From free parties in the southwest and record-shop graft to becoming Defected’s first female signing, launching 555, and rebuilding life on the road through sobriety, Sam Divine reflects on the work, freedom, and hard-earned clarity behind her next chapter. Face2Face is an interview series spotlighting artists, labels, promoters, and key voices across the global electronic [...]
The Smiley logo—broad smile on a round, yellow face—is probably the most immediately recognisable insignia in rave culture. In fact, it’s probably one of the most recognisable images in all of music history. Such is the power of their brand, that since its inception 50 years ago in the days of acid house and the free-rave [...]
Sam Divine is the Queen of Defected, and she’s helming the UK house music brand’s first season at Ushuaïa Ibiza this season as its weekly resident and key figurehead. For the the first of DJ Mag's 2024 Ibiza cover stories, Divine speaks candidly about her difficult upbringing, falling in love with house music, lifestyle [...]