Simon Dunmore
Simon Dunmore talked about Defected and how magic Ibiza is.
Simon Dunmore is Defected; plain and simple. Without him, one of the worlda€™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 15thanniversary, few labels have consistently operated at such a high level as Defected Records, due in no small part to the drive, determination and AandR 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 labela€™s releases. Recent signings like Noir and Haze a€˜Arounda€™, Flashmob a€˜Need In Mea€™ and Pirupa a€˜Party Non-Stopa€™ (Track of the Year at the 2012 Ibiza Awards) demonstrate Dunmorea€™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.
And the labela€™s releases only tell half the story. Every year Defected In The House events touch down at the worlda€™s finest venues, and in 2013 after eight acclaimed seasons at Pacha, Ibiza Defected begin a new chapter in their live story, with a Saturday residency at the islanda€™s newest club, Bomba. The times may be changing, but only for the better.
Created back in 1999 a€“ initially in partnership with Ministry of Sound a€“ Defected Recordsa€™ success was immediate; their very first release a€“ Soulsearchera€™s a€˜I Cana€™t Get Enougha€™ a€“ reached No.8 in the UK singles charts, forming the foundation for the label’s future successes and musical direction. Soon after came a No.1 single in the shape of Roger Sanchez’s ‘Another Chance’, with further release milestones arriving in the form of Bob Sinclar’s ‘Love Generation’ and ‘World, Hold On’ and Kings of Tomorrowa€™s seminal a€˜Finallya€™ as well as more recent anthems such as Dennis Ferrer’s ‘Hey Hey’ and the ubiquitous ‘Coma Cat’ by Tensnake.
Key to Defecteda€™s continuing success has been its adaptability, and Dunmorea€™s openness to signing and nurturing fresh talent, rather than sticking to tried-and-tested, predictable modes of operation. a€oeYou always have to come up with fresh ideas to constantly re-invent yourself, as this gives you the opportunity to have longevitya€ he says. a€oeIf you continue to do the same thing a€“ especially in music a€“ it becomes too predictable and people move on.a€
Glance at the labela€™s regular roster of talent now and you wona€™t see many 0f the names you might traditionally associate with Defected. What you will see however is a contemporary group of some of the most talented DJs and producers around, all of whom are attracted to the artist-friendly approach Dunmore is so committed to preserving at Defected. Dennis Ferrer, Noir and Flashmob can count themselves as some of the most exciting artists of the moment, and all have forged highly productive relationships with the label.
Despite Dunmorea€™s enviable position in the industry, he admits there was no initial masterplan. a€oeMy career has always evolved naturally; a series of musical stepping stonesa€ including a€oemid-teens infatuations with Rockabilly, Two Tone and New Romantic phasesa€ before he discovered the Jazz Funk scene of the early mid-eighties. Then in 1989 while working as a music journalist and record-store employee he was offered a position as a Promotions Manager at Cooltempo, the dance division of Chrysalis Records before progressing into AandR, and eventually going on to run AandMa€™s dance imprint AM:PM. Having learnt his trade at the major labels Dunmore decided to start his own company, launching Defected on January 1st 1999.
Of course, back then the threat of file-sharing to a labela€™s business was nothing more than a dark shadow lurking in the distance, but unlike many, Dunmore says that the digitalisation of music has only been a positive development for Defected. a€oeInitially the transition into the digital age was a journey into the unknown and as a result was hugely intimidatinga€ he admits. a€oeNow that the digital record business is a reality it is much more manageable. If you are savvy, you communicate directly with your fans and as a result your marketing is more targeted. If you know your audience and the potential of a release, the business side of things is easier to manage than it was before.a€
Dunmore is also refreshingly honest about his decision to leave Pacha, Ibiza a€“ one of the most talked-about departures of 2012 a€“ at a time when Defected In The House events are more popular than ever before. 2013 will see Defected In The House events at Ministry of Sound (London), We Are FSTVL, Nikki Beach (Miami), Gibson (Frankfurt) and many more, but not the White Islea€™s oldest club. a€oeWe enjoyed eight incredible seasons at arguably the worlda€™s most iconic discotheque but we are pushing ourselves on all levels and it feels like the right time to move on.
a€oeWe have spent the last 2 years repositioning Defected on all levels and our new residencies in Ibiza will push the perception of the a€˜newa€™ Defected even further.a€ he concludes. Those residencies will include Bomba, the Giuseppe Cipriani owned and Danny Whittle run club located in the islanda€™s Ibiza Town.
As well as being a curator of talent, Dunmore is also one of the most respected and technically-gifted house DJs, having appeared at pretty much every club of note in a career spanning three decades. a€oePast a certain age it perhaps isn’t the done thing to be at a club till 6AMa€ admits Dunmore a€oebut DJing keeps me on the edge. I don’t want to get too comfortable, don’t want to slip into middle age. Playing pushes me to listen to more music, it keeps me involved.a€
2013 sees another fundamental change for Defected, with an entire rebrand of the Defected appearance conceptualised by renowned art designer and musician Trevor Jackson. a€oeIa€™m extremely excited to be working with Trevora€ enthuses Dunmore. a€oeWhen it comes to conceptual design he is in a league of his own, and a new-look Defected is part of upping our game across all areas of the business.a€
After working within the music industry for the majority of his life, Dunmore has recently become the focus of a number of major publications, all of which are interested in the method behind his undeniable success. Business-focussed features for The Guardian, Huffington Post, Metro and Evening Standard demonstrated Dunmorea€™s respected position of the industry, while an Outstanding Achievement award presented at Pete Tonga€™s International Music Summit in 2012 saw the industry itself acknowledging his priceless contribution over the course of his career. “Ita€™s fantastic to have your hard work recogniseda€ says Dunmore of the accolade a€oebut ita€™s not all about my own time and effort, ita€™s also down to all the amazing people Ia€™ve had the opportunity to work with over the years.”