Top tips from the Pete Tong of athletics
Sound engineer Peter Key is the man behind the DJ decks at all UK televised athletics meetings. Just before he takes to the turntables at this weekend’s Aviva World Trials and UK Championships, he offers spikesmag.com his 10 golden rules for creating a buzz inside the stadium.
1 – Remember, it is an athletics event
“The most important fact you need to remember is you are there to support the athletics, it is not a music event. We are playing music there to keep the excitement going. Sometimes there may be only one field event going on in the stadium and it may fall a little flat, so as far as the general feel goes, music certainly helps.”
2 – Don’t play music during the sprints
“We have a policy that we don’t play any background music for track events below 800m. It’s all to do with keeping the atmosphere going. The shorter races create their own atmosphere and if the atmosphere is already there, why add to it?”
3 – Play clubbing tunes
“The kind of tunes you would hear in Ibiza work really well for the distance races. They kind of bubble along nicely with what’s happening and have a constant rhythm. Some of the races are quite long, so you have to fill them with music.”
4 – Match tunes to events
“It sounds a bit corny but we sometimes play what is appropriate to a particular event.
Jump by Van Halen for the high jump,
Push It by Salt-N-Pepa for the shot put and
You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive for the discus. I used to enjoy playing a track called
Sandstorm by Darude for the 1500m, it really seemed to push that particular race along.”
5 – Use the power of silence
“Sometimes it’s best not to play anything if you want to add to the atmosphere. If the commentator says it’s Phillips Idowu on the triple jump runway, you stop playing the music – you get a deathly hush and suddenly create a whole new mood inside the stadium.”
6 – Add to the atmosphere
“Think, if Usain Bolt just crossed the line and set a new world record, you can bash on a piece of music, play it really loud and it can really add to, and not take away, the atmosphere.”
7 – Be flexible
"There are changing demands in a track and field event. It’s not like a football match in which you know the game will last 90 minutes. In an athletics event you get false starts and injuries so the programme schedule may change. You have to be flexible. I would normally have anywhere between 90 to 100 songs to play during a session.”
8 – Use sound effects, too.
“We used a sound of a javelin flying through the air and making the sound of an explosion as it hits the ground or the discus making a spinning sound. It adds to the atmosphere and the kids love it.”
9 – Check the lyrics
“You need to make sure you check the records for suitability before you play them. Songs with expletives are a no, no. We are trying to create a family atmosphere.”
10 – Always be on your guard
“You have to be careful, especially when the starter is about to fire the pistol. If your arm slips and suddenly triggers a piece of music everyone is going to stop and it is going to be your fault. That’s happened once to me before, but I can’t remember exactly where. Everyone makes mistakes. We are all human.”
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