Sinan Mercenk: The Funk EP (Strobe Records)

Three decades deep into the house game, Sinan Mercenk still proves why experience and groove age like fine wine. His second outing on Strobe Records, following 2024’s Keep Movin’ EP, is a masterclass in deep, feel-good funk that bridges the golden era of house with today’s refined production sensibility.

Opening with “House Music Is Love,” Mercenk sets the tone — a deep, late-night burner layered with warm chords and a hypnotic vocal mantra that captures the spirit of the dancefloor faithful. It’s a subtle but undeniable groove, the kind that DJs reach for at 4 a.m. when the room’s locked in.

“The World Needs More Funk” delivers exactly what it promises — an irresistibly funky Moog bassline and shuffling percussion drive this one into classic beach-party territory, with a nod to early ’00s Defected and a splash of Balearic sunshine.

On “Do You Remember,” Sinan flexes his melodic chops, dropping lush synth stabs and a perfectly filtered vocal hook that’s equal parts nostalgic and forward-thinking. It’s a track that could slide into a Fred Everything or Miguel Migs set effortlessly.

Closing out the EP, “We Got The Funk” is pure retro-disco heat — a fat 80s-style bassline, crisp drums, and Mercenk’s signature polish tying it all together. It’s impossible not to move to, and exactly the kind of tune that keeps the “funk” alive in deep house.

Mercenk’s The Funk EP reminds us that true groove never dies — it just evolves. Every track oozes musicality and soul, proving once again that Strobe Records remains a trusted source for quality, underground dance music.

ENJOY AND PLAY IT LOUD!!!

Sinan Mercenk - The World Needs More Funk (CLUB EDIT)

for Booking/music productions/remixes: music@ideedeluxerecords.com


Sinan Mercenk is by far more than your regular studio musician. He is a producer, songwriter, a radio programmer and a skilled DJ as well. If Sinan is djing, he delivers a set full of variety and is always looking beyond his own nose. 

The beginning
It all started  back in 1994 when Sinan Mercenk released his first single on legendary Container Records, hailing from Hamburgs famous redlight district Reeperbahn! These were the heydays of House music and Sinan started to dj across Hamburg and later on across Germany. Our smart guy belongs to the very first generation of House music, you might say. And because of his fresh style plus his outstanding selection Sinan swiftly became a well-booked Club-DJ worldwide. Helpful for his dj-career was definitely that Sinan is a diligent worker and so he released several singles on credible labels starting in the mid 90ties. No wonder that his discography is large and his ouput still numerous to this day.  Additionally Sinan Mercenk became an in-demand remixer step by step. He worked for major-labels like Motown and high-profile artists ranging from De-Phazz, Tarkan, Mustafa Sandal to Eddie Matos, Channel Two, Pamela and Levitation or Blank & Jones to name a few. 

Today
Finally in 2008 Sinan Mercenk started his own label ideedeluxe records based in Hamburg. It is his creative playgournd really and on this self-owned imprint Sinan released his debut album called  "Moments On Earth" in the very same year. On this varied album Sinan is prefectly showcasing his cosmopolitan character as a composer.
Sinan Mercenk is living between two worlds, Orient and Occident that is. His actual roots and his social background merging two worlds and you can definitely hear that on his two albums „Moments On Earth“ and „True Collection“ and several EP´s and Singles he is releasing! And while he is steadily communiting between his hometowns Hamburg and Istanbul he´s filtering the best out of these two worlds for himself and is clerverly mixing it into his music. Regardless of whether Sinan Mercenk mixing, producing, remixing or compiling, the club's unique social space for the curation and enjoyment of music is always on his mind. It is also why he's continually got responses from some of the renowned singers with whom he then worked, like is last EPs with Karl Frierson „Walk With Me“ or Pat Appleton „Curiosity“. On his new release "Occupy My Heart" Sinan Mercenk collaborate with Adriana Kaegi, co-founded the legendary band „Kid Creole and the Coconuts“.

And where he find’s next to his many jobs the time for three radio shows? That we don’t know ...