It’s been six weeks since we streamed our first ever Defected Virtual Festival from Ministry Of Sound, London; during this time, our global community has used the uplifting power of music to unite. Now we reminisce on what has been an amazing journey so far, looking back on a selection of 16 unforgettable moments. Little did we know from the moment Simon Dunmore kicked off his opening set at the first virutal festival, that this was about to become a residency that would amass over 12 million views (and counting) from all over the globe…
1. Simon Dunmore plays Lovebirds - Want You In My Soul as the opening record
This was the start of our virtual journey, and a joyous opening, the mellow intro combined with Aaron Carls ‘My House’ accapella built anticipation for what was to come, with thousands of viewers tuned in and no one knowing what to expect. As soon as Stee Downes soft vocals dropped, a warm feeling of familiarity united viewers and took us back to memorable dancefloor moments.
2. The Vision & Obi Franky performing ‘Heaven’
‘Let’s open our hearts to love at this time’ says Ben Westbeech (1/2 of The Vision) before closing out the set with The Visions debut single ‘Heaven’ and Obi Franky brought the energy with her flawless vocal performance. Simon Dunmore took to Instagram celebrating success, stating the set ‘put more than a little soul into over a million people’s lives’.
3. Riva Starr’s VIP Edit of ‘Vogue’
Riva Starr blessed us with an exclusive VIP Edits set, delivering banger after banger, providing the tracks we didn’t know we needed. Riva wound it back to 1990, dropping his VIP Edit of Madonna’s ‘Vogue’, an exclusive play leaving house-heads wanting more.
4. Mele dropping ‘The Word Is Love’
From his house to yours, Mele brought the funk with his set. Playing floor-fillers such as ‘Big Love’ and ‘Black Water’, it was a set taking us back to the missed dancefloor moments gone by. He carried on the groove, dropping Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley’s ‘The Word Is Love’ featuring Sharon Pass, a hands-in-the-air moment of an immense set.
5. David Penn previews his ‘Ultra Flava’ Remix
On a sunny bank holiday weekend for us in the UK, David Penn brought more sunshine, live from Spain with his opening set for the third Virtual Festival. With dancing and smiles throughout, Mr Penn injected his dose of happiness into the world. Dropping his own remix of Heller & Farley’s ‘Ultra Flava’ alongside playing live keys, it was a moment to go down in Virtual Festival history
6. Roger Sanchez plays ‘Another Chance’
Roger Sanchez has racked up a mighty 2million+ views so far on his mammoth set live from Miami. Taking us on a musical journey and ending it with his early 2000’s Defected hit ‘Another Chance’, the timeless track we all know and love from Sanchez. Overall it is what can only be described as a killer set, its no wonder fans are wanting to re-visit.
7. Mambo Brothers Balearic sunset moment
A perfect sunset moment, live from Ibiza, ½ of the Mambo Brothers brought a selection of chilled tracks and mixes. The sunset many of us are missing was looming in the background, watching dusk fall to CamelPhat & Elderbrook’s ‘Cola’ (Simon Mills Full Sugar Mix), a truly beautiful set from start to finish.
8. Black Motion playing 'Rainbow'
Black Motion did not disappoint, continuing the global affair live from South Africa with a fire performance. The pair’s live percussion added huge amounts of energy, and fans across the world were amazed by their talent. The pair dropped their own track ‘Rainbow’ released on Defected in 2017, the passion behind this set was clear from start to finish.
9. Love Regenerator (Calvin Harris) drops ‘Chime’
With Virtual Festival 3.0 drawing to a close, Calvin Harris donned his Love Regenerator alias, cranking it up a notch with his set, playing absolute heaters all the way through. After dropping Eli Brown’s edit of ‘Chime’ by Orbital towards the start, he had laid the foundations for an extraordinary set.
10. Sam Divine plays ‘Music Is The Answer’
Sam Divine closed the day with her eclectic set, grooving throughout and highlighting the success of Virtual Festival 3.0. Bringing her set to a close by reminding viewers of what united them in the first place, Sam dropping ‘Music Is The Answer’ by Danny Tenaglia, an uplifting record with lyrics that ring truer than ever right now.
11. Bob Sinclar playing ‘Found A Cure’
Bob Sinclar took to the decks for our first Glitterbox Virtual Festival, giving us all the disco vibes in high-energy Sinclar fashion. Grooving virtually alongside our Glitterbox dancers, Sinclar dropped Ashford & Simpon’s ‘Found A Cure’, bringing spirits up from his Paris abode to yours.
12. Natasha Diggs drops ‘Luther’ edit
Natasha Diggs enchanted us with a dreamy 45 Vinyl set, packed with funky goodness from beginning to end. Her happy aura radiated amongst us all, wishing we were there in her enviable record room. Asserting her title as the 45 Queen, her selections were out of this world, dropping Caserta’s King Street Mix of ‘Luther’, a smooth track we could play on repeat again and again!
13. The Dunmore Brothers and Simon celebrate
It was a family affair with Simon Dunmore playing B2B with his two sons AKA The Dunmore Brothers. Opening Defected Virtual Festival 4.0, Simon says the set was about his sons ‘Showcasing their vibe, their taste in music, their flow’. The 90-minute set ended with the three coming together for a family hug in celebration of a smashing set, a special moment for the family and everyone watching
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14. Ferreck Dawn teases ‘By My Side’
Ferreck Dawn brought the house down direct from his homeland Holland, it was party time for us all, with a range of music from brand new to classic tracks. Ferreck played his upcoming Defected single ‘By My Side’ (out 15/05 – pre-order here), cranking up the excitement with this exclusive teaser.
15. Dom Dolla drops 'San Frandisco'
All the way from Melbourne, Australia, Dom Dolla rocked the house from his balcony, with a set full of groovers. Flexing the ultimate lockdown set up, Dom Dolla did not let us down. Dropping his track ‘San Frandisco’ mid-set continued to boot off the high energy, club-feel set.
16. The Gorgon City handover
From one continent to another, we witnessed the incredible Gorgon City come together providing a seamless set from Chicago and London. Forgetting the physical distances and transporting viewers to the one and their own Gorgon City, the perfectly executed handover was another special virtual moment.
Thank you to each one of our Defected family members, the viewers, DJs, dancers and staff, who have all been a part of each of these wonderful moments, we can’t wait for more to come. Tune in this Friday for our fifth Defected Virtual Festival! #stayhome #Virtualfestival
