Connect with us

EDM Artist News

Boddhi Satva Interview: Origins, Afro House in 2026, and His New Album Closure

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Boddhi Satva, the Grammy-recognized Afro House DJ and producer, photographed seated on a white sofa wearing a dark olive t-shirt and dark trousers, leaning forward with hands clasped, surrounded by warm orange and pink ambient lighting, tropical plants and a floor mirror in a stylish interior setting.

Grammy-recognized Afro House pioneer Boddhi Satva opens up about his Central African Republic roots, the album trilogy that defined his sound, and what is really happening inside the genre right now.

Boddhi Satva called in from Lisbon, relaxed and unhurried. One of the true architects of Afro House and a Grammy-recognized DJ and producer sat down with EDM House Network to talk about growing up in Central African Republic, the Kevin Yost album that changed his life, the parent-tribute trilogy at the center of his discography, and his honest take on where Afro House is headed. He also has a new album coming. It is called Closure, and the name says everything.

You’re calling from Lisbon today, what made you want to live there?

Quality of life. I was born and raised in Central African Republic in a warm, familiar environment. When I first came to Lisbon in 2009, I was blown away. A close friend of mine had already moved there. Every time I came to perform, I felt at home. Every time I flew back to Brussels, something pulled me back. Portugal felt like Africa and Europe at the same time. I responded to a calling of my soul.

Where does the name Boddhi Satva actually come from?

My parents hosted a man named Bodhi Satva Satva Varti in the Central African Republic before I was born. A Buddhist monk, musician, and film director. Incredibly humble. Quietly extraordinary. When my older brother told me his story, something in me reconciled. I had always felt pieces of myself I could not explain. The moment I heard about him, the picture clicked.

My legal name is Armani Kombot-Naguemon, and DJ Armani never felt right for the music I was making. The Bodhisattva in Buddhist tradition is a being committed to the liberation of others. That matched who I felt I was becoming. Around 2002 or 2003 I committed to it and never looked back.

You started in hip-hop. What was the moment that made you fall in love with house music? 

My uncle brought home Kevin Yost’s One Starry Night

just before I left for Belgium to study. I had never heard anything like it. Rhythmically complex, soulful, no vocals, just extraordinary layered percussion and deep textures. It rewired everything I thought music could be.

Then around 18 or 19 I discovered Alton Miller’s Sweet in the Morning

He eventually became my mentor. We were roommates for almost four years. You project a dream, meditate on it, and somehow the person you admired ends up sleeping down the hall.

How did growing up in Central African Republic shape your sound?

Music was everywhere at home. My dad was soul and funk. My mum was Beatles and open-spectrum pop. But the deeper influence came from Bria, 600 kilometers from the capital. In the evenings you would hear women preparing food, percussions transmitting messages between villages like Morse code, the river. Constant sound but not noise. The sound of life.

 My brothers sent cassettes and mixtapes of everything they were discovering. Then satellite TV brought channel O, the South African music channel. Kwaito, Pantsula culture. We were absorbing more variety back then than most people are now with infinite streaming.

Afro House had its biggest year in 2025. How do you feel about where the genre is right now?

 We all knew it was coming. It was always a matter of timing, boldness, and being in the right place. Look at what Black Coffee was doing well before his global rise. The South African invasion at WMC around 2009 to 2011 was already a frenzy. It just was not global yet.

Now it is everywhere and the sound has been gentrified. I expected that. If you love the music and you are good at it, do it. But some of us sacrificed a lot building this. When someone taps in for the hype cycle and taps out, the underground ecosystem absorbs that damage. Doors are opening for a select few superstars, not for the community. Underground DJs are still getting offered $100 a show. I was always told by the OGs, when you get through a door, hold it open. Be a gate opener, not a gatekeeper.

Tell us about the trilogy. Invocation, Transition, Manifestation

Invocation

took nearly a decade to build. Louis Vega signed me and believed in what I was doing before I fully did myself. That album would not exist without him.

Transition

came after my father passed in 2014. Before that I was almost militantly underground, complex to the point of being counterproductive. My dad always told me to make it more digestible. While making Transition, I felt like he was in the studio with me. It cracked me open. DAVIDO, DJ Arafat rest in peace, Nelson Freitas, Paul Randolph, Teedra Moses, incredible people came through out of pure love. That album turned me from a raw diamond into a polished one.

Then my mother passed in 2022.

Manifestation

became her tribute. I had promised her I would get a Grammy with that album. I did not win, but it entered the competition. Being in the same category as Arctic Monkeys and Bjork felt like its own kind of blessing.

How did you and Louie Vega actually connect?

 Two people made it happen: Louie Lou Gorbea and Mr. V. I had done a remix with Mr. V, Louie heard it and loved it, released it, and that was the start. We met in New York shortly after, clicked immediately, and he signed me. What made it special is that he saw things in me as a producer that I had not even seen in myself yet.

One moment I will never forget. Louie was playing a club in Belgium and my dad last minute decided to come with me. My dad knew who Louie Vega was, knew Masters at Work. When he walked in and saw his son in that world, he looked at me and said, “Okay. It’s going somewhere.” That was everything.

What can you tell us about Closure?

I am closing chapters that have been open too long. The past several years have been a journey with a lot of weight. This album is the exhale.

Musically I am feeling J Electronica right now. The way he builds worlds through samples and cinematic atmosphere. I want something that feels like a book written in sound. Probably 10 to 12 tracks, aiming for October at the latest, likely earlier.

What is your message for up and coming artists?

Honor the art with a capital A. Fela Kuti said music is a weapon and a spiritual force. If you do not use it with respect, it will turn on you. That is not a metaphor.

 You do not learn from your successes. You learn from your failures. Stay committed. Stay humble. Listen to the OGs not because they have all the answers, but because they paved the road you are walking. The road has never been cleaner than right now. But clean roads are slippery. Find your grip.

 

Follow Boddhi Satva:

Instagram: @boddhisatva

Spotify: Boddhisatva

Bandcamp: Boddhisatva

 

 

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Calvin Harris News

14 Years Ago, Calvin Harris Released ‘Sweet Nothing’

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Calvin Harris performing on stage during a live show

Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s ‘Sweet Nothing’ celebrates 14 years after becoming a UK No. 1 and one of the biggest singles from the album ‘18 Months’

Fourteen years after Calvin Harris and Florence Welch released ‘Sweet Nothing’, the collaboration remains one of the most remembered songs from the 18 Months era. Released in 2012, it brought together two artists who were already having very different but highly successful years in music, with Calvin Harris also working with Florence + The Machine around the same period. What followed gave ‘Sweet Nothing’ a much bigger story than its original release, from how the collaboration happened to the success that followed on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Story Behind ‘Sweet Nothing’

Before ‘Sweet Nothing’ became one of the most beloved songs from Calvin Harris’ 18 Months era, he and Florence Welch already had history together. Earlier in 2012, Calvin Harris remixed Florence + The Machine’s ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’, which went on to reach No. 1 in the UK. That connection later led to an original collaboration, with Kid Harpoon joining Calvin Harris and Florence Welch as a co-writer on ‘Sweet Nothing’.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by EDM House Network (@edmhousenetwork)

The song placed Florence Welch’s vocal in a more electronic setting than much of her work with Florence + The Machine at the time, while fitting naturally into the sound Calvin Harris was developing across 18 Months. It became part of an album that also featured collaborations with Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, Example, Kelis and Ne-Yo, helping place ‘Sweet Nothing’ within one of the most successful periods of his career.

From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100

Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration quickly became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012, giving Calvin Harris another chart-topper only months after his remix of ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’. The song also crossed over strongly in the United States, where it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and gave Florence Welch her first top 10 hit on the chart.

The success continued beyond its original chart run. ‘Sweet Nothing’ later earned a nomination for Best Dance Recording at the 2014 Grammy Awards, while 18 Months was nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album the same year. Its music video, directed by Vincent Haycock, also became an important part of the release, pairing Florence Welch’s performance with a darker storyline that contrasted with the track’s club-focused production.

Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely tied to a period when Calvin Harris was becoming one of the biggest names in electronic dance music, while Florence Welch was bringing her voice into collaborations far outside Florence + The Machine. Between the story behind the record, its success in both the UK and the United States, and its place within 18 Months, the song has lasted far beyond its original 2012 chart run.

From UK No. 1 To The Billboard Hot 100

Once ‘Sweet Nothing’ was released, the collaboration became much more than another single from 18 Months. It reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2012 and gave Calvin Harris another chart-topper that year. The song also found major success in the United States, reaching the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. It became Florence Welch’s first top 10 hit on the chart.

The success continued after its original chart run, with ‘Sweet Nothing’ earning a Best Dance Recording nomination at the 2014 Grammy Awards. 18 Months also received a nomination for Best Dance/Electronica Album that year. The Vincent Haycock-directed music video added another part to the release, following Florence Welch through a nightclub performance alongside a darker relationship storyline.

Fourteen years later, ‘Sweet Nothing’ remains closely connected to one of the most successful periods of Calvin Harris’ career. It also gave Florence Welch one of her biggest collaborations outside Florence + The Machine. Its UK No. 1, U.S. top 10 and Grammy nomination all followed a partnership that had started only months earlier with ‘Spectrum (Say My Name)’.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

EDM Artist News

Mau P Launches Baddest Behavior Records

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Mau P wearing sunglasses and a black cap outdoors at sunset

Mau P launches Baddest Behavior Records as his event brand expands into a new label for emerging dance music artists

Mau P has grown to become one of the most prominent names arcorss the electronic dance music scene. His rise has included major releases, international shows and his own Baddest Behavior event series. First introduced as a way for him to curate lineups and host events under his own banner, Baddest Behavior soon became part of his touring calendar. Mau P is now taking the name into recorded music with Baddest Behavior Records, his first record label. The imprint gives artists and music he already supports a direct route to release.

Why Mau P Launched Baddest Behavior Records

As more unreleased music began reaching Mau P from producers, starting a label became something he began considering publicly. He has spoken about wanting to give other artists the type of opportunities that helped him earlier in his career. That became especially relevant when he heard records he believed deserved wider support.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by MAU P (@maup)

That intention was central to the announcement. Mau P described Baddest Behavior Records as being “for the culture, for the scene.” He also directed followers to the label’s new private Instagram account through his Stories. The page began accepting followers as part of the rollout. The first artists and releases have not yet been announced, so the label’s musical direction will become clearer once its catalogue begins.

Baddest Behavior Was Already Growing Beyond Individual Shows

By the time Mau P announced the record label, Baddest Behavior already had several years of events behind it. He has hosted editions in New York, Miami, Denver and Los Angeles. A residency at Pacha Ibiza also gave the series a regular presence on the island.

Those events have allowed Mau P to choose the artists playing alongside him and place the music he supports within his own lineups. Plans for Baddest Behavior to cover more than live events appeared well before the label announcement.

In 2024, Mau P B.V. filed a trademark application covering record label services, music publishing, recording, live events and DJ services. The filing showed that recorded music already formed part of the wider plans for Baddest Behavior.

Since breaking through with ‘Drugs From Amsterdam’ in 2022, Mau P has released through Repopulate Mars, Defected, Diynamic and Insomniac Records. He has also regularly supported IDs and unreleased tracks throughout his sets. Baddest Behavior Records now gives some of that music the possibility of becoming official releases with Mau P directly supporting them, while the first records will begin to show which artists and sounds he wants the label to represent.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

EDM Artist News

Sara Landry’s Company Sues Former Management

Unknown's avatar

Published

on

Sara Landry posing against a black background in a promotional portrait

Sara Landry’s company sues former management in U.S. trademark case involving her name and Hekate Records

After working with The Night Department since 2023, Sara Landry ended the relationship last year. The split later developed into legal disputes on both sides of the Atlantic. Landry IP LLC has now filed a new lawsuit in the United States against The Night Department and affiliated company Prepare to Flash. The case centers on alleged trademark use involving Sara Landry’s name and Hekate Records.

What Sara Landry’s Company Is Alleging

Landry IP LLC filed the lawsuit on October 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The case names Night Night Ltd, which operates as The Night Department, and Prepare to Flash as defendants. According to the filing, Landry IP LLC owns the trademarks connected to Sara Landry and Hekate Records.

The complaint says the management relationship had ended by late October 2025. It alleges that the defendants continued using the trademarks in music distribution and their management business afterward. Landry IP LLC argues that this could have suggested The Night Department still represented Sara Landry and Hekate Records. The conflict also extended to Hekate Records’ distribution account with Believe, which Prepare to Flash allegedly refused to transfer when Sara Landry’s representatives sought control.

The Dispute Goes Back To Music And Label Ownership

Tensions around ownership had already developed before the U.S. trademark case. According to the complaint, the former management team sought 50% ownership of Sara Landry’s music and 50% ownership of Hekate Records. Her side argues that those interests were sought without appropriate payment and conflicted with her intention to retain control of both.

The Night Department disputes the wider account of the split and says the relevant ownership provisions appeared in the management agreement. Sara Landry’s side has also alleged problems involving communication, touring support and management of Hekate Records. The Night Department has denied doing anything that justified ending the agreement.

The Legal Fight Is Also Playing Out In The UK

Before Landry IP LLC filed the U.S. lawsuit, The Night Department had already taken Sara Landry to court in the UK. Filed in July 2026, that case accuses her of breaching the management agreement by ending the relationship without sufficient grounds. Sara Landry later responded with counterclaims of her own.

The two cases cover different parts of the same dispute. The UK proceedings focus on whether Sara Landry had the right to terminate the management agreement. The U.S. case focuses on alleged trademark use after that relationship ended. Neither court has reached a final judgment.

Sara Landry Puts Artist Ownership At The Center

As the legal fight has developed, Sara Landry has framed the wider issue around an artist’s control over their name, music and career. In a statement reported by Billboard, she said ownership and artists’ rights remain deeply important to her. She also said she intends to continue advocating for artists to control their work.

Through the U.S. lawsuit, Landry IP LLC is seeking to stop the alleged unauthorized trademark use and recover profits or damages connected to it. No specific dollar amount has been disclosed publicly. The dispute is unfolding shortly before Sara Landry releases her second studio album, Divine Intervention, on October 16, placing the legal battle alongside another major period in her career.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Continue Reading

Trending