Don't let your notes be perfectly robotic. Slightly adjust the velocity and timing (humanising) of your chord parts to give the track a natural feel.

For a hands-on look at how these elements come together in a production environment, watch this step-by-step tutorial on building a Sgidongo-style beat:

Use tools like Slice X in FL Studio to gain full control over your percussion samples, allowing you to chop and rearrange loops for unique rhythms.

Sgidongo often uses descending chords, frequently in keys like C sharp minor . Build your chords with octave transpositions and use plugins like M1 , Purity , or RefX Nexus for that classic South African sound.

Start with a steady kick drum and master your shaker loops. Shakers should be humanised with velocity adjustments and EQed (typically around 200 Hz to 500 Hz) to sit perfectly in the mix.