The event marks Defected’s first happening in London since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In July, it celebrated Defected Croatia 2021 on the Balkan coastline.

After the hiatus, the forthcoming London edition promises quite an experience. Defected as well as affiliates Glitterbox, Classic Music Company, Sondela, 4 To The Floor, and Faith are curating the lineup across four stages.

Notable headliners include Eats Everything, Louie Vega, and Basement Jaxx amongst many others. Of course, Defected founder Simon Dunmore will perform as well. Attendees also have the chance to catch live performances by Inner City, The Shapeshifters & Teni Tinks, and Spiller & Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

“Building on the success of our return to events with Defected Croatia festival this August, where we hosted 5,000 house fans in the idyllic setting of The Garden Tisno, the unifying power of house was taken to new heights after a long hiatus from the dance floor,“ reads Defected statement.

Additional information regarding ticketing and more is available on the Defected website.

Attendees can catch sets by a vast selection of house artists, including over 80 DJs and live acts. There will also be boat parties twice a day across all six festival days.

The Defected Croatia bill includes sets by talent from across the globe. Armand van Helden, Bob Sinclair, Nightmares On Wax, Honey Dijon and many others are slated to take the stage. Florious, Shovell, and Inner City will perform live sets, amongst others.

Founded by Simon Dunmore in 1999, Defected Records is one of the longest-running and most popular house labels. “The plan was to establish the U.K.’s answer to Mark Finkelstein and Gladys Pizarro’s legendary New York imprint Strictly Rhythm,“ according to a statement on their homepage. 

Since its launch, the label has released tracks by Bob Sinclair, Masters At Work, and Kevin Saunderson to name a few. Its back catalogue now spans over well over 500 releases. 

Further information on tickets and additional details are available on the Defected Records website.

“Finally! It’s been almost a decade since I got back the music catalog that helped define my career,” Edwards wrote in a statement. “Now it’s ready for re-release, and I am very happy it will all be on Defected Records, the perfect label to share my music with old fans and a new audience.”

Born in New Jersey, Edwards derived influence from the likes of Todd Terry and Marc “MK” Kinchen in the early ’90s. His distinctive style of vocal sampling altered the evolution of UK garage and 2-step garage, affording him two separate opportunities to work with Daft Punk in the 2000s.

Resident Advisor notes that the Defected digital release will include such Todd Edwards singles as “Saved My Life,” “Dancing For Heaven,” and “Can’t You Believe.” All will be remastered and available for purchase and streaming.

Defected Records will also reissue select Todd Edwards releases in vinyl record format as well as devoting an installment of their House Masters compilation series to the producer.

Nu Groove was originally founded by twins Rheji and Ronald Burell after their R&B career on Virgin Records drew to a close in 1988. They’ve put out several releases under various aliases through the outlet. Later on, they also signed music by Frankie Bones, Kenny Dope, and Joey Beltram. 

It quickly became the go-to house label for many DJs with Frank and Karen Mendez serving as managers from 1988 to `92. In 2017, Defected Records bought the label rights and took over the imprint’s extensive back catalogue. Nu Groove would leave an indelible mark that was to be felt for years to come.

Preview clips of the label’s 113th release can be heard via Soundcloud. The vinyl record is available from the label directly via Nu Groove Records Bandcamp or from several on- and offline record shops. No details of a digital release have been announced at the time of writing.

Sef Kombo and Louie Dunmore will work as A&Rs for the new imprint, which will join sub labels such as Classic Music Company, Glitterbox Recordings, and DFTD under the Defected Records umbrella. A single by Hyenah makes for a fitting debut release as the masked DJ and producer has championed African music in his RISE residency at Berlin’s Watergate Club.

“I’ve been really happy being part of Sondela, I’ve always wanted to be a part of shining the light on the amazing talents from my home continent, bridging the worlds together to new listeners and also to release amazing future classic records,” said Kombo in a statement. “Even at this early stage in my A&R journey, I’ve learnt so much and so keen to learn more at Sondela.”

“I am so excited to begin my journey with Sondela Records and to be working alongside Sef Kombo,” added Dunmore. “Aligning with Bridges For Music will help me in my own personal development while providing an excellent opportunity to discover creative talent and dig deep to source new music.”

A premiere of Hyenah’s “Ezizweni” featuring DJ Tira and Luke Ntombela can be streamed via Groove Cartel.