Don't Ever Stop: documentary on Tony de Vit and Larne's DJ Fergie now on Amazon Prime
Larne’s DJ Fergie has told of his pride at taking part in an award-winning documentary about his mentor, the late DJ and music producer Tony de Vit.
‘Don’t Ever Stop’ tells the story of how Tony, the ‘Godfather of Hard House’ made his name during the UK’s vibrant club scene of the 1980s and 90s.
It was during a 1996 set at The House nightclub, based in the Kilwaughter Hotel, that he first met the young Fergie.
Then aged 16, Fergie went on to become Tony's apprentice, travelling with him to England where he honed his skills in clubs across the country.
Featuring interviews with Fergie, his mum Alice, close friend Andi Buckley, Danny Rampling, Judge Jules, Tony’s sister Jayne and others, Don't Ever Stop is also a wistful look at the hedonistic club scene in the later years of the 20th century, examining how Tony blazed a trail not only through the music industry but within the gay community.
While shooting the documentary, crews also travelled to Larne, capturing scenes from Chaine Park, Drains Bay, Fergie’s former school Larne High and his old neighbourhood the Factory.
The documentary comes to a poignant conclusion with Tony's untimely death, aged just 40, after contracting HIV.
His passing catapulted Fergie into the limelight as he found himself carrying on his mentor’s legacy. “Things just went crazy for me because everybody knew how much Tony believed in me,” Fergie says in the film.
“So there was this thing that happened of, why don’t we get Fergie to do Tony’s dates? And it just went through the roof. [It was] amazing, but incredibly sad.”
Commenting on the impact of the documentary, Fergie, now resident DJ in Hakkasan night club, Las Vegas said: “It has been an incredible journey for me from growing up in Larne to being able to travel the world doing what I have always loved, playing music to people.
"It always makes me happy to show people where I’m from. I’m glad the film makers took the time to come to my neighbourhood the Factory.
"I’m very proud of our wee town.”
Winner of Best Documentary at the Royal Television Society’s Midlands awards in 2024, Don’t Ever Stop by Restless Films is available now on Amazon Prime.