Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat (CD)

Light in the Attic is honored to announce the long-awaited reissue of Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, the revolutionary 1982 album from composer and musician Charanjit Singh. Pairing Indian classical ragas with then-state-of-the-art Roland synthesizers and drum machines, Singh created an electronic masterpiece that was far ahead of its time.

Recording live at Mumbai’s HMV studios, Singh married the past to the future—blending the ancient Indian tradition of ragas (a melodic framework, similar to a scale, from which musicians can improvise or compose) with pulsating, electronic dance beats. Released without fanfare, it faded into obscurity and Singh retired from recording to focus on private concerts, but that’s where the story begins…

Released in cooperation with Singh’s estate, Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat arrives on August 7th. The 10-track album was remastered by Johanz Westerman at Ballyhoo Studio Mastering and stretches across 2-LPs for the highest quality listening experience. The vinyl was pressed at Optimal Media and housed in a gatefold jacket that replicates the original artwork.

An accompanying 20-page LP booklet features previously-unreleased photos and two new essays: the first from Arshia Fatima Haq and Jeremy Loudenback of Discostan—a multimedia collective and record label focusing on music from South West Asia and North Africa—while the other comes from Charanjit's grandchildren including singer-songwriter Rachel Singh and composer Joshua Singh, and some of the team that helped make the resurgence possible including Rana Ghose and Johanz Westerman. Additionally, fans can find a limited-edition pressing of Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat on ‘Pearlescent Transcendent Future’ Color Wax, while the album will also be reissued on CD with a 36-page booklet containing all of the above.

1. Raga: Bhairavi
2. Raga: Lalit
3. Raga: Bhupali
4. Raga: Todi
5. Raga: Madhuvanti
6. Raga: Meghmalhar
7. Raga: Yaman
8. Raga: Kalavati
9. Raga: Malkauns
10. Raga: Bairagi