Simon Dunmore, the founder of UK house music label Defected Records, has acquired a majority shareholding in House Culture, a media brand that started life as an Instagram page.
House Culture now plans to grow into a “global platform dedicated to documenting, celebrating and furthering the culture” of house music.
Dunmore‘s involvement stems from a guest appearance on the House Culture Podcast in 2024. He has since hosted episodes of the show himself, including a five-part takeover series and live onstage recordings in London.
The deal was announced on Wednesday (October 21). Financial terms were not disclosed.
House Culture was founded by Stephen Hedge and Richard Clark.
The pair first met on a dance floor in Shoreditch, London, in 2012.
They set up the Instagram account to share records, artists, and parties with fellow house music fans, according to the announcement.
House Culture says the account is now approaching 100,000 followers. Along the way, the brand has added a podcast, playlists, and events.
The House Culture Podcast launched in 2019, led by contributor Matt Rouse.
Guests on the show have included Fatboy Slim, Danny Tenaglia, and David Morales.
“I was invited as a guest on the House Culture podcast at a time when I was coming to terms that perhaps I needed purpose in my life and that I was premature in my retirement,” said Dunmore.
“I was taken by their passion for house music and the engaged community that they had built in a short space of time,” he said of the House Culture team. “I suggested that I would like to get involved and the conversations evolved from there.”
“I was taken by their passion for house music and the engaged community that they had built in a short space of time. I suggested that I would like to get involved and the conversations evolved from there.”
Simon Dunmore, Defected Records
Under the plans, the House Culture Podcast and radio show will sit at the center of a broader editorial operation.
That operation will include original features, video, YouTube content, playlists, a newsletter, and an archive.
House Culture‘s coverage will explore “the stories behind influential records, artists, labels, clubs and scenes.”
Events and music releases are also planned, as House Culture looks to move beyond its social media roots and become a “lasting cultural resource for the genre.”
“He has an incredible amount of experience, but more importantly he understands the culture we love and what makes a music brand resonate with people.”
Stephen Hedge, Richard Clark, and Matt Rouse, House Culture
Dunmore will work alongside Hedge and Clark, as well as Rouse and fellow contributors Nick Gordon Brown and Steve Banks. The team is supported by a wider network of artists, DJs, photographers, archivists, and ambassadors.
“He has an incredible amount of experience, but more importantly he understands the culture we love and what makes a music brand resonate with people,” said Hedge, Clark, and Rouse in a joint statement.
“For us, it’s about taking everything that people already love about House Culture and seeing how far we can take it.”
“We feel that the pace of social media has resulted in many key traditions being left behind, certainly when it comes to music and artistry,” said Dunmore. “This isn’t about nostalgia.
“We are committed to ensuring that the people who helped build this culture are properly credited, to supporting the creatives shaping the current scene, in the hope that ultimately these values help inspire future generations.”
Dunmore launched Defected in January 1999 with funding from Ministry of Sound, he told MBW in 2019.
Before that, he worked at Cooltempo Records and at A&M’s dance imprint AM:PM, where he signed Ultra Naté’s Free and Mousse T.’s Horny.
In the same interview, marking Defected’s 20th anniversary, Dunmore said the company was “very focused on what’s in front of us, rather than celebrating what’s behind us.”
In 2022, Defected was acquired for an undisclosed sum by its former Managing Director, Wez Saunders, who became CEO.
Dunmore moved into an A&R Consultant role as part of the deal. He had announced at the start of 2022 that it would be his final year as a touring DJ, and played his last shows in 2023.
In October 2025, he partnered with Armada Music to launch NBT Records.
Another electronic music media brand changed hands in January 2025, when Superstruct Entertainment acquired livestreaming platform Boiler Room from ticketing company DICE.
Superstruct paid GBP £25 million (approximately USD $30.6 million at the time of the deal) for Boiler Room, according to an earnings report filed in March 2025.Music Business Worldwide
