Thu 28 Nov 2024 • Freddie Hill
In Conversation with BVNQUET - Defected Croatia 2025 Line-up Spotlight
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Get to know the Croatia 2025 line-up with our new interview series. Read more...
Tier 2 tickets for Defected Croatia 2025 are currently available via the tabs above. Book now to ensure the lowest price.
In anticipation of our award-winning Croatia festival in 2025, we’re launching a new artist series:
In Conversation With… allows us to get to know just some of the incredible acts heading to Defected Croatia in 2025.
CEO Wez Saunders’ passion project Bad Decisions launched last year as part of the Defected Records family of labels, and today the burgeoning UKG imprint continues to impress as it blends old skool garage with modern production featuring talent from across the dance music spectrum.
“I think most people know I’m a not-so-secret garage fan and I feel there’s definitely a gap within the Defected ecosystem. The time is right for us to make some Bad Decisions ourselves.” – Wez Saunders, Defected Records CEO
At the forefront of the Bad Decisions sonic is BVNQUET, a young garage producer and DJ hailing from London. His label debut ‘Too Late Now’ featuring Emma Cannon saw spins across multiple shows on KISS FM as well as BBC Radio 1 Introducing and Introducing Dance.
What followed for BVNQUET on Bad Decisions was next-level collaborations - from ‘OG Reppa’ with UKG icon General Levy to ‘Treasure’ with Star.One, Scruffizer and Shayan.
After an incredible year as part of the Defected family, we sat down to get to know BVNQUET better...
Hey BVNQUET, great to have you! For those who might not be familiar with your music and releases, could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Yes guys! Thank you for having me. I’m Sam, a London-based producer / DJ. I’m obsessed with skippy garage drums and lush chords that borrow from neo soul and jazz, so my music is really an amalgamation of those two things. After many years of trying and various projects, this last year I feel like my music has really started to take me places, which is super exciting.
You recently signed to Defected’s newly launched UKG label Bad Decisions, how did it feel to be the first artist to release on the label?
As a long-time fan of the Defected brand (I applied for several jobs here in my teenage years with limited success - haha!) it has been an absolute honour to release my debut EP on such a culturally significant record label, and a nice full circle moment for me to be the first artist to sign to Bad Decisions.
The UK garage scene feels as strong as ever right now, so when Wez told me Defected were thinking of expanding into that market and he wanted to sign me to their new label, I felt really inspired to make the best music I possibly could.
My EP took a year to make, I whittled down loads of demos to the best few. I ended up remixing the tracks several times, and I’ve found the best version of each – it feels great to finally have these tracks out in the world.
As part of the new wave of current garage acts, how do you feel the genre is evolving in 2024?
It feels like there’s so many people making and listening to UK garage at the minute - it's as popular as it's ever been in my lifetime. There’s such a diverse range of garage being released and the music is having legitimate success, from the speed garage vibes of Diffrent ‘A Little Closer’, to the dark 2-step of Interplanetary Criminal’s ‘Races’, or the more soulful vibes of Higgo and mustbejohn’s ‘Pretty Little Raver’. It’s an exciting time for the genre for sure.
Over the years at Defected Croatia garage has had more of a presence as a genre, with artists like Todd Edwards, Conducta, MJ Cole all playing at the festival. How do you feel about joining the 2025 lineup and what are you looking forward to?
It’s a pretty surreal experience to be put on the same lineup as the legends of the genre that you mentioned.. I came to the festival last year just for fun with my mates and I was blown away by how nice and friendly everyone was - it’s probably the friendliest festival I've ever been to.
The vibes were great and watching Conducta, MJ Cole and Sammy Virji shell down the garage stage on the Saturday night will go down as one of my all-time favourite nights out. Needless to say, I'm super excited to go to the festival again and be able to play this time!
What can attendees expect from your set at the festival?
Expect high energy bumpy garage, fast mixing, genre-switches, unreleased originals, dubplates and big vibes.
Who do you think are the most exciting current UKG acts on the scene?
It goes without saying that Sammy Virji is really starting to put the genre on the global stage like it hasn’t really been before, alongside artists like Interplanetary Criminal, Conducta, Oppidan, Notion and many others, the genre’s finally making a big impact globally.
I also want to shout out upcoming DJs / producers Scruz and Tommy Villiers. Feels like they’re both really developing their own sound, and I love the early Disclosure influence in both of their music - a sound I borrow from a lot too.
And what do you have planned next for your own music?
I’m in the process of writing at the moment. I tend to make lots of music, most of which is really not very good, and then pick out the good bits for release!
Currently as it’s winter, I’m in the phase of wanting to make bangers that will go off in the club. I’ll likely drop a few of them at the top of next year, then as the weather starts getting better I’m sure I’ll want to make soulful summery tunes again.
Finally, what’s your go-to UKG classic?
Has to be MJ Cole - Sincere. I watched MJ spin this tune at Defected Croatia last year and it was a truly magical moment. He’s a wicked musician and great producer who’s massively inspired my sound.
The ninth edition of Defected Croatia will begin with our pre-party on Wednesday 30 July and end in the early hours of Monday 04 August 2025. Book now via the tabs above.
