Defected
Simon Dunmore is Defected; plain and simple. Without him, one of the world’s longest-standing and most highly respected house music labels would not exist, and the current landscape of electronic music would appear that little bit flatter. Few labels have consistently operated at such a high level as Defected Records, due in no small part to the drive, determination and A&R talent of its owner and founder.
That Defected is enjoying arguably its best form in over a decade is down to the consistency and quality of the label’s releases. The most prestigious names of House Music joined Defected along the years and have really found their Home. To mention but a few: Dennis Ferrer, Dimitri in the House, Junior Jack & Kid Creme, MK in the House, Osunlade, Nick Curly, Sandy Rivera, Guti, Chocolate Puma, Copyright, Yousef, Franky Rizardo, Supernova, Gotsome, Sam Divine, Kort, Sony Fodera, Andy Daniell and Shovell. Recent signings like Noir & Haze ‘Around’, Flashmob ‘Need In Me’ and Pirupa ‘Party Non-Stop’ demonstrate Dunmore’s innate ability to see the potential in a record and take it to the next level; a skill for which Defected has become renowned.
DENNIS FERRER
‘Through the trials and tribulations of my life, music has never left me. Never left.’
With such a statement it’s obvious Ferrer’s passion for music is beyond question, and this unquenchable thirst is largely attributable to his childhood: one of his earliest recollections is tinkling the ivories of a toy piano aged four in a soul-and-disco-obsessed NYC household. Another vivid memory is as an eight-year-old, making after-school trips to local record shops to buy rap records, as both his ears and imagination were captured by the birth of hip hop in and around his New York neighbourhood. ‘I was born in 1970 but I’m more a child of the early 1980s and late 1970s onwards: As a kid I remember chic’s Le Freak, and Rapper’s Delight – that was an eye opener,’ he recalls.
I grew up in the whatever age, where you would listen to everything and I’m doing the same thing,’ continues Ferrer. ‘That’s why people are surprised by my variety like if I do a tech thing, or an Afro thing, or a soulful record. That’s the way I grew up. I didn’t listen to one type of music.’
DIMITRI IN THE HOUSE
When it comes to musical selection, passion for his craft and finesse on the decks, Dimitri From Paris is second to none. A man who has dedicated the last thirty years to honing his skills and sharing his love of all kinds of music, he has evolved from a bedroom DJ, to a radio presenter, remixer, a producer in his own right and a globally-renowned purveyor of great music.
JUNIOR JACK & KID CREME
Junior Jack, otherwise known as Vito Lucente, was born in Italy but has been residing in Brussels ever since his parents moved to Belgium when he was a teenager.
Vito soon caught the house virus and in the early 90’s he started to release tracks under different names including Kafé (‘Can You See It’), Hugh K (‘Shine On’) and Mr. Jack (‘Only House Music’). In the same period he also launched his own label Noisetraxx to which DJ’s and producers like Roger Sanchez, Mouse T, Erick Morillo and Robbie Rivera contributed their remixing skills.
OSUNLADE
As a youngster Osunlade’s weekly allowance was “two records per week at the local record store” in his hometown of St. Louis Missouri. With this kind of encouragement, a love and passion for music was instilled from an early age. A hunger for jazz, soul and funk was fed by these regular visits to the record store – and has helped shape his musical output throughout his career. Even now his huge record collection has been spread across the globe from Canada to his home in Greece. His unwavering passion for music means he often has to stop himself from perusing the shelves of record shops when he’s on the road, knowing he is bound to go on a spree. This unquenchable thirst for music has been evident and unrelenting since his early years.
MK IN THE HOUSE
From working alongside some of the world’s biggest pop stars (think Michael Jackson, Will Smith, Pet Shop Boys) to crafting seminal and timeless underground house, Marc Kinchen – better known by his stage name MK – is a peerless craftsmen of modern-day music.
NOIR
One of the planet’s most in demand house DJs and the man behind a hugely successful and pioneering label, he’s also the man responsible for one of the decade’s biggest house tracks so far, 2011’s global club smash ‘Around’. The track, a sexy, synthesizer-tinted groove featuring vocalist Hayze, was by far the biggest of Noir’s career to date. Picked up by house giants Defected, it dominated dancefloors across the world for nearly 18 months – and didn’t just catapult Noir to the front rank of producers and DJs but Solomun (whose subtle, sexy remix became the definitive version) as well.
NICK CURLY
Hailing from Mannheim, in the south-west of Germany, Nick Curly notched up an impressive list of achievements. In 2012, he released his debut LP, Between The Lines, celebrated five years of his label Cecille Records and secured a debut appearance at Richie Hawtin’s much-lauded ENTER at Space in Ibiza. As well as this, Nick also criss-crossed the globe from Mexico to Tokyo, while holding down his residency at the much-respected Kehakuma night in Ibiza.
SANDY RIVERA
Whichever way you look at it, you know who Sandy Rivera is. Whether it’s the words to ‘Finally’, the album you have by Kings of Tomorrow, the stunning production that infiltrates ALL the way through ‘FREAK’ or the untold mixes that have penetrated the dance charts over the past 15 years; you KNOW who Sandy Rivera is.
Rewind a decade and a half – take it back to the days where dance music was underground, music was made purely from love and the future king of tomorrow was launching a label called Blackwiz. Take it back to a time when something amazing happened – a New Yorker with a Puerto Rican heritage started making records. Following a short run making hip-hop tracks and learning the piano to gain a higher level of musical understanding, Sandy dropped his first LP in 1997, labeled ‘The Calling’.
GUTI
Guti was born in an exceptionally musical, sprawling catholic family, which included orchestra directors, saxophone players and pianists. His grandfather and uncles emigrated from Russia after the war. His mother, an education consultant, is from Uruguay. On long hot summers in that neighbouring country, Guti would steal hours alone at the piano.
CHOCOLATE PUMA
0-odd releases and countless remixes under their various guises are a duo whose influence on the European dance music scene cannot be underestimated. Drawn together by a common appreciation house music movement of the early 90s, their career got off to a turbo-charged start with the release of what would become one of the defining records of their career.
COPYRIGHT
Producers, DJs, long-term music fanatics and now – perhaps most life-changing of all – fathers, Copyright are Sam Holt and Gavin ‘Face’ Mills, the UK duo whose considered and mature approach to house music has earned them a place in electronic music history. After 15 years, Copyright can count a studio album, headline gigs at some of the world’s biggest clubs, their own label Copyright Recordings and dozens of acclaimed singles amongst their achievements. Add to this a longstanding relationship with the mighty Defected Records on which the majority of their music has been released, and it’s easy to see why the name Copyright has become synonymous with quality, earning Holt and Mills thousands of fans around the globe.
FLASHMOB
Cracking the music industry is about as difficult an undertaking as you’re likely to embark on in a lifetime. Talent, passion, perseverance and an unerring work-ethic; to achieve even moderate success in the industry you need all of these qualities and more in abundance. So when Danny and Alessandro – now known under the ferociously successful Flashmob moniker – stepped away from their highly fruitful previous project to essentially start again from scratch, they were more than aware of the long, hard road ahead of them.
YOUSEF
Knee deep in his second decade of dance, Yousef remains one of the globes most exciting talents in the realm of modern rave. His career has evolved and stayed true to the shifting sands of the game; he stood out when he arrived on the scene because of his jaw-dropping technical savvy and as the years have progressed he’s added the multi-faceted strings of club promoter, label owner, and deftly talented producer to his bow.
SIMON DUNMORE
Simon Dunmore is Defected; plain and simple. Without him, one of the world’s longest-standing and most highly respected house music labels would not exist, and the current landscape of electronic music would appear that little bit flatter. Rapidly approaching its 15th anniversary, few labels have consistently operated at such a high level as Defected Records, due in no small part to the drive, determination and A&R talent of its owner and founder.
FRANKY RIZARDO
“It’s not easy to describe my sound. This is because I play a large spectrum of the house genre, as long as it fits into one set. I do have a big focus on drums and percussion throughout my sets and productions. So if I had to try to put it into a genre, it’s groovy Latin house with lots of vibe!” – Franky Rizardo
SUPERNOVA
Supernova are Emiliano Nencioni and Giacomo Godi; an Italian DJ and production duo that have over the last decade made the transition from rising stars to established international talent. Perhaps best known for their acclaimed and much-discussed collaboration with Kevin Saunderson on 2010’s ‘Beat Me Back’, the pair used the attention achieved to demonstrate this was far from a one off, and are now recognised as artists and performers of enviable stature.
GOTSOME
GotSome, aka Alex Homes and Adam Gorsky, are a UK production duo set to imminently explode onto the house scene. Previously recording as two parts of Forget Me Not (who saw releases on imprints such as Hypercolour’s Losing Suki and Alfresco Disco Records), they are perhaps best known to date for the B.Traits-championed ‘Bassline’, soon to be released on the mighty Defected Records, along with remixes from Friend Within and Chocolate Puma.
SAM DIVINE
Long associated with the legendary Defected Records, Sam Divine has come a long way since being a record shop employee having spent the last seven years being a key component to the White Isle’s party scene. Her DJing success has seen her tour throughout Europe as well as Brazil, Chile, Japan and Dominican Republic, with festival highlights including We Are FSTVL (UK) and Pacha Festival (The Netherlands) as well as securing a three year residency at Ushuaia, Ibiza. Without doubt one of the most popular and passionate DJs on the circuit, Sam Divine is a guaranteed floor-filler and party starter.
KORT
Ben Webb & Chris Jordan are the names behind KORT. Constantly pushing boundaries and developing their own roles within the studio partnership, KORT have dedicated themselves to their vision of quality house music with a distinctive feel.
SONNY FODERA
Sonny Fodera continues to scale the mounting hierarchy of house talent whilst making it look easy. Named by Mixmag as one of their ‘Hot Six’, Sonny Fodera has had an impeccable 2013 with releases on a slew of today’s biggest house labels including a debut album, Moving Forward, on the reputable Cajual Records. Renowned for his smooth technical mixing, last year saw Fodera play at some of the world’s greatest clubs such as Air, Ministry of Sound, DC10, Booom! as well as a residency at Ushuaia Tower.
ANDY DANIELL
It’s hard to believe that at just 24 years of age Andy Daniell has already clocked up more than 5 years as an In the House resident for Defected. Since joining the label in 2003 as their youngest ever resident he has gained international recognition as an exceptionally talented DJ and producer. Cutting his teeth at El Divino in 2004 as Defected’s Ibiza resident, Andy Daniell captivated crowds and industry heads as he fast became Defected’s hottest, rising talent.
SHOVELL
Although Shovell started his professional music career with “natural life” a band from south east London, who were signed by “Hollywood records “in 1990, Shovell is probably best known as band member and percussionist in multi- platinum album selling band “m people”. M people have sold over 11million albums, and in so doing have won many awards and accolades along the way, including a mercury prize, an Ivor Novello and two Brit awards.
