Charanjit Singh's "Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat": A Review of the Pioneering 1982 Electronic-Album Fusion
By
Vrinda Jagota
Summary
A review of Charanjit Singh's 1982 album "Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat," which blended Indian classical ragas with electronic disco and is now recognized as a pioneering work. The article contextualizes the album within the broader South Asian diaspora musical innovation of the early 1980s, mentioning other artists like Rupa Sen and Kuljit Bhamra who were experimenting with disco, funk, and early synthesizers. The piece explores how Singh's album, initially overlooked, has been rediscovered and re-evaluated as a landmark fusion of traditional Indian music with Western electronic dance music.
Source
PitchforkCharanjit Singh's "Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat": A Review of the Pioneering 1982 Electronic-Album Fusionpitchfork.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe South Asian diaspora witnessed a wave of musical innovation in the early 1980s, producing a number of records that would go on to earn landmark status.
In Calgary, recent college graduate Rupa Sen was visiting her brother when composer Aashish Khan heard her singing and asked her to provide vocals for what would become Disco Jazz.
In Southhall, 22-year-old Kuljit Bhamra was using the first Roland synthesizer created and a CR-8000 drum machine to make disco and f
You might also wanna read
Electronic Dance Music, 1966-1989, by Alwin Nikolais
The Triadex Muse: The Forgearly 1970s Algorithmic Music Sequencer for Home Use
The article explores the Triadex Muse, a pioneering algorithmic composition sequencer/synthesizer from the early 1970s that brought generati
computerhistory.org·5mo ago
Generative Design System: Bengal Classical Music Festival
abduzeedo.com·10d ago
_nsigned's "Automatic Joy Revival" Album Review: A British Musical Lineage Continues
A music review of the album "Automatic Joy Revival" by the band _nsigned. The reviewer expresses pride in British musical heritage, tracing
nsigned.com·13d ago
The Onion Satirizes Indian Director's Psychedelic Classical Music Film Scoring
A satirical article from The Onion reports that Indian director Priya Singh has scored the psychedelic section of her upcoming film "Maya's
The Onion·6d ago
When the UK Musicians' Union tried to ban synthesizers in 1982
This article recounts the bizarre but true story of the UK Musicians' Union attempting to ban synthesizers, drum machines, and electronic de
musicradar.com·21d ago
Comments
Sign in to join the conversation.
No comments yet. Be the first.