Their songs speak candidly about mental health, vulnerability, and the challenge of making art while navigating the emotional and economic realities of everyday life.
Max, originally from the historic town of Limburg in Western Germany, began his musical journey at just six years old in a metal band, before transitioning to jazz and hip-hop — two genres that continue to shape his sonic identity. Dhanya, from Freiburg in the Black Forest, studied music at university but dropped out to follow a more intuitive, less academic path — eventually working as a drummer and producer in Berlin. It was there that the two met and formed Modha.
Their early collaboration led to the Getting By EP, released on Pinewax in 2020, featuring local talents like JuJu Rogers and James Chatburn. That collaborative ethos remains at the heart of their creative practice — and At Your Pace is perhaps the most complete expression of that spirit to date.
The album is defined by its network of trusted musicians, each contributing their voice, textures, and energy. On Good News, Naarm-based vocalist and producer Allysha Joy (30/70) delivers a warm and soulful performance that feels like a deep exhale. Find Me (Underneath the Sun) features okcandice, whose poetic vocals bring understated brilliance to a song about presence, loss, and emotional memory. Longtime collaborator James Chatburn returns on the tender and minimal The Bee by the Pool, adding his unmistakable tone to the emotional core of the record.
The shimmering single River — featuring Hungarian producer Àbáse and flautist Fanni Zahár — moves through soulful textures and layered instrumentation, while Baton Rouge rapper Wakai brings crisp, articulate verses to Bullet, one of the album’s most rhythmically dynamic tracks. On Breeze, Berlin-based art-jazz ensemble Conic Rose create a cinematic space for Modha to stretch into new sonic territory.
But beyond the featured artists, At Your Pace is the product of a collective process. Musicians like Shanice Ruby Bennett (bass), Käthe Johanning (keys/synths), Fabiano Lima (percussion), Konstantin Döben (horns), Moses Yoofee (keys), Francis Maheux (contrabass), Tim Sensbach (guitar), and others contributed to nearly every track — not simply as session players, but as co-creators who shaped the tone and direction of each piece. As the duo themselves put it:
“While the composition credits acknowledge whoever first sparked an idea, each track grew far beyond its origins. Through collaboration, experimentation, and shared intuition, every musician helped define the sound and spirit of this record.”
That spirit also runs through the instrumental bookends of the album: the opening title track Move At Your Own Pace, a rhythmically intricate statement of intent, and Day by Day, where tender piano meets subtle electronics and sprightly percussion.
Recorded between Berlin and Limburg, the album embraces themes of childhood memory, emotional fragility, and the radical act of slowing down. In rejecting the demands of hustle culture and major-label polish, Modha have found their creative home in Sonar Kollektiv — a label where collaboration, craft, and care are allowed to thrive.
Tracklist:
1. Move At Your Own Pace
2. Good News (feat. Allysha Joy)
3. River (feat. Abase & Fanni Zahar)
4. Bullet (feat. Wakai)
5. Day By Day (Interlude)
6. The Bee By The Pool (feat. James Chatburn)
7. Breeze (feat. Conic Rose)
8. Find Me (Underneath The Sun) (feat. Okcandice)
