DJ Pete Tong talks ahead of Ibiza Classics at Birmingham's Genting Arena - interview

He loved every moment and as soon as he'd learned to drive he bought a van and hit the road.

His mobile disco was based in a Transit van and he became part of the Kent Soul Mafia, taking soul weekenders to seaside towns.

He also booked bands, including the then-unknown Culture Club, before starting to write about music for national magazines. Tong's love of music propelled him further into the industry, earning him a position as an A&R manager at London Records.

House music was emerging and Tong put out a compilation featuring The House Sound of Chicago. The year was 1986 and he was at the cutting edge of dance music. He's stayed there for 30 years.

Tong, aged 56, is one of Britain's most recognised DJs and earned an MBE in 2014 for his services to broadcasting and music. He started his Friday evening BBC Radio 1 Show, the Essential Selection, in 1991 and it continues to this day. He's the second-longest serving DJ on the station, after Annie Nightingale.

Dartford-born Tong was at the vanguard of the Ibiza club scene and will return to Birmingham on November 30 for Ibiza Classics at the Genting Arena. It will follow the release of his new album, Classic House, out on November 25.

The Genting date follows the incredible success of BBC Radio 1's Ibiza Prom at the Royal Albert Hall last summer. The prom was a musical homage to Ibiza with its infectious, energetic brand of club music reworked by the 60-piece Heritage Orchestra, singers, and synths, directed by the acclaimed conductor Jules Buckley. Tong's new arena show will once again create an unforgettable dance-party.

"When we did the Prom at the Albert Hall we went backstage after the show," Tong reminisces. "It had been a crazy adventure just getting to that point.

"I was full of adrenalin and enthusiasm after the show. But then the event went viral and that's when it took on a different dynamic. We realised there was real demand to do it again.

We took the rest of last year to work out a way of doing it because it's an expensive thing to do.

"Roll forward to March and we announced the O2 in London and that sold out in a day. So we were thinking 'wow'. Then we added Birmingham and Manchester. Pretty soon after that, we realised it would make sense to record it properly."

So Tong and his crew hit the studio.

"We could have just recorded a live show, but the orchestra were really anti-that," he adds. "They felt that when fans were in the room with the chaos of a live show, it all worked, but they didn't think it would work as a record.

"So we started to think about how we would go in the studio and do it. We jig-sawed it together. It was super quick. It was done in three weeks in August and September." Pete will be joined by conductor Jules Buckley, artistic director Chris Wheeler and The Heritage Orchestra for the Genting gig.

Buckley has made a name for himself as one of Europe's most in-demand conductors of hip contemporary orchestral projects. Currently the chief conductor of Holland's renowned Metropole Orkest and the musical director of the Heritage Orchestra, his daring approach to crossing and linking musical genres has brought him widespread acclaim.

Buckley's recent highlights include acclaimed collaborations with Gregory Porter, Tori Amos, Birmingham's soul songstress Laura Mvula, Walsall lad Goldie, Markus Stockhausen, Michael Kiwanuka and Basement Jaxx. He also picked up two Latin Grammy nominations for his troubles.

The Heritage Orchestra itself has been described as 'the orchestra that rocks out arenas, messes with other people's music, and keeps orchestral tradition in the cellar'. Since 2004, the renegade ensemble has collaborated with acts as diverse as Aphex Twin, Tim Minchin, The National, Ben Folds and Anna Calvi.

They are unique in their use of sound, visual, and electronics, and they don't play classical music; an approach that has defined them as one of the most progressive and vibrant large ensembles around.

Tong can't wait to get out there with them. "As soon as they play those tracks you get the goosebumps and the shivers. You know, it's really special and magical and that fulfils me. We are creating a legacy around the scene and what these tunes meant to people."

Tong remains one of the most influential and important people in British dance music. His unique position has earned him a reputation as the global ambassador of the genre.

"I think electronic music has a chip on its shoulder," he adds. "When it gets to the highest level of critical discussion, somehow we get left out. I think punk rock was three or four years old when it made an impact, it was acknowledged as being amazingly culturally significant.

"I think dance culture deserves that as well. In Liverpool, Manchester and London, perhaps it does. But in general, dance music is about partying and falling around – that's what people think.

"Birmingham is going to be extra special because it's going to be the first one of the tour and it will be similar to the Albert Hall in size."

Tong can still remember the fear before going on stage for the first time with this latest concept. "I thought it was going to go okay because we were working with an amazing orchestra. I kept asking what it was going to sound like but we couldn't really make the leap.

"The fear in the back of my head was that it would sound Mickey Mouse. But then we did the dress rehearsal the day before and that was the first indication it would be something really special. Once I heard the rehearsal, I knew it was going to be okay."

By Andy Richardson