Defected Records

Since 1999, Defected has been a defining force in UK dance music, built as much around physical experience as the music itself - clubs, parties, people, and shared energy. The challenge was to create a studio that could support the daily life of the label while also functioning as a flexible social and cultural space. In hindsight, that flexibility became essential.

Spread across two levels, the studio was designed to move fluidly between working, recording, hosting, and broadcasting. Upstairs, a brighter and more open environment supports the day-to-day rhythm of the team, while downstairs shifts into something softer and more atmospheric - informed by club culture, with layered lighting, intimate seating areas, and a stronger sense of immersion. Throughout the space, memorabilia, artwork, and collected objects root the project in the history of the label and the wider culture around it.

As restrictions came into place during Covid, the role of the space changed almost overnight. The parties and events that Defected to hosted came to a halt, and in the studio turned into live-streamed performances that reached audiences globally. The studio adapted naturally to this shift, becoming both backdrop and broadcast platform during a moment when music culture was being redefined in real time.

The result is an environment that reflects the evolution of the label itself - grounded in physical culture, but able to adapt to new ways of gathering, sharing, and experiencing music.