Dexter Jones

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Pete Bennett to explore the raw, unfiltered reality of his life after reality television.

Best known as the unforgettable winner of Big Brother UK, Pete opens up about what really happened once the cameras stopped rolling. From sudden fame and media pressure to anxiety, grief, and losing close friends, this is Pete as you have never heard him before.

We trace his story from growing up in South London and living with Tourette’s from a young age, through bullying, isolation, and finding escape in music. Pete talks candidly about how creativity became therapy, how meditation helped him regain control, and how hitting rock bottom ultimately led him back to his true purpose.

The conversation then turns to his unexpected second chapter. Almost by accident, Pete found himself producing hard house, reconnecting with rave culture, and eventually signing music to Tidy Trax. Blending punk vocals with hard dance energy, he is now building a new career as a DJ and producer, preparing for major UK events and a full album release.

This episode is not about reality TV nostalgia.

If you care about mental health, rave culture, personal reinvention, or the power of creativity, this conversation will stay with you.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🧠 Growing up with Tourette’s and navigating bullying

📺 Life-changing fame after Big Brother

💔 Grief, loss, and hitting rock bottom

🎵 Music as therapy and creative identity

🔊 Discovering hard house and the UK rave scene

🎚️ Signing to Tidy Trax and building a new sound

⚡ Punk vocals meeting hard dance energy

🔮 Purpose, resilience, and the next chapter

00:00 Intro and birthday coincidence

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Stevie Vayne, known globally as Stevie Hulme, is one of the most influential yet quietly overlooked figures in electronic music, punk culture, and Ibiza nightlife.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Stevie to trace an extraordinary journey. From tearing up stages in UK punk bands to becoming Director of Multimedia and Music at Pacha Group, and shaping the global identity of Subliminal Records during the Erick Morillo era.

This conversation goes deep into the moments that defined modern club culture. The chaos and innovation of the late 90s and early 2000s. The reality of building global brands in nightlife. The pressure, psychology, and personal cost behind the scenes.

With Stevie’s autobiography now released, the timing could not be better. His story reads like a documentary. Raw, electric, and unfiltered. We talk candidly about punk, reinvention, New York, Ibiza, the rise of superstar DJs, and why Ibiza’s culture changed forever.

This is not a highlight reel.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🎸 Punk bands, identity, and how music saved his life

🔁 Reinventing from rock stages to house music culture

📀 Joining Subliminal Records and working alongside Erick Morillo

🍒 Building Pacha Ibiza’s multimedia and global brand

🌍 Creating superstar DJs in the 2000s

🧠 The psychology, pressure, and chaos of global nightlife

📕 Writing the autobiography and finally telling the truth

🔮 Lessons for DJs, creatives, and music professionals today

00:00 Introduction

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In this powerful and unfiltered episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Amber D, one of the most respected voices to come out of the UK hard house scene, for a brutally honest conversation about what it really takes to survive and thrive in today’s music industry.

Amber opens up about her early days in Ibiza’s hard house scene, the highs and lows of her career, and how she rebuilt her life after burnout, personal challenges, and sustained industry pressure. From clubland to classrooms, streaming platforms to mentorship, this episode pulls no punches.

We dive deep into the realities of sexism and misogyny in dance music, the blurred line between ghost production and engineering, and why so many artists feel pressured to fake success in an era driven by filters, metrics, and vanity numbers.

Amber also shares her practical, grounded approach to mental health, motherhood, and creativity, alongside real-world strategies for dealing with online trolls, criticism, and negativity without losing focus or self-worth.

This is not a hype-driven conversation.

If you’re a DJ, producer, creative, or anyone navigating visibility, pressure, and identity in the modern digital landscape, this episode is essential listening.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🚫 Sexism and misogyny in the modern DJ industry

🎛️ The truth about ghost production vs engineering

🧠 Mental health, burnout, and rebuilding self-worth

💬 Handling trolls, hate, and online negativity

🎥 Streaming, teaching, and community-building on Twitch

🎶 Authenticity in dance music and the return of hard house

📉 Why micro-audiences matter more than follower counts

💼 Pricing gigs, valuing your time, and sustainable careers

Hard house history. Goosebumps moments. And the human story behind one of the most important figures in UK club culture.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Phil from Restless Films to explore the emotional journey behind Don’t Ever Stop, the definitive documentary on Tony De Vit.

This conversation goes far beyond dancefloor nostalgia. We unpack the legacy Tony left behind, the mentorship of Fergie, the birth of The Dawn, and the personal letters that revealed a side of Tony few people ever saw.

Phil opens up about the reality of making the film. The three-plus-year process. The relentless hunt for lost 90s footage. Ownership rights, dusty tapes, missing DVDs, and the responsibility of telling this story properly.

We also talk about the unforgettable Godskitchen night at Amnesia Ibiza. Lasers, CO₂ cannons, and a crowd that understood the history, not just the music.

This is not a hype episode.

If Tony De Vit, hard house, or the golden era of UK club culture meant something to you, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🔊 The first time The Dawn destroyed the Q Club dancefloor

✉️ Tony De Vit mentoring a teenage Fergie and the letters that said everything

🎞️ The brutal reality of sourcing and clearing 90s archive footage

🪩 Godskitchen at Amnesia and why that night mattered

❤️ Recovery, friendship, and the human cost behind the music

🎬 Why Don’t Ever Stop took over three years to complete

Amazon Prime (UK/US)

Vimeo (worldwide)

Restless Films official site

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

“I had half a pill in the dark room at Ministry of Sound… and everything changed.”

In this powerful and deeply personal episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Trace Harris, the original Smarty Party founder, percussionist, and author of Walking Through Doors, to explore a life shaped by rave culture, ego, addiction, loss, and eventual redemption.

What begins with a single night at Ministry of Sound unfolds into a three-decade journey through London’s underground scene and Ibiza’s peak years. From bodybuilding and Bagley’s to the rise of legendary parties, Trace shares how house music and MDMA transformed a generation, turning terrace violence into unity on the dancefloor.

We trace the rise of Smarty Party across London’s most influential venues, the chaos and pressure of promoting at scale, and the moment the brand landed in Ibiza at Privilege Ibiza in 2000. The conversation doesn’t shy away from the darker chapters either. Gangland run-ins, betrayal, addiction, and losing everything before rebuilding from the ground up.

Trace also opens up about recovery, spirituality, and how ayahuasca helped him reconnect with himself beyond the nightlife identity. Writing Walking Through Doors became both catharsis and legacy, a way to document the truth of a scene that shaped countless lives.

This is not a nostalgia piece.

If you care about rave history, London club culture, Ibiza’s millennium era, or the human cost behind the music, this episode will stay with you.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🌀 The half-pill moment that changed everything at Ministry of Sound

⚽ How MDMA helped end football violence

🪩 Building Smarty Party and London’s 90s club explosion

🎶 Bagley’s, The Cross, Turnmills, and underground culture

🌴 Privilege Ibiza 2000 and taking a brand to the island

🕳️ Addiction, betrayal, and losing it all

🌿 Recovery, ayahuasca, and ego reset

📘 Writing Walking Through Doors and leaving a legacy

Buy the Book: Walking Through Doors – Vol. 1–3

📚 https://www.amazon.com/WALKING-THROUGH-DOORS-PART-ONE/dp/B0DGXY8DGJ

00:00 Bodybuilding to the dark room at Ministry

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

In this deep-dive episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Damion Pell, founder and editor of Decoded Magazine, international DJ, and one of the longest-standing independent voices in underground electronic music.

Damion shares an unfiltered perspective shaped by three decades inside the scene. From early rave culture in Australia to building a globally respected digital magazine, we explore how dance music journalism has changed and what has been lost along the way.

This conversation goes beyond nostalgia. We talk candidly about clickbait culture, cancel culture, the pressures facing independent media, and the rapid rise of AI-generated press and content. Damion explains how these shifts are affecting artists, labels, promoters, and the integrity of underground culture itself.

We also revisit formative club experiences, illegal raves, and the moments that shaped a generation, while questioning where dance music media is heading next and what it will take to protect independent voices in an increasingly automated landscape.

This is not a promotional episode.

If you care about electronic music history, independent journalism, or the real challenges facing the industry today, this episode is essential listening.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

To explore Decoded Magazine, visit: www.decodedmagazine.com

📰 Building an independent electronic music magazine

🌍 Early rave culture in Australia and illegal parties

🪩 Club culture from underground raves to global brands

🤖 AI-generated press and the future of music journalism

❌ Clickbait, cancel culture, and media responsibility

🎶 The evolving relationship between artists, labels, and media

🔮 Where underground culture goes next

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

What if house music was almost called bungalow?

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Graham Gold to unpack the real origins of the word “house” and how a chain of cultural moments shaped dance music as we know it.

We trace the story back to late-70s disco, soul, and jazz-funk, through the Chicago Warehouse era, and into the rise of pirate radio and UK club culture. Graham explains how the name stuck, why many DJs misunderstand their own history, and how radio, clubs, and communities worked together long before algorithms existed.

The conversation also dives into Graham’s journey from early DJ crews and pirate stations to Kiss FM, alongside a candid debate about social media, talent, and bookings in 2025. From radio war stories to practical advice for DJs trying to break through today, this episode is a masterclass in context and credibility.

This is not a history lecture.

If you care about dance music history, radio culture, or understanding why house music became house music, this episode delivers.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🏠 Where the term “house music” actually came from

🕺 How disco, soul, and jazz-funk evolved into house

📻 The role of pirate radio and early UK stations

🎙️ Life at Gulliver’s and the birth of Kiss FM

🎛️ Why crowds want great nights, not music education

📱 Social media vs talent in 2025

🧠 Graham’s blueprint for great radio shows

00:00 The true origin of house music

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

From vinyl crates to global club culture, this is the story of one of the most quietly influential figures in UK dance music.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Gary Dedman to unpack three decades inside the industry. From running one of the UK’s largest vinyl distribution warehouses to producing anthem after anthem as Hoxton Whores, and eventually reinventing himself as Hutch, this conversation traces the full arc of a modern dance music career.

Gary takes us back to the heart of London’s vinyl era, life inside distribution warehouses, and how records were broken long before algorithms and streaming platforms existed. We explore how Hoxton Whores became one of the most in-demand remix names in clubland, the pressure and burnout that came with success, and the difficult decisions required to evolve creatively.

The conversation also covers the shift from vinyl to digital, music piracy, producer credit, and the realities of longevity in an industry driven by hype cycles, ego, and constant reinvention. From underground roots to global stages, this is an honest account of what it really takes to last.

This is not a success story dressed up for promotion.

If you care about house music history, vinyl culture, the mechanics of the industry, or how artists survive long-term, this episode delivers.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

💿 Life inside London’s vinyl distribution scene

🏭 Building one of the UK’s biggest distribution operations

🎶 The rise of Hoxton Whores as a remix brand

🔥 Touring, chaos, and burnout at the peak

🔄 Reinventing creatively as Hutch

📀 Surviving the shift from vinyl to digital

📉 Piracy, producer credit, and protecting music

🧠 Longevity, ego culture, and the modern dance landscape

00:00 The sit-down party at DC10

Labels: Beatport catalogues (Galactica, Automata, Revoke)

Agency: www.strategicdjs.com

Promo Club: www.pro-mo.club

Bookings and info: www.iamhutch.com

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

One friend’s passing changed everything.

In this episode of The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down with Edele Andaya for a raw, honest conversation about the journey from first vinyl mixes to becoming a resident at Peach London.

Edele takes us back to learning on belt-driven Sound Labs, upgrading to Technics, and the all-vinyl set at KoKo (Camden) that locked her reputation. We talk about navigating the jump to CDJs, near-disaster technical moments including a Sri Lanka beach festival where the decks died on the first track, and why the harder sound is surging again.

The conversation also dives into London’s 90s and 00s club culture, the unique energy of the Peach family, authenticity versus vanity metrics on social media, and early steps into production. Along the way, Edele shares the track that still gives her goosebumps and has become her ritual closer: Tony De Vit – The Dawn.

This is not a highlight reel.

If you care about vinyl culture, Peach London, classic trance and hard house, or the real stories behind the booth, this episode will resonate.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🎧 The friend who sparked Edele’s love for vinyl

💿 Learning on belt-driven decks and upgrading to Technics

🪩 London clubs that shaped her early years

🚀 Cracking CDJs after fear and frustration

🔥 Peach Goes Hard and the tougher edge returning

👩‍🎤 Women in dance music and pushing for genuine 50/50 line-ups

📱 Authentic growth vs bought followers

🎛️ First steps into production and creative process

🌅 Why The Dawn is her ritual final track

00:00 Welcome – why Edele’s story matters now

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter:

In Part Two of this extended conversation on The Dexter Jones Podcast, I sit down again with Rob Tissera to dive deep into his life and career after 1991, one of the most versatile and enduring journeys in UK dance music history.

From the lawless warehouse raves of late-80s Blackburn to becoming a global name in Ibiza superclubs, Rob shares the full, unfiltered story. This episode is packed with raw honesty, wild memories, and career-defining moments that helped shape rave culture, clubland, and the evolution of UK dance music.

Rob opens up about the infamous acid house party that landed him in prison and became a test case connected to the Criminal Justice Bill, a moment that helped change the course of UK rave culture forever. We relive the rise of rave through convoy scenes, motorway shutdowns, and thousands of ravers flooding abandoned warehouses during the golden era.

The conversation then moves to Ibiza. Rob reflects on residencies and long summers at Eden, Amnesia, Pacha, Kanya, and El Divino, and how he helped shape the island’s sound across house, trance, and hard house through the 90s and 2000s.

We also explore superclub culture and iconic brands, from Godskitchen and Judgement Sundays to Tidy Trax, Garlands, Clockwork Orange, and Kissdafunk, alongside international bookings across Australia, Singapore, Dubai, and beyond.

Rob breaks down the music that defined his career, including the stories behind Kick Up The Volume, Quake – The Day Will Come, York – The Awakening, Armin van Buuren – Communication, and placements on the Human Traffic soundtrack. He explains how adapting across genres, from rave and breakbeat to funky house, hard house, and trance, was key to staying relevant for more than three decades.

We also revisit the Ibiza workers’ era: the Ship Inn, Shipwrecked boat parties, Dirty Rotten Slut nights, and the culture that made the island feel like a second home to an entire generation.

This is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake.

🎧 Take your time with this one.

🔒 Prison, acid house, and the Criminal Justice Bill

🚚 Convoys, warehouses, and the rise of UK rave culture

🏝️ Ibiza residencies and shaping the island’s sound

🪩 Superclubs, iconic brands, and global touring

🎶 Career-defining productions and remixes

🔄 Adapting across genres to survive long-term

⚡ Workers’ culture, boat parties, and Ibiza folklore

🔮 The future of dance music and genre versatility

For guest invitations, sponsorship proposals, and collaboration enquiries, please contact Dexter: