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There is a type of house music that will make you want to dance, even if you don’t get out of your chair. The bass is deep, the drums are steady, and somewhere within the mix, a melody will catch you off guard. Nigerian producer/arranger/composer Rency explores this area on Afro Bloom, his three-track instrumental EP released on July 4, 2025.
Rency was born Denis Friday Njoku and raised in Abeokuta. He has created a record that is heavily indebted to South African house music, specifically the soulful/jazz-based productions that helped define the country’s dance scene in the 2000s. You can hear this influence in the rolling percussion, the extensive use of piano, and how his saxophone melodies sit against electronic rhythms.
The EP’s first track, “Sweet Morning,” takes its time. At almost six minutes long, it is unusually long by today’s standards, where many producers seem determined to finish a song before the listener thinks about pressing skip.
In this case, the drums set the rhythm, while synthesiser sounds add colour around a prominent saxophone melody. The South African influence is very obvious. An older deep-house sensibility is evident in the way the groove is allowed to run, where repetition is not seen as a weakness but as part of the enjoyment.
The saxophone is the true star. Its presence softens the production’s electronic edges and gives the track a warmth that a synthesiser lead may not provide. Rency seems more concerned with creating a feeling than demonstrating how many ideas he can pack into six minutes.
However, “Sweet Morning” does occasionally settle into its groove a bit too easily. A stronger change in the arrangement could have made its final section more compelling. However, there is something admirable about a producer who is willing to allow an instrumental track this much room to breathe.
“All Night Long” is a completely different story. It is faster, brighter, and more clearly intended for the dance floor. It trades some of the opener’s patience for a lively piano-driven groove. The chords have a distinctly soulful quality, while the synthesiser and drums keep the track moving at a rapid pace.
For most of its beginning, the piano does the talking. Then, at approximately two minutes in, the saxophone enters.
This is a simple decision, but a clever one. By delaying the instrument that dominated the previous track, Rency generates new interest without changing the entire arrangement. The saxophone fits into the existing rhythm, adding another layer of melody to an already busy piece.
At just over three minutes, “All Night Long” feels like the EP’s most immediate offering. It is also the track where the soulful side of Afro-house comes through most clearly. It has a lightness, almost a celebratory quality, that makes it easy to imagine in a DJ set.
Next is “Until the Morning,” a closing track that adds some much-needed weight to the project.
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The drums hit harder here, and the bass plays a more dominant role. A saxophone melody sits on top of the rhythm, while piano chords provide the harmonic base. On the surface, it is a fairly standard club-inspired house composition; however, the most interesting moments occur when the beat drops.
Those breaks reveal a different side of Rency’s writing. Without the pounding drums, the piano takes on a gospel-like quality; its chords suggest the emotional language of a church ballad rather than a dance record. This unexpected contrast gives the track more personality than its opening might suggest.
When the beat returns, the effect is satisfying. The piano briefly takes the music somewhere else, and the rhythm feels stronger for having stepped aside.
At over four minutes, “Until the Morning” provides Rency with sufficient space to explore that tension between the physical energy of house music and the more contemplative possibilities of his keyboard arrangements.
Rency’s love of melody connects Afro Bloom together. The saxophone appears in all three tracks; sometimes it is at the center of attention, and other times it waits patiently for its turn. The piano is equally important; especially when the arrangements tend toward the soulful/gospel-influenced end of the spectrum.
At times, the EP’s musical vocabulary feels a bit limited. Rency repeatedly uses similar combinations of bass, drums, keys, and saxophone; listeners who are looking for major stylistic changes may find the three tracks closely related. However, the consistency also makes the project feel intentional. These songs belong together.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Afro Bloom is that it does not equate volume with excitement. Even at its most energetic, it emphasizes the relationship between the instruments. The drums make the body move, but the piano and saxophone give the music something to say.
Rency clearly draws inspiration from South Africa; however, he approaches those influences with the ear of an arranger rather than simply borrowing a popular dance rhythm. The result is a modest but engaging EP that values musical detail as much as the groove.
Afro Bloom may not rewrite the rules of Afro-house; however, it makes a compelling case for the genre’s soulful tradition. Three tracks, lots of piano, a recurring saxophone, and rhythms that know exactly what they are doing. Sometimes that is more than enough.
By Kaycee Oguejiofor
