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He’s the founder of one of the most successful dance labels of all time, regularly DJs at the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals and has – according to Simon Marlin of the Shapeshifters – “the best ears in the business”. We can only assume that Marlin was referring to his ability to hear the potential in a record from several miles away rather than the shape of his aural organ, but of one thing we are left in no doubt; Simon Dunmore is at the absolute top of his game.
Now Dunmore – after putting together the latest instalment in the In The House compilation series; Ibiza ’10 – is stood proudly at the helm of the good ship Defected, ready to guide them thought a second successive season hosting Saturday nights at Pacha. However, it’s not all been plain sailing, as a lack of stand-out records and difficulty in putting a theme for the night have both had to be overcome in order to produce the goods, but Dunmore’s pretty confident he’s cracked it. We caught up with him to talk producers, the enduring appeal of Ibiza and the rewards that come with putting in that extra effort...
“If you want your records to be noticed, to have any chance of rising above all of the mayhem that is dance music at the moment, you’ve just got to put a little bit of time into the production, into your beats, into the musicality of it. Beats and bass lines, there’s a million tracks like that and you’ve got no chance if that’s all you’re going to do. So just put that extra 10%, actually no, put that extra 70% in to it and you’ve got a better chance”. Simon Dunmore Defected Label Head.
Q. What are your passions outside of dance music?
Simon: Unfortunately in these times, I don’t really have the time to indulge the passions that I would like to get involved in because first of all, my job is my passion. It takes up an enormous amount of my time. When I’m not DJing or doing AR for Defected, I have my family to consider. But if I do have another passion, then it’s football. It’s a bit of a lads’ thing and my team aren’t doing so well right now. I support QPR and they are terrible at the moment, so it means I can enjoy watching other teams. It’s a real release for me, I get rid of a lot of pent up energy. I love to see Arsenal win and I love to see Chelsea lose.
Q. What’s the magic ingredient?
It is, in these days and in these times, really hard for records to stand out. Everybody uses the same programmes, the same presets, the same sound. To me, the majority of music I listen to these days is extremely formulated, pretty soulless and dull! Or I find it quite soul destroying listening to records on Beatport and all sorts of tracks I get sent because they all sound so similar. I think that’s why they all come and go, they have no longevity, there’s nothing to make them stand out. If you want your records to be noticed, to have any chance of rising above all of the mayhem that is dance music at the moment, you’ve just got to put a little bit of time into the production, into your beats, into the musicality of it. Beats and bass lines, there’s a million tracks like that and you’ve got no chance if that’s all you’re going to do. So just put that extra 10%, actually no, put that extra 70% in to it and you’ve got a better chance.
Q. For you, at this moment in time, who the most exciting producers?
That is really difficult. I’m going to mention Dennis Ferrer again, who I’ve mentioned for the last four or five years. The reason is every year, he comes up with what, I believe, is an exceptional record. This year he has surpassed himself with ‘Hey Hey’, a massive record for the last six months and something I think is going to run all the way through the summer. There are some new kids around, people like Joris Voorn who has some really well produced and solid productions. But I’d like to see him put something on top of what are amazing grooves and well produced tracks, I’d love to see him put a song or something that takes it that little step further. The musicality of someone like Henrik Schwartz is also something I love.
Q. Right let’s talk about Ibiza. If you were to flog Ibiza to me as someone who hadn’t been there before, what would your sales pitch be?
Well, a salesman should be able to pitch his product to a wide range of demographics. If I were pitching it to a clubber, say 20 – 30 years old, I’d say the place is just hedonistic mayhem, some of the best clubs in the world. Everyday of the week you can see some of the best DJ talent in the world. There’s sex from wall to wall. All the things that pump your nads when you’re a kid! Music, sunshine beach, the opposite sex! Just the concoction of the whole place is just electric. When you are done with that and when you just can’t take anymore, there’s just the most serene, tranquil places that you can go. You get over the fact that you’ve obliterated your body for 48 – 72 hours when you can kick back, chill and recuperate. If you were older, I’d say if you want to reminisce back to when clubbing was the main thing in your life, there’s great clubs you can go to in Ibiza. You can go to Pacha, you can go on the terrace, you can go into the VIP. You can still feel good, and still feel comfortable doing it. Then there’s great shopping, great restaurants, great beaches. The one thing that Ibiza doesn’t have is sight-seeing, it’s not that kind of vacation. It’s just relaxation where you can have a great time!
Q. That’s going to be my new pitch to the travel journos! Right, should I drive a scooter in Ibiza?
If you are in your twenties, and you think you are indestructible, then yes absolutely. But do it with caution. If you are my age, in your forties, and feeling a little bit mortal, don’t go anywhere fucking near it!
Q. Should I swim in the sea?
Yes you should swim in the sea. It’s an amazing feeling to swim in the ocean, you feel absolutely free. But beware of the jellyfish! The island does get invaded with those and it’s pretty nasty when they sting! No sharks though.
Q. Right lets talk about hit records. Is Ibiza the breeding ground for hit records? Is that where you go to look for them and if so, how does it work?
(Yes we do go to Ibiza and try and look for records. Anytime we go out, anywhere in the world, we are always listening to what DJs are playing. If something stands out, we are always interested in whatever that record may be. You have a concentration of that in Ibiza, because you are hearing club music everywhere. It’s absolutely incessant and covers a wide variety of things too. That’s the great thing about house music. Are there records broken out of Ibiza? I think those days are over because the internet makes things happen so fast. If a record is played in the States, it can be played in Ibiza the next day, Japan the day after and Australia the day after that. So records seem to happen instantaneously across the world, rather than coming out of one place. So I don’t know if one place breaks music at all in these times.
Q. Let’s talk about Pacha. We’ve got every Saturday at Pacha. For you is it more of a prestige thing or not? What does having a party at Pacha say about your brand?
Whatever you do in life, if you are proud of what you do you want to play on the biggest stage, you want to be noticed. Even people who say they are cool, and underground and they don’t want to sell out, most of the times I don’t believe it; they are screaming to be noticed! I think that we’ve done a really good job at Defected by working and nurturing some great producers, giving dance music some great house records. Whilst I’m not preoccupied by having the recognition and the acclaim, I do want to be recognised for the hard work we do. It’s good for the soul to know that people appreciate what you do and I think that to play at Pacha in Ibiza every Saturday night just puts all of that into one moment! It is undoubtedly one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in the world. They’ve got clubs in various places but the spiritual home of Pacha is in Ibiza. It’s been there since the seventies; close to forty years. You feel the history and heritage when you walk in there. You know, if you are a footballer, you’d want to play for Barcelona, if you are running a night, you’d want to be at Pacha. That’s the level it’s at!
Q. Ok, about the party. Two things, what is the theme and who are the headliners you want to talk about?
It’s been difficult to come up with a novel and interesting theme for the year, but I think some people try a little too hard in that department. We have a constant message that at Defected, we are a great Saturday night out, we’re a disco label, it’s all about the party and people having a good time. That has been constant for the 10 or 11 years that we’ve been going, so Saturday night is about the twist that we have on disco. This year, we’ve kind of gone for trashy disco, it’s kind of en vogue and fashionable. Headliners this year… We support the people who make music for our label, we support them 100%. It would be easy to go “this kids hot,” or “all the kids are loving this producer” but if he has nothing to do with the label then we are just doing it for all of the wrong reasons. I believe we have worked with the producers for as long as we have because we give them as much as they give us. Therefore, our lines ups are based on the artists we have at the label. Obviously we work with new people as the years go by like Chocolate Puma playing for the first time this year. We have Riva Starr, a lot of people are talking about him. We have Quentin Harris back in the house and the fact that we have diversity in our night, keeps our night fresher than most of our competitors.
Q. Good! Let’s talk about the mix. Defected In The House Ibiza is now an institution. What have you done this year, to make it the best mix yet?
It’s really difficult putting together a compilation these days because there’s just not the diversity or the craftsmanship or the soul put into production these days. So you really have to dig deep to find twenty or thirty tracks that actually work. Also there are some political things that restrict you from using the tracks you want to use. You know, the label doesn’t want to license them, if it’s someone signed to a major label, they are really going to restrict your rights where you are going to be able to release it and so on. So you can’t always have the tracks you would love to include, so again just really drumming home the fact that we support the people we work with. We work with them because they make quality productions and their sound epitomises what Defected is really all about. I’d go to our DJs first, see what they’ve got and then add more tracks to give the compilation more depth and value.
Q. So what are these other tracks you are talking about? Tell me about the tracks from the producers you want to use?
Well, 70% of the album is our current material, which is what most compilations are these days, unless it’s specifically a retro compilation but Ibiza has never been about that for us. It’s been about putting some upfront and current tunes on there, but there are a couple of classics too like MK ‘Burning’. MK’s sound has been ripped and a lot of producers are borrowing what he used to do 15 years ago, so it’s really good to include a track like that. Plus we have Arther Baker ‘The Brake’ which was released maybe 20 years ago, but the version we have put on was released in 1998. It’s just a really good percussive house track. Tensnake ‘Coma Cat’ is a deeper and disco based, it’s a well-crafted and quality production. There is also Azari and III ‘Reckless With Your Love’ which is just an emotional and soulful house record. For me these tracks give it a little bit more depth, and the rest is just quality Defected house music.
Q. Ok, so exclusives?
There are actually a number of exclusives for the compilation. Shapeshifters ‘Helter Skelter’, ATFC Featuring Rae ‘It’s Over’ which is the biggest track I play these days with the exception of ‘Hey Hey’. I say 70% of the compilation is exclusive to Defected In The House. Some of the tracks may be released as singles, but most of them, this will be their first time on a compilation.
Q. When will you stop DJing?
It’s kinda weird actually. After every bad gig (and there’s not many of them these days), when you’ve travelled and you’re in a hotel, and you know your sets gone down badly, you just think ‘What am I doing here?’ I’d rather be with my family, having a good meal, watching the football, anywhere. Bad gigs are a real downer, so I think about stopping after every bad gig, but then when you do a good gig, you remember how much you love it. So while the gigs are still great I’m happy to carry on DJing.
(c) Interview by Defected
Simon Dunmore – Biog 09
If one were to cast a template for a forty something man – footy, clubs, fashion, music, tribes – then it’s probably fair to suggest that Simon Dunmore might well provide its typical case study. Raised on a diet of music and clubs and the perennial disappointment of QPR (an underachieving English football team), Simon Dunmore has clocked up thousands of miles on street culture’s byways and boulevards.
These days, of course, he’s the man behind the enormously successful Defected Records, whose portfolio includes scores of Top Twenty hits, from Bob Sinclar and Soulsearchers to Kings of Tomorrow as well as myriad club bangers from the delicate deep house of Charles Webster to DJ Gregory’s Gallic brand of afro-house. Despite his avowed housentric take on dance music, however, Simon was not an immediate convert to the cause. “I didn’t get it at first,” he confesses. “I didn’t like the acid scene, the music or the fashion associated with it. The house I liked was stuff like Blaze’s ‘Can’t Win For Losing’ and Ce Ce Rogers, something with a bit of soul in it. That’s what eased the transition for me.” You can hear echoes of those early records in everything he has released subsequently.
Dunmore’s been DJing for the best part of 25 years now and has passed through more tribes than Bruce Parry, from ska and rockabilly to New Romantic and soulboy (and he didn’t have to go anywhere near the Amazon to achieve it). Simon cut his teeth working behind the counter at Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre, which sounds about as glamorous as road sweeping in Rochdale, but in the late ’80s and early 1990s was a crucial store for underground imports (Brandon Block and Street Corner Symphony’s Glen Gunner also worked there) and it was through here that he got his break into the industry working as club promotions man at Cooltempo when a regular customer, Steve Woolf, offered him a job.
During his time at Cooltempo he was involved in a range of classic dance records (Adeva, Juliet Roberts and Shara Nelson) before moving on to AM:PM where he delivered many hits for the label, including monsters like Free by Ultra Nate, Give Me Love by Alcatraz and Ultra Flava by Heller & Farley Project. But Dunmore confesses to feeling a creeping cynicism towards music while he worked there. “When you’re working at a major it’s all about having hit records and making money and there’s not much time for anything else,” he explains. “The labels I’ve worked at, they did put out some good records, too, but to the people above you it’s a business. When I left AM:PM after working for Polygram I realised you can sign records that only sell 3,000 copies; if the economies of scale are right you can still make it work, it allowed me to listen to music in a fresher way. You could never do that at a major, although my time there was a great education and got me connected..... on other people’s time and money.”
In 1999, Janet Bell and Simon decided to break free from the corporate world and strike out on their own. Defected was the end result. They were helped considerably by scoring a Top Ten hit (Soulsearchers’ Can’t Get Enough) with their first release. Over the ensuing years they’ve racked up a string of chart successes but just as importantly, records that have made the world a better place, such as Julien Jabre’s Swimming Places or Do It Now by Dubtribe Soundsystem or Ame’s Rej. More recently, they have begun exhuming dormant catalogues of some of the finest dance music of the Eighties and Nineties after securing deals with Strictly Rhythm, Northcott and Junior Boys Own. Apparently, there are more to come. “There are lots of catalogue owners that either haven’t got the facilities or don’t want to get involved in promoting their music. So we speak to them and tell them we can promote their music on our website and include the tracks in our compilations and if it’s something they want to get involved it’s good for us too.”
Ten years down the line and they are still enjoying success despite the industry (and, indeed, world) looking much different to the late Nineties. “Defected is completely different to what it was three or four years ago,” admits Simon. “But I’m not going to complain about the Internet and file-sharing because it takes and it gives back almost equally. We hit a far bigger audience than we used to. Our promo costs and mastering costs are down by almost 90%. So yeah, your revenues are down but so are your costs. Our website is massively important to what we do. We do merchandise and downloads directly from our site. We do events. We DJ and we do DJ management. There are things that we do that we never used to, but for us it’s still about maintaining that love and enthusiasm for music.”
It’s a tough market out there, but Dunmore and Defected are survivors. Still here after ten years, and still wondering when QPR, apparently now the richest club in Britain, will fulfil their potential..
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