Sat Avtar

I was first introduced to Sat Avtar’s music through Spirit Voyage records. Along with her social media and crowd funding campaigns.

Sat Avtar is originally from New England, and became a mantra musician through the Kundalini Yoga practice. She grew up playing clarinet, singing in chorus, DJ’ing and enjoying acting. Though her parents were not Sikh, she found beauty and power in the devotional prayers and mantras.

Her debut World Music album “The Voice of an Angel” was released with five long tracks, created with what seems to be meditation practice in mind. But at no time do these songs sound so repetitive as to bore the listener. In fact my ears wanted them to go on.

The album is an amalgam of stylistic influence - Folk, Choral, Latin and Indian. Long Time Sun takes influence from the Folk traditions, with its winding, sweet guitar picking that exudes a melody of a lullabye. Ra Ma Da Sa conjures images of warm beaches in the southern Latin countries where everything slows and stress goes out with the tide. Ong Namo’s expertly crafted eastern influenced percussion was recorded by Tripp Dudley who has toured and recorded with other Grammy nominated artists of the genre.

What's extraordinary here is Sat Avtar produced much of the album herself, with the support of a co-producer, Gurusangat Singh of the Guruganesha band. She laboured over editing and arranging, deciding what instruments to feature, in addition to the artist's role of writing and performing.

The interview below was conducted while Sat Avtar was in Los Angeles, right after settling in from a summer away in England, UK and recording part of her next album “Cherished” in Vermont.

What is the meaning of your name?

Sat is the eternal truth that never dies. And Avtar means different things. It means to take birth. But if you ask anyone who speaks Punjabi it means prophet. The description that was given to me - there is ‘Kaur’ at the end of it - that means ‘the princess’ or ‘lioness’ - who took birth to be her true self and loves truth and manifests truth by living in harmony with her soul.

We have tracks to feature of your music, where would you like to begin?

Maybe at the beginning. The first track that I ever made is there, and coming from a place where I didnt think I could sing or record, I find it inspirational to go back to that first track. To that place where I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. That is Guru Ram Das. Which seems to be one of the tracks people connect with most.

Now you had a lot of support during the recording process?

I had support during it. I work with a co-producer that helped with the process. For Guru Ram Das I worked with my cousin in NYC. But another producer worked on the rest of The Voice of an Angel album. My cousin graduated from NYC Clive Davis. I went to his studio. I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. We messed around and recorded vocals. And a tabla player came in and recorded some tabla. My cousin played piano. It just happened and came together. After the session I didn’t think we had anything worthwhile. But when I got home and started editing and arranging it came into this beautiful piece of music that seems to be the most memorable and impactful. People love that particular song so much.

From this one track how did you form the album?

I knew I wanted to do the album and I got a lot of encouragement from people, at Spirit Voyage, and students in class too. Spirit Voyage carried the Guru Ram Das single, and they usually don’t carry singles. I decided I was going to do it. I wasn’t sure what it was going to be. I picked the mantras in Kundalini Yoga people easily connect with and are very popular. For people that are new to Kundalini Yoga or just listening to it they can connect with easily without feeling overwhelmed by a different language and it is not difficult to remember. They were the first mantras I remember when I started practicing 20 years ago.

Which was the second track you recorded?

Ong Namo. I started to dive in next. I started to build a scratch track for that and got the ideas together. Long Time Sun too. We started working on those two next. I co-wrote Long Time Sun with another yoga student I met at the Millis Ashram in Massachusetts, who I think was a student from Berklee who was taking the Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training. Ong Namo I started working on at the same time. Long Time Sun was actualized first and we started sharing it with people.

After Long Time Sun What came next?

Ong Namo and Ra Ma Da Sa. We recorded several of them at the same time. I remember going into the studio for several days in one week. The flute player came. The percussionist I think he recorded in New York. All the percussion is live. Ong Namo I loved and that was the next one we finished up. And had Trip Dudley do percussion. Then Ra Ma Da Sa. And I remember Aad Gurat Nameh we finished last and I remember being really stressed out to finish it on time.

You have an album you want to launch next year?

Yes it should be completed by then. It’s moving along quite well. My co-producer lives in Vermont in New England. We have a few more studio days left. We will be working on that and hopefully finish at the beginning of next year.

Which studio do you record frequent?

My co-producer is Gurunagat. He produces and plays bass with the Guruganesha band. He tours with them and has a studio at his home. His wife has a cozy yoga studio at home. Its a professional home studio that has beautiful surroundings in Vermont.

Since you’ve worked with him he’s worked extensively with the Guruganesha band and produced all sorts of things?

Yes, he toured a lot and they put out a new album. We are on a break at the moment. He is working with many local musicians and finishing Andi Flaxs second album. I know that he did just play the Sat Nam Fests. He is a Jazz musician. And play outside the world music community. He’s worked with Snatam.

Listen to the full interview below;