With the nation and other countries going into quarantine from the unfortunate events, Defected was one of the first to hold l live-stream event and will continue its virtual residency today Friday, March 27th. After reaching over 10 million people through all social media platforms, the house music behemoth will continue with a 6-hour stream with six world-class artists straight to your home.

Last week positive reactions flooded in from around the world for the Virtual Festival, receiving support from the likes of BBC Radio 1 & Radio 2, BBC London News, Pitchfork, Forbes, Le Monde and many more global media outlets with a reach of over 250m. Over 1.5m people tuned in to the stream over the weekend, with many viewers calling for the Virtual Festival to become a regular event. Due to the overwhelming demand Defected are committing to continuing the weekly broadcasts for as long as possible, while adhering to advice from health organizations. The stream will provide an essential soundtrack to the current lockdowns being enforced around the world, and a welcome uplift for those in isolation.

On the reaction to last week’s Virtual Festival, and why he’s so determined to keep bringing people together on the virtual dancefloor, Defected’s founder and owner Simon Dunmore said:

“In normal times we connect people physically and online via social media. Last Friday we proved that there really is a global House Nation as people from all over the world met and partied together via apps and the Internet. There was nothing but positivity for 12 hours because, as the saying goes, people were “lost in music”.
The event reunited people, they realised they were not alone in isolation. Communities and friends met up via their screens, and they partied like it was 1999! We hope to continue for as long as we are needed. We need people indoors, safe. We’ll provide the music and good times, they just need to stay in and be a part of this huge global House Party. We also want to extend the concept by fundraising for the global COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.”

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Defected will be making a donation to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund from the World Health Organisation while enjoying the virtual festival you can also help those in need during this hard time by donating. The Fund is a secure way to contribute to the WHO-led effort responding to the pandemic.

On putting together a digital event that reaches millions, Defected CBO James Kirkham said:

“We need to own our role as a music business during this time and bring the positivity. We need to be a beacon of light. We’ve worked closely with ubiquitous all-access platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, vital conduits enabling us to bring our brand to life onto millions of screens around the world. We’ll be connecting people again this Friday through great house music, creating the ultimate house parties. Connected. Together.” Defected CBO, James Kirkham.