Meet Mbela Endeley of Lancaster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mbela Endeley.

Hi mbela, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Chicago, and almost immediately, my family moved to Cameroon, our ancestral home. I was raised in Cameroon and then Nigeria.
I returned to the United States at 19 and moved to Los Angeles, CA, to live with my aunt while pursuing an education in Architecture. I graduated with a Bachelor’s of Architecture in 2004, and in 2005, I attended Scratch Academy LA and learned DJing and some beatmaking fundamentals. I started to DJ on the side at venues and clubs, even at weddings.

Late in 2005, my first daughter was born, and my father passed away. At that time, I started dabbling in beatmaking and learning production from mentors and friends in the music community. By 2010, I had started releasing experimental music under the moniker “Abstract Butta Fingas”. While Hip Hop has a heavy influence on my music, Electronic music, Avant-garde, modular aesthetics, and African music are an undeniable part of my human experience and development.

In 2008, the economy collapsed, and Construction and Architecture were among the first to lose work and workers. Unfortunately, I was part of that group of people who were displaced from the workforce and lost their careers. By 2015, I had tried a few new pathways and possible careers, including teaching and serving as a showrunner for a TV show in Cameroon. I had also worked on ADR and Sound Design for a couple of producers working on short films. At this point, I decided to go back to College for Music and Sound design. I graduated in 2019 and started my own Production Sound and Post Production Sound Studio, Studio ME LLC.

Since then, I have been part of the Production, either as a composer, Music Editor, Sound designer, or Production mixer for over 50 films and 50 Albums. I am always open to working with new artists and helping them put together a demonstration of their abilities. I also enjoy showing them how to get that art and that expression out to the world, without fear.

Today, I am mentoring younger people experiencing similar obstacles in both music and film, and I look forward to teaching and helping the people who will be doing this long after I am gone.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Life in itself is not really smooth, but I would say I have had a few bumps in my journey. The most difficult ones included developing the bravery to attempt becoming a musician without any training at all. That particular issue will always be a lingering thought in the back of my mind. At first, finding people who would enjoy the kind of music I make felt impossible, but I slowly found my village and started to understand that music can be a language that is only spoken and enjoyed by a few. Most other obstacles have proven to be non-issues with time. An example of that would be basic music theory.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Sound Artist. I approach every film and every Song or album like it’s a canvas, and this allows me to approach the creative process in a conventional or non-conventional manner. Architecture and Engineering taught me to be flexible but also firm. I carry that balancing principle with me in every creative process because I believe it helps me to serve the project and not the process.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Patience. This helps you to be still. Stillness helps you hear things better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.studiomellc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mr_abstract_butta_fingas/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abstractbutta
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mendeley/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@magnanimouslive
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/mbelangale/?hl=en

Image Credits
Kushagra Jain

Eric Fischer