Bass Into the Future

Canadian DJ, producer, record label head and environmental activist BLOND:ISH makes her anticipated debut on Defected alongside rising UK star KeeQ with ‘The Cure’. Soaked in the sunshine-filled, Latin-infused style BLOND:ISH’s DJ sets are known for, a blissful combination with KeeQ’s signature tribal and emotive elements as Chloe Paige’s distorted vocal purrs over hypnotic whirrs and a low swung bassline for an unmissable label debut from a triptych of house talent.

The Cure (Extended Mix)

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BLOND:ISH x KeeQ Feat. Chloe Paige – The Cure (Extended Mix)

Multi-platinum and GRAMMY-nominated artist Zoo Brazil lands on DFTD with ‘Cherry’. A prolific remixer, DJ and writer hailing from Sweden, Zoo Brazil has featured across the world’s most respected platforms, from DJing at clubs like Pacha Ibiza and London’s Ministry Of Sound to writing music for the BBC, MTV and more. A decade after his last Defected release, Zoo Brazil returns to the label family for ‘Cherry’ on DFTD, showcasing his signature house sound built for the decks and featuring a strikingly simple synth hook. Underpinning the record is his deep production expertise, one that has earned him GRAMMY and Brit nominations, and topped the Billboard Dance Chart. Despite major successes, Zoo Brazil has retained underground credibility through choice releases on independent labels, now including ‘Cherry’ on DFTD.

Cherry

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Zoo Brazil - Cherry

Defected heavyweight Low Steppa returns alongside rising house name Capri with ‘Got The Funk’. No stranger to the London label, the DJ and producer from Brum has been a firm favourite at Defected shows worldwide for many years, from its flagship festivals to major club nights alike. His releases across the Defected family of labels have also seen major club play, from ‘This Is The Sound’ on DFTD to ‘Bullerengue’ with Crusy on Defected. For his latest label outing, Low Steppa collaborates with Capri, an artist whose tracks have been supported by Mark Knight, Sam Divine, Darius Syrossian and Dombresky, with more releases on tastemaker labels scheduled for 2025. Capri captured Low Steppa’s attention with a remix of his track ‘The Feeling’ on the influential producer’s Simma Black imprint, and now the two deliver ‘Got The Funk’, a seriously hypnotic belter set to do major club damage - already supported by the likes of Barry Can’t Swim, Eats Everything and Danny Howard.

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Low Steppa & Capri - Got The Funk

Sunshine

DL/Stream: https://Toolroom.lnk.to/GetDeepTS

For all you hip-hoppers, doo-woppers, name-droppers and pill-poppers… come into our house to get deep… ‘Get Deep’ welcomes US House legend Roland Clark alongside production duo Mark Knight and James Hurr back to the label. Utilizing Roland’s classic vocal, Mark & James reimagine this timeless classic, originally released 25 years ago. Notoriously sampled on Fatboy Slim’s ‘Song For Shelter’, the vocal has made several appearances over the years, even showing up in a Katy Perry jam! ‘Get Deep’ sees Mark & James turn in trademark beats aimed directly at the dancefloor.

Get Deep

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Roland Clark, Mark Knight, James Hurr - Get Deep

German deep house artist Eppers is far from prolific (you must head back to April '22 and his spell-binding collab with Kevin McKay and Notelle - On My Own) for his last outing on GU. He is, however, the kind of artist who, when he delivers the goods, really delivers. "In My Dreams" is another stand-out slow-burning jam with a wicked bass hook, clever chord play and a deliciously hypnotic vocal. It's giving us mid-90s Strictly Rhythm vibes with a touch of 2025 breakbeat energy. Perfect for summer DJ sets.

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Kevin McKay, Eppers - In My Dreams (Extended Mix)

Alive

Alive (DJ Minx Remix)

Beatport

JPA Feat. Kate Watts - Fierce

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Breath Work

Cruzando el Río

Listen to Melodica now: https://found.ee/EDancer-Melodica

Bookings: ed@arcade-talent.com 
Management: phil@onehouse.com

Platinum-selling recording artist, label boss, festival promoter, true innovator in the pantheon of popular music, cultural champion, cracking DJ: there’s a lot to be said about Kevin Saunderson.

His influence runs deep, through both adopted hometown of Detroit, and music culture as a whole: as one of the Belleville Three, the high school trio which also includes Juan Atkins and Derrick May, he irreparably changed the face of electronic music; with Inner City, he gave it some of its most memorable tunes. 

The genesis of today’s enormous techno scene can be retraced straight to Kevin, Derrick and Juan, as their formative experiments on rudimentary hardware sketched a blueprint for a genre that was yet to exist. By absorbing Kraftwerk, cutting-edge funk, local radio stalwart The Electrifying Mojo’s electicism, and all manner of new synthesiser and drum machine-led pop music, the Belleville Three broke new ground as musicians and DJs in the 80s. 

Saunderson’s comparatively late start as a producer – kicking off in ’87 under the moniker of Kreem, with E-Dancer and Reese two of the more well-known names to follow – inadvertently gifted him a headstart. With the eruption of house music a few hours down the I-94 in Chicago, Saunderson married Detroit’s raw sound to more tactile, pop-leaning sensibilities. Inner City was born, and global success followed.

Between “Big Fun”, “Good Life”, debut album Paradise and a number of follow-up singles, Inner City (Saunderson and vocalist Paris Grey) amassed 12 UK top 40 hits and over six million records sold worldwide during their peak. A dancefloor-dominating remix by Luciano in 2008, and a globetrotting reunion tour in 2012, underscores the longevity of Inner City’s classic sound. 

His nickname of ‘The Elevator’ is apt: for his role in transporting Detroit’s new sound to a wider audience; as anyone who has seen him perform live can attest, his high-energy, high-spirit and high-impact DJ sets; and for spending the past 35 years of his life progressing the culture he helped create. 

Operating in tandem to his golden run as a producer in the late 80s and early 90s, Saunderson’s own KMS record label – a remarkable 30 years strong in 2017 – has chronicled the early footsteps of R-Tyme, Blake Baxter, MK, Chez Damier, Derrick Carter, Bicep and even Saunderson’s son and regular DJ partner Dantiez more recently. 

A special 12” series in 2008 called History Elevate, released in tandem with fellow polymath Carl Craig’s Planet E label, brought contemporary names like Mathew Jonson, Simian Mobile Disco and Loco Dice into the fold, proving his nous for fostering relationships with each new wave to come through techno’s gates. 25th anniversary compilations and numerous reissues have followed suit. 

Saunderson has a behind-the-scenes role to play, too: he is intertwined with the history of Detroit’s flagship Movement (formerly Detroit Electronic Music Festival / Fuse-In). Having produced the event in the mid-2000s, the last handful of years have seen repeated invites from Movement to display his ORIGINS showcase at the festival, bringing acts like Delano Smith, Phuture and DJ Minx under his curatorial umbrella. 

And of course, with a stacked international touring schedule over the decades, playing in nearly every country and at nearly every festival or club worth mention, he has not stopped pushing the feeling of techno on and on. 

The Groove That Won’t Stop, indeed.