;One reason BBC Radio 1 is so distinctive is the knowledge and credibility of its specialist presenters. Over the last 20 years Pete Tong has given listeners both and continues to be an essential Friday night listen.&amp;quot; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/media/news/a308852/bbc-radio-1-to-mark-20-years-of-pete-tong/>