Last Friday, We Love Soul had to face up to the shocking reality that it’s principle founder Tony Houston had passed away sometime early Thursday morning.
Tony had been a constant feature in London’s club scene from the early days as a regular spectacle, cutting shapes & dropping moves on several dance floors.
In the early days, (the late 1980’s) during Soul ll Soul’s rise to fame Tony would be a regular feature in their videos and toured extensively with the group especially on their travels abroad.
In the early 90’s he began his journey as an Event’s Promoter, at first in collaboration with others at events hosted at The Raw, Tottenham Court Road, then there were numerous memorable nights at Bagleys Studios.
In the late 1990’s early 2000’s as London’s club culture began to evolve from the tapestry Funk, Rare Groove & Hip Hop into the new era of House.
Undeniably, Tony would always stay one step ahead & create a new promotion to cater for the changing tide of club land, which also provided an outlet for the upcoming DJs of the developing scenes.
This included nights such as; Xcitement (Gass), Cream Of Da Crop (Leisure Lounge), Absolutely Gorgeous & Love Injection (Camden Palace), where he provided a constant stream of events where a multitude of DJs, (through Tony) were able to acquire regular outlets for their developing talents.
Some eventually going on to becoming house-hold names such as: EZ, The Dreem Teem (Spoony, Mikee B, Timmi Magic), Pay As You Go (Target, Wiley), Norris Da Boss’ Windross, Mike Ruff Cut Lloyd, Masterstepz, Heartless Crew, Jason Kaye, Bobbi & Steve, Paul Trouble Anderson, Tuff Jam, Ramsey & Fen to name but a few….
Tony was an avid lover of music & had an amazing understanding of what it took to create an entertaining night out. He is definitely one of London’s Club Culture’s un-sung heroes who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything was fresh & vibrant. The endeavouring Tony would always aim to make each night out, one to be remembered.
In 2010 he created his current manifestation of We Love Soul which started at Herbal (Kingsland Road) then moved to Hidden (in Vauxhaul) where the he created the template for multi-roomed soul orientated events, these featured Soul, Funk Boogie & Disco in one room, R&B in another & House in the third.
We are truly shocked & saddened by his abrupt & sudden departure. His energetic dance floor character will be greatly missed.
May his soul now rest eternally while he continues dancing with others on the other side.
Tony Houston R.I.E.P
21st December 1963 – 6th February 2020