DJ Cider SA - Hydrol (Original)

Afrocentric Records welcome’s another new talent to their increasing rosters of “If you don’t know get to know” artists.
Dj Cider SA is a self-taught Dj and producer from Kwamhlanga in Mpumalanga Province SA, he grew up loving and listening to house music
Part of the Afro Brothers family alongside Mohamed and Dj Click . He was away from the business for a minute but his passion for music would not leave him. He calls his sound Unique Afro House, and this is evident over the two tracks he has blessed the label with.

“Devni Seleb” brings colorful Afro-house elements to a groovy dancehall-inspired backdrop. Cider’s mid-tempo instrumental is an exercise in slow-burning progression; the relatively restrained string chords flanked with horn riffs and the occasional vocal sample while the drum pattern keeps consistent throughout. Taking elements from Afrobeat as well as house and dancehall, DjCider combines these sounds to create an electronic beat that’s simultaneously danceable and meditative.
Whilst DJ Cider may have originally crafted his song “Devni Seleb” as a minimalistic and smooth Afro house jam that subverted common expectations, but fellow DJ and producer Nero Adore transforms it into a hard-nosed banger to be beheld. Nero’s remix brings a sharper, more synthetic edge to the track with bold pad synths and laser-esque leads peppering punchy percussion. The track still maintains somewhat of an organic touch by retaining DJ Cider’s guitar; but now it’s keenly layered over a driving electronic bass line that gives the beat an added boost of energy. Clocking in at nearly 7 minutes in length, Nero Adore’s new remix of “Devni Seleb” packs a punch and does not hold back.
Rounding of the package is Hydrol if with Devni Seleb demonstrated a skill in creating midtempo Afro house jams with a meditative streak, then DJ Cider’s latest track “Hydrol” proves he’s just as good at injecting energy into his mixes. This latest cut from the South African DJ is another slightly minimalistic offering, but this time he incorporates more traditional African percussion into the drum pattern and spacy synths bouncing adjacent to them in an impeccably clean mix. Cider creates an undeniable groove in the process, a groove that unites the folk traditions of one world with the new age catchiness of another. The melodic sections and atmospheric leads flow well into each other and alongside the drums, so much that the instrumental breezes by in its 6-minute runtime. “Hydrol” proves that DJ Cider has more than a few tricks up his sleeve in the electronic dance music game, and with an EP on the way there’s certainly more to be revealed.