World-class house label Defected Records is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Carl Loben corners CEO Wez Saunders for some insights about its inner workings, and asks a selection of associated artists what the secret is to the brand’s lasting success Almost a quarter of a century ago, DJ Mag popped over to Defected [...]
The label will release a new three-track EP in July Legendary Chicago house artist Mike Dunn has announced he will relaunch his influential Danca Mutha imprint after three decades. Founded by Dunn back in 1988, the label released music by artists such as MD Connection, Gershon Jackson, and I-ROC-T. Dunn also co-founded seminal [...]
Sam Divine is the Queen of Defected, and she’s helming the UK house music brand’s first season at Ushuaïa Ibiza this season as its weekly resident and key figurehead. For the the first of DJ Mag's 2024 Ibiza cover stories, Divine speaks candidly about her difficult upbringing, falling in love with house music, lifestyle [...]
https://youtu.be/ieU1LQ8l-NQ?si=p2p3LExxlQojaCK- Marshall Jefferson shares the story behind one of house music’s most treasured tracks, "Move Your Body" This is the story behind one of house music’s most treasured tracks, Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body." Jefferson takes us back to 1985, when he was working at a postal office in Chicago, and explains “the song [...]
Released on 25th May 1984, ‘Smalltown Boy’ launched the gay synth-pop band Bronski Beat into the charts and onto dancefloors with its glorious synths, hi-NRG production and Jimmy Somerville’s soaring falsetto, which sang a story of rejection, pain and escape. Here, with the help of musicians, its iconic video's director and others, Bailey Slater [...]
"It's almost like being in a House Music Hall of Fame." Marshall Jefferson is the latest artist to receive a Defected Records 'House Masters' compilation. Out on 29th May, the Chicago house pioneer will release a 40-track retrospective that will highlight Jefferson's solo hits, production credits, remixes, and underground favourites from his 50 year [...]
Though arguably most prominent in the ’90s, free parties and illegal raves have never gone away. Despite the increased surveillance from authorities, passionate DJs and sound systems continue to throw events in a similar way that they always have, looking to create a sense of community and an alternative to the commodified dance mainstream. [...]
After four-plus decades of DJing and with a incredible list of releases — much of it produced with longtime partner Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez as Masters At Work — the pioneering Louie Vega would seem to have little to prove. Yet he’s working harder than ever, with the same energy he had as a young [...]
Thirty years on from first opening its doors, Cavo Paradiso is a true destination club. Having made its name during the peak of progressive house, this Top 100 Clubs staple now caters for an international crowd. Martin Guttridge-Hewitt hears about the ups, the downs, and the secret to Cavo’s longevity As the first ruby [...]
Crystal Waters shares the story behind one of dance music’s most celebrated tracks, ‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)' https://youtu.be/lm5xqtZywWw?si=mJP3oHGot1z8O5lD Crystal Waters shares the story behind one of dance music’s most celebrated tracks, ‘Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless)’. Originally released in 1991 ‘Gypsy Woman’ has become a timeless house classic; 33 years on Crystal [...]
