Suff Sakoor feat. Anna-Marie Johnson - Need The Funk (Pretty Chief Records)

Pretty Chief Records and The Mange Le Funk Collective are back with another high quality house music single featuring the sweet soulful voice of the amazing Anna-Marie Johnson. The finest soulful house label on England’s southern coast, Pretty Chief Records has been going strength-to-strength with releases from the core label family of Suff Sakoor (AKA DJ Suff) and Maurice Bird (AKA Beathaven) who, together, form Mange Le Funk. Anna-Marie Johnson — lead vocalist for Drizabone Soul Family and the hot single “Tranform” on Rhemi Music — has returned to the label to lend her voice magic to Suff Sakoor’s “Need The Funk”, the latest Pretty Chief release.

The single launches with a remix from another member of the Pretty Chief family, Richie Blax. His version is an uplifting vocal soiree, incorporating UK garage-inspired beats, funky disco flavors, and melancholic undertones. DJ Suff then lends his own potent re-rub, the SS Old Skool Ivory Mix. It’s a veritable soul shakedown, featuring sweet, sultry orchestral strings, quirky piano licks, funky guitar, and the emotive vocal from Anna-Marie. The single closes with Maurice Bird’s Beathaven Remix which introduces a touch of funky tech. This mix has an essence of early ‘90s dub house, Latin-tinged percussive beats, and a deep, resonating body-shaking bass line. “Need The Funk” is the soulful business!

Lenny Fontana (Ministry of Sound) – “The Richie Blax Mix is a real classic.”
Craig Stewart (DCSTrax) – “All mixes are very strong. Superb dance music, brilliant.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House Web Zine) – “Smooth and soulful summery vibes.”
DJ Craig C (Peace Bisquit) – “Sexy track with a great vocal!”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95) – “The piano stamped SS Old Skool Ivory Mix is the one here, with it’s hypnotic bassline, bongos, cool summer vibes all over.”
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory / BBC) – “This is absolutely wonderful … tracks like this don’t come around every day.”
Alan Powell (The Midnight Mix on Solar Radio) – “Very nice tune. One for the peak time slots.”
Curtiss Logan (Jersey Soul) – “Very nice release. I like the Beathaven mix, it has good energy. Good job on this one.”
DJ ARCH (Pressure Radio) – “Lovely deep, soulful house. Great production and nice vocals.”
Jonny Layton (The Saturday Soulmine) – “This track has got the FUNK! Love it.”
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX) – “Outstanding Soulful, bumping House right here from Suff Sakoor. Classy vocal from Anna-Marie. Difficult to pick a favorite mix, they all work so well. Supporting for sure!”

Available Now From: Traxsource, Beatport, iTunes, And Spotify.

Suff Sakoor feat. Anna Marie Johnson - Rise Up (Pretty Chief Records)

West Sussex label Pretty Chief Records was founded in 2016 by Richard Whitworth to focus on soulful and funky house music with top notch production and live elements. The debut single is the driving “Rise Up” by Suff Sakoor and vocalist Anna Marie Johnson. No stranger to the game, Suff Sakoor is part of the Mange Le Funk collective, comprised of all of the artists and remixers showcased on this release, and co-writer of the classic cut “I Still Want You”. A late night jam session created the foundation for “Rise Up”, with chiming staccato Rhodes piano chords, a steady bass line, and punchy four-on-the-floor rhythms combining for an exceptional club track. Enter Anne Marie Johnson, whose amazing vocals (with lyrics written by Richard Whitworth) send “Rise Up” into the stratosphere. The mixes include a soulful late night warehouse treatment from Kaled F, some proper drum n’ bass vibes courtesy of Holotype, and hype peak time versions from Beathaven and Spinner. With more releases from the Pretty Chief label imminent, “Rise Up” enthusiastically primes the pump for what’s to come.

Lenny Fontana (Ministry of Sound) – “Kaled F Mix is a very cool track. Will support.”
Gene Hunt (Rush Hour) – “Sexy.”
Distant People / Joey Silvero (Soul Elements Radio Show) – “Strong mix from Kaled F. Feel good sound and raw old school beats. It has all the elements I like.”
DJ Craig C (Peace Bisquit) – “Love the vocal. There’s a great variety on the mixes, but the Original is the one for me.”
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart) – “Feelin’ the original. Very tasty.”
DJ Reeplee (Souvent Records) – “Excellent release. My favorite mixes are the original and Beathaven mixes. Full support!”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “Nice soulful vibes. Perfect for my shows.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House web zine) – “A beautiful soul & funk drenched summer gem.”
Indy Lopez (D&S / Club Beatz radio shows) – “Perfect match with my radio show.”
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory on BBC) – “Really great set of mixes, something for everyone here, but for me the original is pure class.”

Available Now From: Traxsource, Beatport, iTunes, AND Spotify.