Modeste

"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.