Braines behind Defected brings dance music royalty back home
He’s the Sunderland-born fixer who went from North East club nights to running Defected’s worldwide party machine. Steven Braines is bringing Defected back to Newcastle this week
Steven Braines speaks with the same contagious energy that has taken him from Sunderland’s grassroots club scene to the heart of Defected’s global operation.
Warm, quick-witted and proudly North East to the core, he returns home with a renewed sense of purpose as the iconic house label prepares for a long-awaited Newcastle takeover.
For Braines, the region’s ability to nurture boundary-pushing artists and unforgettable nights has always made it more than just another stop on the map — it’s where the story began. And now, with Defected set to light up NX on December 12, it finally feels like the worlds he’s built around the globe are circling back to where his journey first took shape.
That journey has wound through packed clubs, relentless touring and a constant commitment to artistic graft. Talk to Braines for five minutes and the North East’s imprint is unmistakable: a blend of humour, honesty and deep pride in the musicians who’ve shaped the landscape he emerged from.
Nadine Shah, Maxïmo Park, Lanterns On The Lake, The Unthanks, Sam Fender — he reels off regional names with the ease of someone who still recognises himself in the artists pushing things forward. “We disproportionately produce good music,” he says. “And really important music too. It’s a region that knows where it’s from and knows what it stands for.”
Braines has watched the North East earn fresh cultural gravitas in recent years as national events finally look beyond their traditional homes. To him, this shift reflects a long-overlooked truth: the creative infrastructure across Tyneside and Wearside has been strong for decades, built on the stubborn ambition of artists and organisers who never waited for southern approval.
“It just feels like the region’s finally being recognised for what it’s always been capable of,” he says. “There’s a sense of momentum — of people realising what’s been here the whole time.”
That awareness stems from personal experience. Long before Defected, before HE.SHE.THEY and before managing groundbreaking artists or programming world-class club nights, Braines cut his teeth running events in Sunderland and Newcastle. Those nights shaped his outlook — the inclusivity, the irreverence, the sense that a dancefloor could be home for every type of person.
North East crowds didn’t need convincing; house music already felt baked into the fabric of going out. “You can’t not have Newcastle on the map as a clubbing place,” he insists. “Some of the best clubs in the world have come out of this region. The legacy of Shindig, the influence of Global Underground and the DJs who came through here — it’s huge.”
It’s a long way from those formative years to his current post as director of events at Defected, a role he ascended to after joining as head of events. Braines laughs when describing the promotion.
“It’s the same job but with more emails,” he jokes. But beneath the humour lies a monumental workload. This summer alone he oversaw 66 Ibiza parties, including Glitterbox at Hï — regularly crowned the number one club in the world — and Defected’s packed season at Pacha.
There were sell-outs at the vast Drumsheds, landmark years for the Malta and Croatia festivals and scouting trips to Vegas as the label surveys new territories. Stadium plays, once a distant dream, now sit within reach.
Despite the scale, Braines hasn’t shed the independent spirit that shaped him. HE.SHE.THEY remains one of the world’s most progressive party series, a queer-led platform pushing for safer, more expressive spaces across electronic music.
He still manages artists too, including Emily Nash, who remixed MK’s chart-topping Dior. Balancing these worlds might overwhelm most but Defected has embraced Braines’ multifaceted approach. “My boss is incredible,” he says. “He’s let me be me — not some corporate version of myself.”
That freedom has allowed him to bring the inclusivity and accountability of HE.SHE.THEY into the Defected ecosystem. “Defected wasn’t exactly a challenge when I joined — it already had great initiatives,” he explains.
“‘Speak Up’ lets fans report anything from safety concerns to messy toilets. We survey people after the big shows. There’s an effort to listen.” But for Braines, inclusion is never a finished task. “You can’t just do something diverse once. It’s ongoing. It’s about who’s in the team, who’s on the line-ups and who feels welcome.”
He’s also helped reshape the events team to better reflect the audiences who pack Defected dancefloors worldwide.
He loves that the label still feels like a family business despite its global scale: accountants stage-manage festivals, junior staff get first-hand experience across departments and the company rallies as one on the road. “It’s genuinely heartwarming,” he says. “Everyone understands everything — and everyone’s invested.”
This December’s NX show is more than just another stop on the tour calendar. It’s a personal return, powered by the same northern crowds who have followed Defected to Ibiza, Croatia and Malta.
“They’re the life and soul of the party,” Braines says. “Loads of people from the region go to our events abroad, so it’s nice to bring Defected to their doorstep.” The Newcastle line-up blends heavyweight names — Eats Everything and Sam Devine — with rising talent such as Jordan Peak, fresh off a Beatport number one, and North East newcomer Sonny Tait, who recently played for Defected at Warehouse Project.
Braines loves that balance. “Defected’s soundtracked a lot of people’s clubbing history,” he says. “You’d be hard pushed to find a DJ who doesn’t have at least one Defected record in their bag. But it’s also about showing people what’s next. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue — it’s taking you through the best of house music.”
That philosophy extends to the dancefloor itself. Defected nights are famously welcoming: a blend of ages, backgrounds and identities sharing the same rhythm. “It’s not pretentious,” Braines says.
“People actually go there to dance! Nobody’s holding phones in the air all night. It feels like the good old days of clubbing.” He understands why DJs get frustrated elsewhere — he points to the endless filming and the lack of connection — but insists Defected remains an antidote. “The best moments in dance music are shared ones. The drop hits, everyone reacts together, strangers become your best mates. Those are the memories that last.”
Back in the Toon, he’s convinced nobody parties quite like the North East. He’s excited by emerging voices such as Kiandra, soulful vocalist Becca James and buzz band Ernie. “There’s always this churn of new talent,” he says. “The region’s enjoying another purple patch.”
Braines happily reflects on a life lived between global stages and the streets where he first learned what a great night out could mean.
For all the scale of Defected’s operation — from Ibiza residencies to festival takeovers and future stadium ambitions — bringing the brand back to the North East carries a different weight. It’s a chance to celebrate a region that shaped him, showcase the next wave of talent and remind clubbers why Newcastle remains one of the UK’s most vital dance destinations.
“If we can give people a night that feels like the good old days of clubbing while showing them where house music is headed next then that’s the dream.”
Defected’s homecoming isn’t just another date in the calendar. For Braines, it’s a full-circle moment — one that affirms the North East’s place at the heart of the dancefloor.
Remaining tickets for Defected at Newcastle NX on December 12 are available here.