Defected

Defected launched in january 1999, founded by Simon Dunmore, a former A&R specialist at AM:PM and Cooltempo. "I felt at that point, since I'd been in the music industry for ten years, that I knew enough to start my own label," Dunmore told Billboard. the first release, Soulsearcher's "I Can't Get Enough," hit UK #5 that year; Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance" went to UK #1 in 2001. on what's kept the label credible for over two decades, Dunmore: "Consistency. I think people trust us now. If you constantly deliver a good product, people will believe in you, and we work really hard to not let people down."

Dunmore no longer owns or runs it day to day. on 29 july 2022 the label was acquired by its then managing director, Wez Saunders, who became CEO; Dunmore moved into an "A&R Consultant" role. "I am grateful to Simon Dunmore for his ongoing mentorship and for trusting us to continue his legacy, evolving the next generation of Defected," Saunders said at the time. Dunmore: "These are exciting times and I'll continue to be part of Defected's campaigns, but now I am delighted to be handing over the helm to Wez." the acquisition ran through a new holding company, Optimum Defected Holdings Limited, and covered the wider group's 30-plus catalogues.

36 artists we track have released on it, listed below, its flagship compilation series, "Defected in the House," launched 2003, alongside a syndicated Defected Radio Show and an events portfolio spanning Croatia, Ibiza, Malta, London, Argentina, Canada, Dubai and Cyprus. Glitterbox, the label's dance-nightlife sister brand with its own recordings imprint, is a separate entity under the same group, not Defected itself.