‘Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat’ is embellished in history.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Charanjit Singh, a Bollywood composer and session musician who pioneered the acid house genre, passed away in his Mumbai home on July 3 at the age of 74.
1982 marks the year Singh recorded “Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat,” the seminal LP that Rolling Stone insists “boasted many of the hallmarks of acid house while predating the outbreak of that genre by five years.”
Singh recaptured the musical consciousness’ attention in 2010 when the Bombay Connection reissued the classic album. While he was hesitant to stake a claim to his role in the evolution of the genre, “Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat” was one of the earliest records to use the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the Roland TB 303 bass synth – a machine that built much of the acid house sound, according to The Guardian.
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“There was lots of disco music in films back in 1982,” Singh told the British publication in 2011. “So, I thought why not do something different using disco music only? I got an idea to play all the Indian ragas and give the beat a disco beat — and turn off the tabla. And I did it. And it turned out good.” However, upon release, “Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat” was a commercial failure. “It didn’t click,” Singh said. “It didn’t have any publicity. Only sometimes you could hear it on the All-Indian radio station, filling the gaps.”
As with many classics appreciated in retrospect, Singh’s work was apparently ahead of its time. It was a half-decade before the acid house movement would take root and begin to thrive in the Windy City, when the Chicago trio Phuture released the eponymous, genre-defining “Acid Tracks.”
Rolling Stone reported that Singh finally started to garner significant fame and recognition for his contribution circa 2002. He followed up on his newfound acclaim by touring on both sides of the Atlantic, and at the time of his death, he was preparing for another concert in London while working on an album of world folk music.
“I might try my version of folk songs of the world, from Nairobi. Indian folk songs as well, of course,” Singh told Rolling Stone India in 2013. “I won’t leave the disco beat, because people like to dance, no?”
The now-legendary musician is survived by his son, Raju Singh, who emulated his father by pursuing music and is a composer who has scored various films and television shows.