It was legendary DJ and Space resident Steve Lawler who famously said "House music is the soundtrack to the more deviant, exciting rebellious side of life"; handily summing up much of what the Defected philosophy is all about. Every year, more than half a million people attend Defected In the House events around the globe, with millions more exposed to the DJs and tracks associated with the label. Operating in more than 40 countries, Defected are the most internationally recognisable dance brand in the world with a reputation built on the love of music. With millions of records sold globally, the label has worked with some of the biggest and most creative names in the business, and is responsible for introducing talents such as Bob Sinclar, Junior Jack, ATFC, Sandy Rivera and Copyright to an ever-hungry audience.
"Defected is probably the one and only label that carried House music's legacy into the 21st century. It preserved its history while continuing a new one, bridging the gap across generations of music lovers and clubbers worldwide."
Dimitri from Paris
Although there are now an entire office full of people both behind and in front of the scenes, working feverishly to maintain the high standards Defected have set for themselves, the label was initially run by a single man. In 1999, former Cooltempo and AM:PM A&R man Simon Dunmore embarked on a quest that would become one of the most successful ventures in the history of house. "I just wanted to work with great people and to have a legacy at the end where I felt that maybe we’d left a little bit of a mark," says Dunmore who, as a former soul music DJ, also aspired to the achievements attained by his hero labels such as Motown, Philadelphia International and Salsoul. Little did he know at that stage just how emphatically he would achieve his aim.
Running through what Defected ultimately represents is a rich vein of disco. 30 years ago the entire dance scene was rooted in disco, and in today’s musically fragmented society, it’s no surprise that clubbers are once again turning to a genre with longevity and substance. Defected’s 2009 campaign is themed ‘21st Century Disco’, delivering a respectful nod to the label’s musical heritage while championing it’s position as the music of choice in modern day clubs and bars. Disco was originally born out of the public’s need to express and enjoy themselves during a recession, so it’s no surprise that dance music is once again booming as people attempt to forget the working week.
Defected’s first release, Soulsearcher’s ‘I Can’t Get Enough’ reached No.5 in the UK singles charts and set the tone for the success and inherent musicality of future releases. The enduring appeal and arguably the reason that Defected have achieved the level of success they have, is that their records appeal to clubbers and music lovers without ever sacrificing credibility and quality to make a fast buck, something than Dunmore has been adamant in preserving. Defected followed this early success with a spate of chart and club hits, culminating in the 2001 release of Roger Sanchez’s ‘Another Chance’ and a UK No.1 record for the label. This was swiftly followed by arguably the biggest house track of all time; Kings of Tomorrow’s ‘Finally’ – a record that raises the hairs and hearts of even the most jaded club veteran and still continues to delight newcomers to the scene on every level. The man behind it, Sandy Rivera became a major force in the Defected arsenal, still producing and DJing for them today, setting an example that paved the way for similarly close relationships to evolve.
Defected’s first artist album came from Bob Sinclar who, like Martin Solveig and Dimitri From Paris, proved to be an integral element in cementing a vibrant relationship between the label and the French house scene. Sinclar brought the Africanism series to the label for an outstanding compilation, introducing Defected to artists such as DJ Gregory, Julien Jabre and DJ Meme, who have since blossomed in their own right under the label’s tutorage. He also built on the early chart success of ‘I Feel For You’ with the 2005 single ‘Love Generation’ going on to become a worldwide hit and one of the official anthems of the 2006 World Cup selling over one million copies worldwide.
Defected are arguably as well-known for their global dancefloor trotting as for the records they release, with ‘In the House’ events bringing the unique Defected sound to hundreds of thousands of partygoers every year. With longstanding residencies in every continent including Zook, Singapore, Dragon Fly, Jakarta, Alumbra, Melbourne and Ministry of Sound, London, they reach out further to the global house community than any other label in the business. Since its inception in 2003, the events have inspired, entertained and brought people from different generations together under a common banner. The Miami 2004 pool party with Kenny Dope & Roger Sanchez; Canvas, London warehouse party in 2006, Age Ha, Japan in 2009 – legendary events in a glittering history and life-long memories for those lucky enough to be in attendance.
2009 saw an advancement in the mutual respect between Defected and one of the most established club brands in the world; Pacha. Dunmore has often been heard to say that at the heart of everything that he wants to achieve with Defected, the core philosophy remains simple; "It’s ultimately about having a good Saturday night out" he says, a desire that has reached the ultimate level of fulfilment with the promotion of Defected In the House to Saturday nights for the 2009 Ibiza season – the most prestigious night on the island. "Saturday’s were Def Mix since 2000 which were massive, and now Defected have moved to Saturday so that maintains a certain quality" says Pacha’s Mark Netto of the move "I think we’ll be stronger than ever this year".
The shifting trends of dance music have been well documented over the last few years, and while not immune to transient fashions and the blurring of genres, Defected have survived where many have fallen by the wayside by staying true to their roots. "In the main we still sit on the more soulful, melodic side of house music," says Dunmore. "The more popular sound of recent times has generally been a bit tougher, but we’ve tended to move slightly alongside current trends, rather than be engulfed by them. I think there’s still a lot of song content in the music we put out and I think that because we do that we stand out a little."
And while the musical trends have developed in the 10 years that Defected have operated, the foundations upon which the entire industry operates have changed almost beyond recognition, with the digital revolution forcing labels to look at new ways of creating, promoting and distributing their material. "It’s opened everything up to everybody" says Dunmore. "Whilst the internet has been a pretty tough thing for the music industry to have to deal with, it’s also given back in a multitude of ways. If you use it properly it could probably be one of the greatest things to ever happen to the music industry."
As the label celebrates its 10th year In the House, it has proved itself to be as adaptable as it is dedicated to the cause. Where other labels have struggled to keep up with the shifting and volatile market, Defected have embraced the dawning and subsequent prevalence of the digital age, focusing their efforts online and exercising a far broader reach as a result. Their website www.defected.com endeavours to act as a true dance portal for their ever-growing online community, setting high standards for its output based on up to date industry news and media channels as well as an online store.
With the ‘Defected In the House’ series, the ‘Playboy Mansion’ compilations and now the digital series ‘Clubland Adventures’, Defected have initiated some of the most reliable brands in the compilations market, and the list of artists to have compiled ‘In the House’ releases reads like a who’s who of discotheque mastery; Dimitri from Paris, Masters At Work, Gilles Peterson, Jazzy Jeff, Danny Krivit, Joey Negro to name but a few.
In recent years, Defected has formed strong affiliations with some of the most established labels in the game, forming solid partnerships with seminal imprints Strictly Rhythm, Subliminal, Junior Boys Own, Slip & Slide and a host of others of equal calibre. It’s a logical progression and evolution for the label, and one than Dumore think is key to their future growth. "The company’s evolving in all sorts of ways." he acknowledges "There’s been a lot of discussion about the 360 deal and we’re working with more and more artists on that basis, putting out their music, publishing them, looking after their DJ bookings, setting up their websites or internet presence - basically we’ll do all the things they can’t or don’t want to do for themselves. I think, as people are expecting to get music for free and the income is in decline as far as releasing music is concerned, we’ll evolve into looking after people’s careers and associating ourselves with talented people, which is what we’ve always done"
From its first release to its last, Defected’s sound has been deeply rooted in classic soul and disco, and while their sound has no doubt developed over the last decade with techier signings such as Ame ‘Rej’ and Lifelike & Kris Menace ‘Discopolis’, this firm belief in the essential musicality of house has never faded. Kings of Tomorrow’s ‘Finally’, Blaze ‘Most Precious Love’, Fish Go Deep ‘The Cure and the Cause’ and the chart topping ‘Another Chance’ from Roger Sanchez, are shining examples of the quality, creativity and exuberance Defected Records continually strive to represent.
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