As of this Sunday afternoon, there are just 29 days until a rather fuller-bodied bearded man wearing a red suit comes down everyone’s chimney – and they find out whether they’re on the nice list or the naughty list this year. Although Ears To The House respects the autonomy of Santa Claus, we’d be surprised if some of the people we write about get anything other than a lump of coal on Christmas morning.
Many of us get in the mood for the festive season by having a warm drink, or perhaps putting up the Christmas tree. But what do record labels in the dance music world do to prepare for the big day? Well, if you’re at Defected, the answer for 2023 is surprisingly simple – you find a way to make some money out of it.
So what has boss Wez Saunders – who we’ve helpfully imagined in a Santa outfit in this article’s cover photo – cooked up? Well, they’ve created these special festive jumpers for the occasion – and they all retail for £30 each…
They look the part, to be fair, and they’re certainly better than some of what’s out there – but what’s persuaded Defected to actually do this? Unless our memories are playing tricks on us, we don’t ever recall the company releasing specific products for Christmas in the past.
A source with close links to Defected believes he has the answer, pointing out that “Some of the staff have joked about this idea before. As far as I know Simon Dunmore [Defected’s founder and previous boss] never seriously considering doing this, but Wez obviously had other ideas. From what I’ve heard, a junior staffer suggested a possible pun, and Wez just couldn’t resist. He’s always been a big fan of Christmas.”
There might, of course, be more practically minded considerations at work here – Defected was purchased by Saunders and Pinnacle Bank last year for an eight-figure sum. And although we understand that Defected has had a very healthy financial year, a little extra money in the bank is never going to be refused…
