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CD
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BC 302CD
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Until recently, it wasn't much more than some rumors on the web: an LP called Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat, featuring acid house avant la lettre, that was recorded in India in 1982 in India, 5 years before the first acid house record, Acid Tracks by Phuture. So it turns out, the record was no rumor. Only a few hundred copies of the LP were ever pressed, and only a handful seem to have survived. Moreover, the LP outdoes all expectations. Performed on the type of synths that would later define acid house, the Roland TB-303 and TR-808, the album sounds light years ahead of its time with its repetitive beats and hypnotic electronic melodies. Its maker, Bollywood session musician Charanjit Singh, set out to translate ancient Indian classical ragas to the modern synthesizer, and in doing so, invented house music along the way. The 10 tracks make a consistent listen from A to Z. Its restrained minimalism and lack of cheesiness makes it incredibly contemporary, sounding animated, fluid and unabashedly alive. The LP and CD are housed in a gatefold sleeve and digipack designed by Stefan Glerum and come with extended liner notes on Charanjit Singh and the context in which the album was recorded.
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2LP
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BC 302LP
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Limited restock on vinyl; gatefold 2LP version. Until recently it wasn't much more than some rumors on the web: an LP called Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat featuring acid house avant la lettre, that was recorded in 1982 in India, 5 years before the first acid house record, Acid Trax by Phuture. It was even rumored to be a prank spawned by Richard D. James (Aphex Twin). So it turns out, the record was no rumor. Only a few hundred copies of the LP were ever pressed, and only a handful seem to have survived. Moreover, the LP outdoes all expectations. Performed on the synths that would later define acid house, the Roland TB-303 and TR-808, the album sounds light years ahead of its time with its repetitive beats and hypnotic electronic melodies. Its maker, Bollywood session musician Charanjit Singh (featured on Sublime Frequencies' Bollywood Steel Guitar compilation), set out to translate ancient Indian classical ragas to the modern synthesizer and in doing so invented house music along the way. The 10 tracks make a consistent listen from A to Z. Its restrained minimalism and lack of cheesiness makes it incredibly contemporary, sounding animated, fluid and unabashedly alive. Includes extended liner notes on Charanjit Singh and the context in which the album was recorded. "...a haunting, exotic prefiguration of acid's steely futurism, a bit like Kraftwerk live at the Taj Mahal, somehow summoned from the past but envisioning the future at the same time." -- Resident Advisor
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