Defected Virtual Festival presents We Dance As One, the second instalment in a three-part live-streamed music event from Defected’s DJ Mag ‘Best of British’ Award–nominated virtual party. On Friday 27th November, sets from Pete Tong, Purple Disco Machine, John Summit, Vintage Culture, David Penn, Monki, Riva Starr and Sef Kombo B2B Louie Dunmore will be broadcast from socially distanced locations around the world, before the series culminates on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day 2021.
Defected media team said:”Among the acts is Latin American superstar Vintage Culture, a Brazilian DJ with a fan base of millions, who joins the Defected billing ahead of his release ‘It Is What It Is’ featuring Elise LeGrow on the label in early December. Alongside him is John Summit, a DJ and producer from Chicago who has enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2020, with his global dance smash ‘Deep End’ which has over 28M streams. Defected are also proud to welcome household name Pete Tong, a verified legend and ambassador for UK dance music.
Designed to raise awareness for the plight of the events business in the UK and around the world due to the pandemic, the first We Dance As One event in October saw 1.6 million viewers tune in from 92 countries, with an average watch time of 25 minutes, demonstrating the enduring power of music to unite people and providing some much needed uplift in the wake of more lockdowns and restrictions. The whole series is supported by the Night Time Industries Association and Association For Electronic Music, to show solidarity with an industry that has largely been ignored and dismissed by the UK government.
Taking this opportunity to again bring on board workers who have been displaced, November’s event will be produced by over 25 production techs, videographers and creatives assisting the Defected team, who have either lost work or faced redundancy as a result of events cancellations and club closures. The teams will work socially distanced behind the scenes at the various live-streaming locations around the world, from Vintage Culture filming from Bar do Cofre in São Paulo, to Riva Starr broadcasting from Egg nightclub in London, a club that has been identified by the Music Venue Trust as being most at risk of closure due to the crisis, and is crowdfunding money to survive.
Defected will use the live stream as promotion for the individuals, to advertise their skills and give them some well-deserved recognition. A token of appreciation to reflect the new era music company’s wish to support those who have been affected.
Having raised £3,000 for mental health charity Mind with the first event in October, We Dance As One 2.0 will be raising money for The Trussell Trust, a UK-based charity that supports a nationwide network of food banks, providing emergency food and support for people locked in poverty and working towards a hunger free future. Defected Chief Business Officer James Kirkham explains why this charity was chosen:
“We’re proudly supporting The Trussell Trust as our charity of choice for this month’s We Dance As One event. They’ve predicted a concerning 61% increase in food parcels that will be needed across the UK this winter. During the start of the pandemic around half of people who used a food bank had never needed one before. Quite simply, the hugely destructive effect on our hospitality and nightlife industry (among many others) has led to huge job losses meaning incredibly tough winters for many. We’re asking for people to give what they can in support of this cause.”
Friday 27th November will also see the launch of Defected’s first ever roundtable series We Talk As One, bringing together 20+ heads of nightlife and music culture to discuss the state of the industry and hopes for the future. We Talk As One will be live streamed every Friday on Defected’s LinkedIn platform from 1pm GMT, Friday 27th November, ending on Friday 18th December. We Dance As One 2.0 will be live streamed across Defected’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitch platforms on Friday 27th November. “
