Originally released in 1982 and unheard by the world for decades, Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat is now widely recognized as one of the most visionary electronic albums ever recorded. Long before Acid House had a name, and before pairing Roland drum machines and synths to create dance music became de rigueur, Charanjit Singh fused ancient Indian ragas with cutting-edge technology and created a sound that still feels impossibly futuristic today.
Decades later, in the wake of the dance music scenes of Chicago and Detroit that blossomed in the mid-1980’s,
some crowned him the “Godfather of Acid House.” The real story, however, runs much deeper…
A native of Mumbai, Singh spent much of his career as a Bollywood session musician, collaborating with renowned composers like RD Burman, and appearing on some of the most iconic Hindi film hits of the ’60s and ’70s.
By the turn of the ’80s, however, Singh was disenchanted by the creative limitations of session work and embarked
on a solo career. Not long after, he discovered three Roland devices that had just hit the market: the TR-808 drum
machine, the TB-303 bass synthesizer, and the Jupiter 8 synthesizer. While this trio would fuel early electronic dance
music in the coming years, Singh was among the first known artists to pair them on record when he was inspired to
create his next album, Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat.
Recording live at Mumbai’s HMV studios, the album marries the past to the future—blending the ancient Indian
tradition of ragas with pulsating, electronic dance beats. Released without fanfare, the album faded into obscurity and
Singh retired from recording to focus on private concerts. Years later, Ten Ragas still resonates deeply with so many
artists and music lovers around the globe.