House music veteran Funkerman and Washington, D.C.-based producer Sama join forces on “Keep Up,” a contemporary rework of Funkerman’s 2007 club classic “Speed Up.” Released via Insomniac’s Gotta Move imprint, the new single brings one of the Dutch producer’s most recognizable records into a modern house setting while preserving the vocal identity that helped make the original a fixture of dancefloors for nearly two decades.
Born in Breda, Funkerman has been a defining figure in Dutch house music since the early 2000s. As a producer and co-founder of Flamingo Recordings, he has helped shape a catalog of dancefloor-focused records that have remained influential well beyond their original release era. “Speed Up” stands among his signature productions, accumulating 3.9 million streams to date while reaching the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart.
For “Keep Up,” Funkerman And Sama Reimagine ‘Speed Up’ On New Single ‘Keep Up’
House music veteran Funkerman and Washington, D.C.-based producer Sama join forces on “Keep Up,” a contemporary rework of Funkerman’s 2007 club classic “Speed Up.” Released via Insomniac’s Gotta Move imprint, the new single brings one of the Dutch producer’s most recognizable records into a modern house setting while preserving the vocal identity that helped make the original a fixture of dancefloors for nearly two decades.
Born in Breda, Funkerman has been a defining figure in Dutch house music since the early 2000s. As a producer and co-founder of Flamingo Recordings, he has helped shape a catalog of dancefloor-focused records that have remained influential well beyond their original release era. “Speed Up” stands among his signature productions, accumulating 3.9 million streams to date while reaching the Top 100 of the UK Singles Chart.
For “Keep Up,” Funkerman revisits the DNA of the original while Sama brings a fresh production perspective to the track. The iconic vocal elements are chopped and looped with precision, allowing the sultry falsetto phrases to weave through elastic basslines, vintage-inspired synth stabs, vocal accents, and brisk percussion. The result retains the unmistakable character of “Speed Up” while giving its hooks a more contemporary club framework.
Born in Baghdad, Sama is a Washington, D.C.-based producer whose sound reflects her Middle Eastern heritage and years spent living across Morocco, South Africa, and beyond. Her music moves fluidly between house and techno, drawing on a wide range of cultural and musical influences to create productions that feel both globally informed and firmly rooted in the dancefloor.
Her connection with Insomniac previously came through IN / ROTATION, where she contributed “Esperanzia” to the ROTATE Vol. 15 compilation. The track earned radio support from Tiësto, while her wider catalog includes collaborations with Serve Cold, Sofiya Nzau, and Nawe (BR). She has also remixed Cassian’s “A Feeling I Miss,” earning support from a heavyweight list of tastemakers including Solomun, Chris Lake, Adriatique, Black Coffee, Carl Cox, Keinemusik, and CamelPhat.
The release arrives as Sama continues to expand her international presence. She is currently set to support HUGEL at Hï Ibiza and Echostage, with an India Tour scheduled for September. Away from music production, her background as a storyteller extends into music journalism, with previous work for BBC News and Voice of America, as well as a TEDx talk at Oxford.
For Funkerman, the collaboration represents an opportunity to hear familiar material through a completely different lens.
“After 20 years, the lyrics of an old track of mine were finally done in a way that felt like a new song!”
For Sama, the inspiration came from hearing a classic vocal-driven dance record during a night at DC10 in Ibiza.
“I was at DC10 in Ibiza last year and I heard Future – The Kenny Larkin remix by Kevin Saunderson and Innercity being played at the terrace. Since then the vocal chops on that track got stuck in my head until Keep Up was born. The day I finished this record I sent it to all my friends, those who are obssessed with electronic dance music and those who just listen to what I send them. I just wanted to know if everyone felt what I felt. And guess what? everyone LOVED IT and I hope YOU DO TOO!”
With “Keep Up,” Funkerman and Sama bridge two generations of house music, transforming the familiar vocal DNA of “Speed Up” into a fresh club record. It is a release built around nostalgia without being trapped by it, giving a defining 2000s dancefloor sound a new lease on life for today’s house audience. revisits the DNA of the original while Sama brings a fresh production perspective to the track. The iconic vocal elements are chopped and looped with precision, allowing the sultry falsetto phrases to weave through elastic basslines, vintage-inspired synth stabs, vocal accents, and brisk percussion. The result retains the unmistakable character of “Speed Up” while giving its hooks a more contemporary club framework.
Born in Baghdad, Sama is a Washington, D.C.-based producer whose sound reflects her Middle Eastern heritage and years spent living across Morocco, South Africa, and beyond. Her music moves fluidly between house and techno, drawing on a wide range of cultural and musical influences to create productions that feel both globally informed and firmly rooted in the dancefloor.
Her connection with Insomniac previously came through IN / ROTATION, where she contributed “Esperanzia” to the ROTATE Vol. 15 compilation. The track earned radio support from Tiësto, while her wider catalog includes collaborations with Serve Cold, Sofiya Nzau, and Nawe (BR). She has also remixed Cassian’s “A Feeling I Miss,” earning support from a heavyweight list of tastemakers including Solomun, Chris Lake, Adriatique, Black Coffee, Carl Cox, Keinemusik, and CamelPhat.
The release arrives as Sama continues to expand her international presence. She is currently set to support HUGEL at Hï Ibiza and Echostage, with an India Tour scheduled for September. Away from music production, her background as a storyteller extends into music journalism, with previous work for BBC News and Voice of America, as well as a TEDx talk at Oxford.
For Funkerman, the collaboration represents an opportunity to hear familiar material through a completely different lens.
“After 20 years, the lyrics of an old track of mine were finally done in a way that felt like a new song!”
For Sama, the inspiration came from hearing a classic vocal-driven dance record during a night at DC10 in Ibiza.
“I was at DC10 in Ibiza last year and I heard Future – The Kenny Larkin remix by Kevin Saunderson and Innercity being played at the terrace. Since then the vocal chops on that track got stuck in my head until Keep Up was born. The day I finished this record I sent it to all my friends, those who are obssessed with electronic dance music and those who just listen to what I send them. I just wanted to know if everyone felt what I felt. And guess what? everyone LOVED IT and I hope YOU DO TOO!”
With “Keep Up,” Funkerman and Sama bridge two generations of house music, transforming the familiar vocal DNA of “Speed Up” into a fresh club record. It is a release built around nostalgia without being trapped by it, giving a defining 2000s dancefloor sound a new lease on life for today’s house audience.
FUNKERMAN: INSTAGRAM / X / FACEBOOK / SPOTIFY / SOUNDCLOUD / APPLE MUSIC
SAMA (US): INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / TIKTOK / SPOTIFY / SOUNDCLOUD / APPLE MUSIC
GOTTA MOVE MUSIC: WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM