BIOGRAPHY:
Defected boss Simon Dunmore is a fanatical
collector of vinyl, with over 10,000 records
organised by label, and with those he most
loves and respects, Motown, Philly, Salsoul,
Strictly Rhythm, taking centre-stage. Simon
has always had a vision that his own label,
Defected, will one day be as revered and
respected as those other labels, and that the
Defected section will have pride of place in the
collection of any self-respecting dance music
fan.
Simon began DJing in 1982 and has been
working as an A&R man since 1989. This
experience, along with an open mind and an
ear for a hit go some way to explaining the
massive success of Defected, the label he set
up in 1999.
Simon’s soul-boy background in West London
led inevitably to working in a record shop [the
Soul & Disco Centre in Rayners Lane], DJing
and promoting his own nights locally and
around London, and into journalism, firstly for
Blues & Soul, then with a self-produced
fanzine, The London Soul Circular. Simon’s
suggestion that CeCe Rogers’ Someday was
a soul record that should get played on the
Northern scene led to him being in receipt of a
death threat! He laughs about it now, saying
that "Whenever I dip into the modern soul
scene these days those guys are still playing
exactly the same records. I couldn’t ever
imagine not being interested in new music."
For Simon, house music was a natural
progression from the jazz, soul and funk he’d
grown up with, and he embraced the new era
with open arms. It’s an attitude still with him
today -always open to new sounds, new
artists, and looking forward, not back, though
never forgetting his musical roots.
His first A&R job came at Cooltempo, where
Simon signed Juliet Roberts and much-loved
tracks like River Ocean’s "Love and
Happiness" and Alyus’ "Follow Me," as well as
working with a varied roster that included the
likes of Arrested Development, Gangstarr,
Adeva and Shara Nelson. At this time he also
remixed the odd track for the label, along with
colleagues including Gerald Elms [whose
"Guitarra G" track Simon later signed for
Defected, resulting in a massive club hit].
1995 saw a move to AM:PM, the dance
division of A&M, where signings [and hits]
included Ultra Nate, Mousse T, Alcatraz and
Farley and Heller.
When the Universal
corporation that took over A&M decided to pull
the plug on the label despite its high profile
and evident success, Simon and colleague
Janet Bell decided the time was right to set up
on their own. Defected was born on the 1st of
January 1999 and a no.8 chart placing for its
first release, Soul Searcher’s "Can’t Get
Enough," was initial confirmation that their
gamble was about to pay off.
Six years or so later, no-one could doubt it, as
Defected has become established as one of
the premiere dance indies in the world, with a
whole string of successes behind it, two sub-
labels, probably the most recognizable
branding in the dance music scene, and a
virtual patent on the funky vocal house sound
that dominates the clubs.
Simon still DJs, with a long-standing residency
in Lausanne, regular appearances at
Southport where he’s been playing since the
event was launched, and of course at
Defected nights, though he’s never been one
to crave the limelight. A family man, he’s just
at happy at home playing with his iPod these
days, transferring the collection to yet another
new format. Simon mixed the Eivissa 04 and
05 compilations for Defected, as a personal
statement both of where the label’s roots lie
and where it’s at right now, and as a taster for
Defected’s residency in Ibiza, where the label
is now ‘In The House’ at Pacha, probably the
world’s best-loved nightclub, on Tuesday
nights.
Ultimately though, Simon has become well
respected as the consummate A&R man,
happy to take a back seat and nurture success
in the artists/producers he’s signed.
"Whenever I’m trying to persuade someone to
sign with us," he says, "I always ask them to
have a look at the roster of people on our
books already. There are people that I’ve been
working with now since the A&M days. That
doesn’t happen if you don’t treat them well."
Ever the enthusiast, Simon describes "...the
buzz of being one of the first people to hear a
piece of music you love, and then helping to
make it go all the way to become a club
anthem," as being his prime motivation. It’s a
journey he’s made with more than a few tracks
now, and a knack that he shows no sign of
losing. •
