If there’s one thing that Simon Dunmore is especially good at in life, it’s finding the cow with the maximum amount of milk inside it, and then extracting as much of that milk as he physically can. It’s a skill he learnt in the 1990s at Cooltempo and AM:PM, and he utilises it well at Defected.
Hence why if you look closely at Defected’s history, you’ll start to see patterns. For example, the label was really into soulful house around the mid-2000s. Or more recently, you might notice the records being signed have changed dramatically since the success of “Cola” a few years ago.
During the pandemic, Defected has been hit by accusations more than once of colonialism. They’re more stung by the allegations than it first appeared, when label boss Simon Dunmore blocked DJ E-Clyps on Twitter last summer after he started asking difficult questions. And Detroit is one area where the Defected machine has been focusing lately.
The label recently released release a song by Dames Brown, Andrés and Amp Fiddler called “What Would You Do”. Seemingly everyone involved in it is from Detroit – and whilst one person from the city is conspicuously absent from the Defected Detroit love-in, there is another person who they’re very interested in.
And that’s the blog blocking, Derrick May supporting Ash Lauryn. You might remember her from an episode lately where she accused this blog of “spreading lies” about her – and despite repeated requests for details, she has yet to point out a single thing which was reported incorrectly.
Defected recently promoted her on their social media channels, and she’s also caused consternation in her native Detroit by her appearance on the Defected Croatia 2022 lineup. Now, Faith fanzine – who Defected own, by the way – have published this picture of her on Instagram…
So why is Defected so keen on Lauryn? An insider who’s previously worked with the label tells me “She’s the whole package, that’s why. She’s a new face on the scene, but comes from a city with heritage and a story to tell. She also happens to be quite easy on the eye, which is good for promotion on socials. I’m not surprised Defected are interested.”.
And though I say so myself, I think she’s a pretty solid DJ – although her taste in music leaves a lot to be desired…
