House Music All Life Long

The History of Defected Records

By Google Arts & Culture

Defected ad 1999 by Scott Parker

1999: A Label is Born

In mid-1980s Chicago, a new sound was born. By the time the millennium was edging towards its end, house music was arguably the defining musical genre of the era, a truly global phenomenon that had developed in myriad different directions.

Its successful fusion of the spirit of soul and other-worldliness of electronic sounds was very much underpinned by the irresistible groove and uplifting energy, as well as the social and cultural inclusivity of disco (hence one of house’s founding fathers Frankie Knuckles dubbing it “disco’s revenge”, after the mainstream music industry had tried to kill disco off).

For The Love of House, Defected

Major labels made money from it but struggled to understand it. Independent labels curated it lovingly but were not on a level playing field. Enter stage left Defected Records, passionately independent, but with the vision and know how to survive and thrive.

MAW - Defected

House Masters

“My definition of house music is completely across the board. I think if you’re a crafted DJ, or a crafted producer, you can make anything from deep soulful house right the way through to disco, to techno, and you should be able to make it work.” An intense devotion to house music coupled with a keen understanding of the genre’s many nuances have served Defected founder Simon Dunmore well, as the label enters its third decade.

It has helped Defected become arguably the defining label of the genre; and also explains why so many house artists and producers gravitate towards Defected, be it artists with decades’ worth of experience under their belts or new breed producers who have grown up with Defected and see working with them as a career goal. Simon’s successes are pinned on the long-term relationships he forges, based on mutual trust and respect.

Miami chilling - Defected

Parties

For all that house music would not have become such a firm fixture in the musical landscape had its horizons been narrow, there is no doubting its natural habitat is the dancefloor. Defected are experts in the art of throwing parties that reflect this. It’s a global party too, not only summer residencies in Ibiza, the annual Croatia festival and frequent events in dance music epicentres such as New York, London and Amsterdam; but also tours to all corners of the house music globe.

Production values are always high, with stellar visuals and the energy of the Defected dancers designed to augment the soundtrack provided by the Defected DJ family. Multi-room sites enable Defected to celebrate house music of many different shades under one roof, all under the ‘House Music All Life Long’ and ‘In Our House We Are All Equal’ banners.

Brave New World
When Defected launched in 1999, the internet and downloaded music were both very much in their infancy, and streaming and social media had yet to be invented. However, the label’s core principles remain unchanged, namely delivering high quality house music and life affirming parties – both a reflection of the original spirit of house music, and a vehicle to drive it forever forward. Defected has treated every fork in the music industry road as a challenge to be embraced rather than a threat to be feared. Releases can succeed in many different ways, as evidenced in 2011 by both a ‘traditional’ number one sales chart hit such as Storm Queen’s ‘Look Right Through’ (MK Dub III); and Noir & Haze’s ‘Around’ (Solomun Vox), dubbed by Simon as “a hit in the modern music industry, which isn’t always about radio play and sales”, now approaching a staggering 100,000,000 YouTube views.

Lucy Fizz – photo by Mark Wardel 2019, Defected

Glitterbox

Glitterbox exemplifies Simon Dunmore’s enviable knowledge of music and clubbing history, eye for detail, and innate sense of timing. Allied to his dedication, a night that started in 2014 in Ibiza because “we felt that there was a lack of flamboyance, extravagance and expression on Ibiza and we wanted to fill that gap,” has become a global phenomenon.

Haris Glitterball, Kalypso Bang by Haris Nukem 2016, Defected

At the heart of Glitterbox is its family of resident performers whose energy, self-expression and fearlessness exemplify all that is best about club culture, respectfully acknowledging its past, powerfully reflecting its present, and signposting its future.

Glitterbox crowd shot, La Skimal, Space Ibiza 2016, Defected

Alongside the performers who are the public face of Glitterbox, you will find the cream of international house and disco DJs, game-changing poster designs from Mark Wardel, photographer Haris Nukem’s stunning portraits, next-level production, and a clued-in party crowd. This potent brew is celebrated in the forthcoming documentary Where Love Lives, which reinforces the message of unity and inclusivity.

Dennis Ferrer, photo Julien Duval, Defected

We Are Family

Defected has constantly demonstrated the ability to cross club tracks into the charts, from Soulsearcher (1999) to Endor (2019). Alongside the hits have been stone cold club classics from the likes of Kings of Tomorrow, Masters at Work and Blaze; and frequent dancefloor dynamite from an international array of artists.

The label side of Defected also takes in underground offshoot DFTD; Glitterbox, the recording arm of the ground-breaking party; and the pioneering Classic Music Company, “a magnet for personalities and characters, and people that don’t really fit in in the grand scheme of things,” (label boss Luke Solomon).

The labels family is home to numerous long term album-led projects, including The Vision, Horse Meat Disco, Fiorious, The Shapeshifters, Honey Dijon and Dave + Sam. Meanwhile under the 4 to the Floor banner, Defected enables househeads to mine the rich seams of catalogues from seminal labels such as NuGroove, Soulfuric, Movin’ and Slip & Slide.

Classic Liverpool gig poster, photo James Lacey, Defected
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Fatboy Slim at Hi, Defected

Dawning of a New Era

Defected is a go-to home for international superstars, from Fatboy Slim DJing in the toilets at a Glitterbox Ibizan night, via Idris Elba headlining a virtual festival from Amsterdam, the likes of David Guetta or Calvin Harris going back to their clubland roots, to Billy Porter channelling his inner disco self on Glitterbox Recordings.

Equally, house music royalty such as Louie Vega, Dennis Ferrer and Quentin Harris still pepper the release schedule, alongside new breed stars such as Low Steppa and Purple Disco Machine. However, Defected is now very much a multi-faceted company. Where Love Lives marks the company’s entry into the documentary world. Faith fanzine, a house music institution, has been re-born and continues to rock in print form. Early adoption of digital marketing and mastery of the ever-evolving number of social media platforms has seen Defected grow a huge community of close to 7 million locked into its engaging content.

Defected was first out of the blocks with its lockdown virtual festival series, later demonstrating how commercial partnerships can enable a fusing of passions like house music and football in a first of its kind global virtual music streaming event. The relentless pursuit of house music excellence and innovation continues.

Credits: Story

Text: Defected Records

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