2011 has seen Henri Hurtig – better known as Cid Inc – step into the spotlight as a producer of electronic music of quality and imagination. His progressive techno style is championed by fellow artists and clubbers alike, while demand for his DJ skills have seen Henri play at some of the best clubs on the global dance scene. 2012 looks set to get even better with several new releases ready to go and increasing support for his label, Replug Records. Born in Finland, raised in Sweden and now based back in Tampere in Finland, Henri began making music in the early ‘90s and soon settled on house as the outlet for his creativity. Now with over a decade of experience behind him as a professional sound engineer, he is well known for his technical ability, but that tells only half the story; his musical talent has also flourished with recent productions receiving widespread critical acclaim. Fusing progressive house and techno with elements from other styles, the Cid Inc sound is a thoroughly modern and exciting interpretation of the house blueprint. Henri first came to prominence when he teamed up with Mathias Bradler to create Mashtronic in 2004, and their productions and hectic DJ schedule soon brought them to an international audience. As well as playing all over Europe and trips to South America, Australia and New Zealand, Mashtronic signed their productions to several of the best labels including Bedrock and Global Underground. There have been numerous compilation appearances and a strong remix portfolio; John Digweed, Pole Folder, Mason and D-Nox & Beckers were among those given a reworking in the duo’s forward-thinking progressive style. Their own Mashtronic and Restart labels also released an excellent selection of material from artists like Nick Muir and Pole Folder. With such strong credentials behind him, Henri’s career as a solo artist under the name Cid Inc hit the ground running (the name is a cheeky reference to his early years spent raving to acid house.) Starting with the ‘Sister’ EP on Dyami in 2008, Henri has put together an impressive body of work including releases, collaborations and remixes on labels like Baroque, Inkfish, Tribal Vision, microCastle, Afterglow, AlterImage, Sudbeat, Mcgroove, Flow Vinyl, Iboga and Epsilon Trax. The word prolific hardly does it justice with over 40 Cid Inc original productions and remixes to date, and it’s not surprising Beatport selected Henri as one of their Progressive House Artists of 2009 alongside other great names like Charlie May, Guy J and Pole Folder. In October 2009 Henri launched Replug Records dedicated to releasing both his own and music from other artists. Cid Inc tracks include ‘Defrost’, ‘Cloudberries’, ‘Filaments’, Caustic’ and ‘Blizzard’ alongside contributions from Rich Curtis, Deepfunk and more. There’s also been the ‘Replugged Vol. 1’ compilation, and Henri has a keen eye for signing new talent. It’s hard to single out releases which best define the Cid Inc sound, but worthy contenders include ‘Spacegulls’ on Afterglow with a superb Henry Saiz remix, ‘Magnify’ on AlterImage and the ‘Our Benefactors’ EP in collaboration with Lank on microCastle. On the remix front, Henri’s version of Jim Rivers’ ‘Black Keys’ on Mcgroove has come in for particular attention. Pretty much every Cid Inc hits the upper reaches of the Beatport progressive chart, and Hernan Cattaneo, John Digweed, Nick Warren and Henry Saiz are just a few of the DJs who regularly include Henri’s tracks in their sets. Increased recognition of his productions over the last two years has provided Henri with a busy DJ diary and he regularly plays all over the world. Highlights from the last 12 months include Exit in Lithuania, the Volt Club in Greece, the Teleportation Festival and Fakel beach party in Russia, and Bahrein in Argentina. August 2011 saw Henri return to the famous B 018 club in Beirut where he played for over four hours, and future bookings include the Spirit of Colours festival in Mexico and the John Digweed after party in Helsinki. Henri’s music is particularly popular with clubbers in South and Central America, partly due to the consistent support of Hernan Cattaneo, and because his fusion of progressive and techno is very popular in the clubs there. Following a successful tour of Argentina in September 2011, a return visit is already planned for 2012 as well as dates in Brazil and Ecuador. Trips to London, Germany, Spain, Russia, India, Canada and the USA are already being lined up for the coming months as word spreads that Henri’s skills behind the decks equal those in the studio. He is also part of the recently launched Global Underground World Tours roster. So what exactly is the Cid Inc sound? “Hypnotic progressive house with a touch of techno and deeper sounds is the music I like to play,” explains Henri. “It’s that hypnotic feel I look for in music. I definitely enjoy playing longer sets too – they give me the opportunity to take the crowd on a journey and the ability to play a wider range of music. I’ve had some great gigs in South America recently, but it doesn’t really matter where I go, I enjoying playing everywhere.”
