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Starting A Data V1

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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2016}}
{{Infobox album
| italic_title = no
| name = Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat
| type = Studio album
| artist = [[Charanjit Singh (musician)|Charanjit Singh]]
| cover = Synthesizing Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat.jpg
| border =
| alt =
| released = 1982<br> 2010 (re-issue)
| recorded = 1982
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Electro-disco]]<br>[[acid house]]<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |last1=Weiner |first1=Natalie |title=Charanjit Singh, Acid House Innovator & Bollywood Session Musician, Has Died |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/charanjit-singh-acid-house-died-6620128/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref>
| length =
| label = [[Saregama|Gramophone Company of India/Saregama]], <br /> Bombay Connection (2010 reissue)<ref name="discogs_cd"/>
| producer = [[Charanjit Singh (musician)|Charanjit Singh]]
| prev_title = [[Silsila (1981 film)#Music|Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on Synthesizer of Silsila]]
| prev_year = 1981
| next_title = Experiments in Calypso
| next_year =
}}

'''''Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat''''' is the debut studio album by Indian musician [[Charanjit Singh (musician)|Charanjit Singh]]. It was released in 1982 through the Gramophone Company of India, now known as [[Saregama]]. The album primarily utilizes the [[Roland TR-808]] [[drum machine]] and [[Roland TB-303]] [[bass synthesizer]] and was originally intended as a [[:Category:Fusion music genres|fusion]] of [[Electronic music|electronic]] [[disco]] music with [[Indian classical music|Indian classical]] [[raga]]s.

Singh's distinctive utilization of both the TR-808 and the TB-303 on the album has led some music journalists to suggest that it is perhaps the earliest example of [[acid house]] music; predating [[Phuture]]'s seminal [[Chicago house|Chicago acid house]] record "[[Acid Tracks]]" (1987) by five years.<ref name="guardian_20103">{{cite web |last=Pattison |first=Louis |date=10 April 2010 |title=Charanjit Singh, acid house pioneer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/apr/10/charanjit-singh-acid-house |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name="guardian_20112">{{cite web |author=Stuart Aitken |date=10 May 2011 |title=Charanjit Singh on how he invented acid house ... by mistake |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/10/charanjit-singh-acid-house-ten-ragas |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Because of this, Charanjit Singh is often regarded as the pioneer of acid house.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014-07-31 |title=Acid House Was Born in a Mumbai Basement |url=https://aaww.org/acid-house-mumbai-charanjit-singh/ |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=Asian American Writers' Workshop |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dazed |date=2015-07-06 |title=RIP acid house pioneer Charanjit Singh |url=https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/25363/1/rip-acid-house-pioneer-charanjit-singh |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=Dazed |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=MacHattie |first=Callum |date=2024-10-12 |title=Charanjit Singh: the accidental father of acid house |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/charanjit-singh-father-of-acid-house/ |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Background ==

=== Production ===
Singh produced ''Ten Ragas'' using three [[electronic musical instrument]]s made by the [[Roland Corporation]]: the [[Roland Jupiter-8|Jupiter-8]] synthesizer, Roland TR-808, and Roland TB-303.<ref name="guardian_20103"/> It was one of the first records to use the TB-303, a machine that has become synonymous with acid house. Singh had bought his TB-303 in Singapore soon after its introduction in late 1981. He didn't know much about the three machines at first, so he spent much time figuring out how to use them, and eventually discovered that it was possible to synchronise the TR-808 and TB-303 with the Jupiter-8 keyboard. According to Singh: "At home I practised with the combination and I thought 'It sounds good – why not record it'."<ref name="guardian_20112"/> While the TB-303 was originally designed to fill in for a bass guitar, it was awkward when it came to reproducing conventional basslines, so he found a different way to employ the machine, particularly its [[glissando]] function which made it suitable for reproducing the Indian [[raga]] melodies.<ref name="ra_raga">{{cite web |author=William Rauscher |date=12 May 2010 |title=Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat |url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=7445 |accessdate=3 June 2011 |publisher=[[Resident Advisor]]}}</ref>

Besides [[Music of India|Indian]] raga music, he also took inspiration from contemporary [[Music of Bollywood|Bollywood music]], or [[filmi]] music, specifically the Indian electronic disco scene that had only just become popular in the early 1980s (sparked by the success of [[Pakistani pop]] singer [[Nazia Hassan]] and Indian producer [[Biddu]]), at a time when disco's popularity had declined in the United States. In parallel to the [[Euro disco]] scene at the time, the continued relevance of disco in India and the increasing reliance on synthesizers led to experiments in [[Minimal music|minimalist]], [[Hi-NRG|high-tempo]], electronic disco, such as [[R.D. Burman]]'s "[[:File:Dil Lena Khel Hai Dildar Ka.ogg|Dil Lena Khel Hai Dildar Ka]]" (''[[Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai]]'', 1981) which had a "futuristic [[Electro music|electro]] feel" and [[Bappi Lahari]]'s "[[:File:Disco Dancer - Yaad Aa Raha Hai.ogg|Yaad Aa Raha Hai]]" (''[[Disco Dancer]]'', 1982). Such developments eventually culminated in the work of Singh, who increased the [[tempo]] and made the sounds more minimalistic, while pairing them with instrumental Indian ragas using his new equipment setup.<ref name="ra_raga" /><ref name="geeta_ragas">{{cite web |author=Geeta Dayal |date=6 April 2010 |title=Further thoughts on '10 Ragas to a Disco Beat' |url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/further-thoughts-on-ten-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902151454/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/further-thoughts-on-ten-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |archive-date=2 September 2010 |accessdate=3 June 2011 |publisher=The Original Soundtrack}}</ref><ref name="geeta_disco2">{{cite web |author=Geeta Dayal |date=29 August 2010 |title='Studio 84′: Digging into the History of Disco in India |url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/08/29/studio-84-the-history-of-disco-in-india/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302083346/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/08/29/studio-84-the-history-of-disco-in-india/ |archive-date=2 March 2012 |accessdate=3 June 2011 |publisher=The Original Soundtrack}}</ref>

According to Singh: "There was lots of disco music in films back in 1982. 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."<ref name="guardian_20112" /> The first track "[[Bhairavi (Hindustani)|Raga Bhairavi]]" also features a [[Speech synthesis|synthesised voice]] that says "[[Om Namah Shivaya]]" through a [[vocoder]].<ref name="dayal_thoughts">{{cite web |author=Geeta Dayal |date=5 April 2010 |title=Thoughts on '10 Ragas to a Disco Beat' |url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/05/thoughts-on-10-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305185502/http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/04/05/thoughts-on-10-ragas-to-a-disco-beat/ |archive-date=5 March 2012 |accessdate=3 June 2011 |publisher=The Original Soundtrack}}</ref>

== Release ==
The album was released under the label [[Saregama|Gramophone Company of India]]<ref name="discogs_1983">{{Discogs release|2247646|Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat|type=album}} (1983 LP)</ref> (now Saregama), having been recorded at their [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]] in Bombay in 1982.<ref name="discogs_cd">{{Discogs release|2136045|Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat|type=album}} (2010 CD)</ref> Following the [[LP record]]'s release in 1982,<ref name="allmusic_ragas">{{allMusic|class=album|id=r1818735|label=Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat|accessdate=3 June 2011}}</ref> it garnered some interest in India, finding its way onto [[All India Radio|Indian national radio]], but it became a commercial failure and was largely forgotten until its 2010 re-release.<ref name="guardian_20103"/>

== Live performance ==
From 2012 until his death in 2015, Charanjit Singh toured internationally, performing Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat for the first time. In November 2012, at age 72, he made his UK debut with stops at The Shacklewell Arms in London and La Cheetah Club in Glasgow, performing with his original Roland TB-303, TR-808, and Jupiter-8 gear.<ref>[https://ra.co/news/18002<nowiki> Resident Advisor – Charanjit Singh makes UK debut]</nowiki>]</ref>

In 2013 he embarked on a European tour, performing in cities including Aalst (Belgium), Bordeaux, Lyon, and Paris, and appeared at festivals such as Nuits Sonores (Lyon), Music Meeting (Nijmegen), and Field Day (London). He also played at Berghain in Berlin alongside A Guy Called Gerald.<ref>[https://julietippex.com/roster/charanjit-singh/<nowiki> Juliette Tippex – Charanjit Singh artist page]</nowiki>]</ref><ref>[https://chriscook50.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/in-contrast-watching-a-performance-by-charanjit-singh/<nowiki> Chris Cook – Concert review]</nowiki>]</ref>

== Legacy ==
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat is often considered by music journalists to be the earliest example of [[acid house]] predating [[Phuture]]'s seminal [[Chicago house|Chicago acid house]] record "[[Acid Tracks]]" (1987) by five years. According to ''[[The Guardian]]'' writer Stuart Aitken, Singh's record was "far ahead" of its time.<ref name="guardian_20112"/> Electronic musician [[A Guy Called Gerald]], who performed with Singh at the [[Berghain]] in [[Berlin]], called him “a true pioneer — playing music from the 1980s that sounded more futuristic than what DJs were making in 2012.”

The album has also played a role in popularising electronic music in Bollywood at the time,<ref>{{cite web |author=Adam MacGregor |date=3 January 2011 |title=Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat |url=http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/6094 |accessdate=4 June 2011 |work=Dusted Magazine}}</ref> and a somewhat similar "techno-sounding interlude" had later appeared in Lahiri's song "[[Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki]]" from the film of the same name in 1984.<ref name="geeta_disco2"/>

== Track listing ==
The original 1982<ref name="allmusic_ragas" /> and 1983<ref name="discogs_1983" /> [[LP record]]s and the 2010 CD<ref name="discogs_cd" /> and LP<ref>{{Discogs release|2108668|Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat|type=album}} (2010 LP)</ref> re-releases contain the following five-minute-long tracks named after [[raga]]s:

# "[[Bhairavi (Hindustani)|Raga Bhairavi]]" – 4:59
# "[[Lalit (raga)|Raga Lalit]]" – 4:55
# "[[Bhopali|Raga Bhupali]]" – 4:53
# "[[Todi (raga)|Raga Todi]]" – 4:52
# "[[Madhuvanti|Raga Madhuvanti]]" – 4:59
# "[[Megh Malhar|Raga Meghmalhar]]" – 5:01
# "[[Yaman (raga)|Raga Yaman]]" – 5:06
# "[[Kalavati|Raga Kalavati]]" – 5:08
# "[[Malkaush|Raga Malkauns]]" – 5:02
# "[[Bairagi (raga)|Raga Bairagi]]" – 5:07

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:1982 debut albums]]

Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat - Revision history

Andreasujg: Starting A Data V1