Zimbabwe-born/Scottish-based house/electronic producer Mani S – aka MERITTOCRACY – gets ready to unveil his third single ‘Desire’, featuring the instantly recognisable soulful vocals of legendary singer Jocelyn Brown. The deep soulful house cut is coming out 26th September via his record label, Black Sugar Music.
‘Desire’ is a reworked track that Mani S had previously written and produced with Jocelyn Brown for YOYOHONEY – an electro-soul group he formed with singer Anita Jarrett. Known for her cult classics like, ‘Someone Else’s Guy’ and ‘Always There’, with British acid jazz group Incognito, Jocelyn Brown’s infamous powerhouse vocals inspired Mani S to drop a remix. Drawing from the raw energy of the Chicago House movement, ‘Desire’ now pulses a seriously deep gutsy groove with an infectious electronica edge. “Her timeless vocals and energy got me really excited and I decided to redo and produced it on a different vibe for Merittocracy,” says Mani S.
A songwriter, producer and bass guitarist, Mani S, started is musical journey at the age of just 14, playing at countless shows and was fortunate to work with some of the industry greats such as Bootsy Collins, DJ Pierre, Tony Humphries, and Steely & Cleevie.
Main S’ love for dub, hip-hop and soul led him to form YOYOHONEY, a UK soul project which blends elements of electronica, techno and ambient sounds. Along with Anita Jarrett, Mani S released soulful/acid jazz-tinged singles, ‘Groove On’ in 1991 and ‘Voodoo Soul’ in 1992.
Mani S’ other biggest love is house music, particularly of the deep cut kind; a genre that was with him from the start of his journey. He formed Merittocracy in 2024 to push house and electronic sounds to the forefront – and give them the full attention it deserves. Along with pushing out genres he loves – and not churning out hits for streams and views – Mani S is extremely passionate about music development and has helped shape the creative direction of emerging acts.
Merittocracy’s new single ‘Desire’, featuring the great Jocelyn Brown, drops 26th September via Black Sugar Music.
Connect Merittocracy via:
IG: https://www.instagram.com/merittocracy
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