Modeste

Modeste Hugues Randriamahitasoa

Click here for live recordings, video, biography and an audio interview with Modeste from BBC Radio 3

How I came to this music

I grew up in Betroka, a town in the central southern part of Madagascar. My full name is Modeste Hugues Randramahitasoa but I stick to Hugues because it's shorter.

The music I play is unique to the Betroka region of Madagascar where it's influenced by all the traditional sounds of the area together with some softer South African dance rhythms. Though my mother sings and an uncle of mine played the accordion, I didn't start to play until I was about 15 years old. A neighbour played the guitar and I loved the sounds so much that I borrowed his and taught myself. Then he moved away with his guitar so I built my own at the workshop in the local technical college where my father was a teacher. I had to use fishing line for string so it meant I had to hold it very close to hear the sound but I persevered even though it was probably totally out of tune.

Around that time I got interested in other musical sounds especially those of the mervan, the traditional Malagasy instrument which is a box shape with 24 strings which you play like the West African kora. I also soaked in the sounds of the bush, the birds, whistling of the shepherds in the hills ... any sound that appealed to my senses, I tried to imitate on my home-made guitar.

My brother, Zariny Albert, was also into music at the time and we played together at local celebrations. He even had a hit with the group, Zafison Karimbary but Zariny has passed on now. During that time, partly due to my father's encouragement, I took a degree in engineering and when I was 26, I left for Bulgaria where I got a U.N.E.S.C.O. scholarship to do a post-graduate in electronic engineering. Though I was busy with my studies, I always made time for music and would lead all the student celebrations. Then I met my wife whose Greek so we moved to Greece. I worked as an engineer but by the time we moved to London in 1996 I had decided that I wanted to pursue music because it is my first love. It's a pity my father is now dead. Though he was happy I completed my studies, I'm disappointed that he can't experience my music as it evolves now.

[read more on Modeste's BBC profile...]

Les Mommsen - Bass Guitar and Percussion
	Born in Bulawayo, Les grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa. His influences and style is deeply rooted to the sounds of Southern Africa. He has a unique style which he incorporates into diverse genres, including hip-hop, electro, dance, and soul. His career as a professional bass guitarist began in Harare, Zimbabwe with the dynamic local afro-funk outfit "Urban Zoo", whose 1998 release, "Fiberglass fields", received nationwide acclaim. He has performed extensively throughout Southern Africa, touring Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, and South Africa. He has also made appearances on national television and radio in Zimbabwe and South Africa, on programmes broadcasted locally and to the rest of the continent.

Between 1997 and 2002, Les was highly active as a session musician and sound engineer in Harare. He has featured on a number of albums ranging from afro-jazz to folk rock, and country music, working with artists as affluent as Sam Mature (Oliver Mutukdzi) and Andy Brown and The Storm. Les taught music both at the Zimbabwe College of Music and at the Harare International School.

His influences range from Portishead to Ali Farka Toure. Les has always enjoyed listening and playing diverse forms of music.

His outlook on life is "To live with your heart and play from your soul"

Adriano Pinto - Percussion

Adriano Pinto was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1973. He started playing drums/percussion at the age of 15, 3 years later he would change for percussion. In 1992 Adriano already worked professionally with theatre groups and local musicians, down to his home town. Having finishing his studies at the college, Adriano moved to London and since then he set up his own quartet called Sambura. Adriano has performed in different venues such as Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Barbican, Ronnie Scott, Edinburgh Festival and throughout Europe working in collaboration Andy Shepherd, Antonio Forcione and Monica Vasconcelos and others.