Pete Tong hit the headlines in March when, after giving a shout out about a house party on Radio 1, hundreds of gatecrashers trashed a mansion in Devon. Tong wisely kept schtum when outraged parents started blaming him personally, but the tabloid furore confirmed that, after 17 years, 'The Essential Selection' is still where the dance nation turns to determine what they're doing for the weekend. "The show is as much of a thrill as ever," smiles Pete. "I think that's why I've built such a connection with the audience, because they can tell that my interest is not calculated." One party Tong's definitely been responsible for filling this year though is his Wonderland night in Ibiza, which started up at Eden following his previous residency at Pacha, with the likes of Groove Armada and The Whip tempting the more knowledgeable clubbers to San Antonio. "It was a huge challenge to create something that San Antonio had never seen before," he says. "But the energy has been as good as anywhere and we've managed to steer the sound in a more underground direction." And as the man behind the world's most influential dance music radio show, Tong has more say than most in deciding where the whole scene goes. Not that he necessarily agrees. "I would never say I know the way that everything is going," he demurs. "I just soak up as much information as possible from the street. I can only fan the flames that are already there."