Me in my studio: Boddhi Satva
The founding father of 'ancestral soul' shows you his streamlined setup

Welcome
Boddhi Satva describes his music as 'ancestral soul' - a fusion of soul, electronics and various African styles.
Resident in Belgium but born and raised in the Central African Republic, he returned to his native country in 2012 to begin production on his new album Transition.
“My father used to play a lot of jazz, soul, disco and, of course, African rhumba,” says Boddhi of his musical upbringing. “I was exposed to so many musical cultures from both my parents. Outside of the house I listened to soukouss, ndombolo, hip-hop and R&B.”
Sadly, Boddhi's father passed away within months of his visit, but Transition was created and released in tribute to him. It'll be available from 18 September and you can find out more on the Boddhi Satva website.
We asked Boddhi to photograph and describe his studio, which turns out to be surprisingly frugal…

Studio
“My studio has always very minimalistic. In the beginning it was because of lack of money, but even to this day I realise that I'm maintaining this minimal but efficient way of working.
“I developed my sound and production skills with what I had and still enjoy working with the bare minimum. It forces me to be super creative.”

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.





