Charanjit Singh (1940 – 5 July 2015) was an Indian musician, composer, and pioneering electronic artist from Mumbai. For over three decades, he was a core figure in Bollywood’s music industry, performing bass, keyboards, and synthesizers on hundreds of soundtracks. He was part of the inner creative circle of Kishore Kumar, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, and R. D. Burman, touring worldwide with them and shaping the sound of Hindi film music during its golden era.
Charanjit Singh | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 December 1940 Bombay, British India |
| Died | 5 July 2015 (aged 74)[1][2] Mumbai, India |
| Genres | Bollywood, electronica, filmi |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, guitarist, Session musician, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | violin, keyboards, bass, lap steel guitar |
| Years active | 1960s–2015 |
| Labels | Gramophone Company of India, Saregama |
He is the father of acclaimed music director Raju Singh, a composer, arranger, and background music director whose career spans more than 250 films. Raju is best known for his acclaimed scores in films such as Kesari, Murder, and Aashiqui 2, and for cult television themes like C.I.D. and Boogie Woogie, which became part of India’s pop-culture fabric.
His grandson, Joshua Singh, is part of the third generation, emerging as a songwriter, producer, and artist in India’s independent music scene. He is recognized for his emotionally driven, genre-blending sound, and has also built a career producing for other artists.
Beyond Bollywood, Charanjit Singh is best known internationally for his groundbreaking 1982 album Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat. Created with Roland’s then-new TB-303, TR-808, and Jupiter-8, the record blended Indian classical ragas with disco and electronic sequencing. Decades later, it was hailed as a precursor to acid house, earning Singh posthumous recognition as the “father of Acid House.” Reissued in 2010, the album has since become a cult classic in global electronic music history.
As a prolific session musician from the 1960s to the 1980s, Singh performed on hundreds of Hindi film soundtracks, working closely with composers such as R. D. Burman, S. D. Burman, and Laxmikant–Pyarelal. He was widely recognized for introducing modern electronic textures into film orchestras, and was often called upon for guitar, bass, keyboards, and synthesizer parts.
Notable recordings he contributed to include:
“Dum Maro Dum” (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971) – keyboards and synthesizer
“Piya Tu Ab To Aaja” (Caravan, 1971) – organ/synth riffs
“Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil Ko” (Yaadon Ki Baaraat, 1973) – guitar and keys
“Mehbooba Mehbooba” (Sholay, 1975) – synthesizer textures
“Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aayi” (Buddha Mil Gaya, 1971) – bass/keys
Soundtrack of Bobby (1973) – bass and synthesizer
Soundtrack of Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) – keyboards/synths
He also performed extensively with Kishore Kumar on live tours through the 1970s and 1980s, often playing guitar, bass, and transicord. Composer R. D. Burman frequently relied on Singh for guitar and synthesizer textures, with colleagues recalling that “if there was a modern sound Burman wanted, Charanjit was often the first call.” Music directors Laxmikant–Pyarelal valued his ability to adapt quickly in large-scale studio productions such as Amar Akbar Anthony and Bobby, where his bass and synthesizer work helped modernize Bollywood’s orchestral sound.
After the rediscovery of his 1982 album Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, international press hailed Singh as a visionary. The Guardian described the record as “an accidental blueprint for acid house” and praised his “uncanny anticipation of electronic dance music to come.” Electronic musician A Guy Called Gerald, who performed with Singh at Berghain in Berlin, called him “a true pioneer — playing music from the 1980s that sounded more futuristic than what DJs were making in 2012.”
Biography
editSingh led a wedding band and recorded and released a number of albums covering popular film songs.[3] These were a form of instrumental elevator music, some of which have since been re-released by Sublime Frequencies,[4] such as his steel guitar renditions of "Manje Re" from Bandhe Haath in 1973 and "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne" from Yaadon Ki Baaraat in 1975.[5] In 1981, he produced synthesizer-based electronic renditions of the Silsila soundtrack in his record Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on Synthesizer of Silsila.[3]
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, an album of original electronic disco compositions Singh recorded in 1982, was a commercial failure at the time of its original release, but its re-discovery in 2002 and re-issue in early 2010 garnered attention due to comparisons with acid house from the mid to late 1980s.[6][7] Since then, certain commentators in the music press have recast Singh as an originator of acid house music.[6][7][8] He also used the same drum machine and synthesizers for his experimental electronic calypso record, Experiments in Calypso.[9] His son Raju Singh is a composer, who has scored for films and television shows.[10]
Charanjit Singh died of cardiac arrest in his sleep during the midnight of 4 July 2015 at his home in Bandra, Mumbai.[11]
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat
edit| Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Charanjit Singh | ||||
| Released | 1982, 1983, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 1982 | |||
| Genre | Electro-disco, acid house[12] | |||
| Label | Gramophone Company of India, Saregama, Bombay Connection[13] | |||
| Producer | Charanjit Singh | |||
| Charanjit Singh chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Mojo |   [9] |
| Spin | [14] |
In the 21st century, Charanjit Singh gained attention for his 1982 release Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, an album originally intended as a fusion of electronic disco music with Indian classical ragas. Singh's use of both the TR-808 drum machine and TB-303 bass synthesizer has led some music journalists to suggest that it is perhaps the earliest example of acid house music;[15] predating Phuture's seminal Chicago acid house record "Acid Tracks" (1987) by five years.[6][7] Comparisons have also been made with the work of other electronic dance musicians who were inspired by acid house such as Ceephax, Phuture 303, and Aphex Twin.[16] According to The Guardian writer Stuart Aitken, Singh's record was "far ahead" of its time.[7]
Production
editSingh produced Ten Ragas using three electronic musical instruments made by the Roland Corporation: the Jupiter-8 synthesizer, Roland TR-808, and Roland TB-303.[6] 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 in 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'."[7] 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.[8]
Besides Indian raga music, he also took inspiration from contemporary 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 minimalist, high-tempo, electronic disco, such as R.D. Burman's "Dil Lena Khel Hai Dildar Ka" (Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, 1981) which had a "futuristic electro feel" and Bappi Lahari's "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.[8][17][18]
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."[7] The first track "Raga Bhairavi" also features a synthesised voice that says "Om Namah Shivaya" through a vocoder.[19]
Release
editThe album was released under the label Gramophone Company of India[20] (now Saregama), having been recorded at their His Master's Voice in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1982.[13] Following the LP record's release in 1982,[21] it garnered some interest in India, finding its way onto Indian national radio, but it became a commercial failure and was largely forgotten until recent years.[6] However, Singh may have played a role in popularising electronic music in Bollywood at the time,[22] 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.[18]
Live performance
editFrom 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.[23]
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.[24][25]
Track listing
editBoth the original 1982[21] and 1983[20] LP records and the 2010 CD[13] and LP[26] re-releases contain the following five-minute-long tracks named after ragas:
- "Raga Bhairavi" – 4:59
- "Raga Lalit" – 4:55
- "Raga Bhupali" – 4:53
- "Raga Todi" – 4:52
- "Raga Madhuvanti" – 4:59
- "Raga Meghmalhar" – 5:01
- "Raga Yaman" – 5:06
- "Raga Kalavati" – 5:08
- "Raga Malkauns" – 5:02
- "Raga Bairagi" – 5:07
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Charanjit Singh, 'Inventor' of Acid House Music Dies". The Wire. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "Charanjit Singh, Acid House Pioneer, Dead at 75". Rolling Stone. 6 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ a b Charanjit Singh discography at Discogs
- ^ "Bollywood Steel Guitar CD SF043". Sublime Frequencies. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
- ^ Bollywood Steel Guitar at Discogs
- ^ a b c d e Pattison, Louis (10 April 2010). "Charanjit Singh, acid house pioneer". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d e f Stuart Aitken (10 May 2011). "Charanjit Singh on how he invented acid house ... by mistake". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c William Rauscher (12 May 2010). "Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ a b Ian Harrison (August 2010), "Future trax", Mojo, no. 201, retrieved 13 June 2011
- ^ Vijayak, Rajiv (8 June 2012). "Coming to the foreground". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
- ^ "RIP Charanjit Singh, the Most Influential Musician You May Have Never Heard Of | Suprateek Chatterjee". www.huffingtonpost.in. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015.
- ^ Weiner, Natalie. "Charanjit Singh, Acid House Innovator & Bollywood Session Musician, Has Died". Billboard. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ a b c Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat at Discogs (2010 CD)
- ^ Andrew Hultkrans (August 2010), "Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat", Spin, vol. 26, no. 7, p. 88, ISSN 0886-3032, retrieved 4 June 2011
- ^ Weiner, Natalie. "Charanjit Singh, Acid House Innovator & Bollywood Session Musician, Has Died". Billboard. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
- ^ "Top 10 Compilations and Re-Issues of the Year". Bleep Magazine. 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ Geeta Dayal (6 April 2010). "Further thoughts on '10 Ragas to a Disco Beat'". The Original Soundtrack. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ a b Geeta Dayal (29 August 2010). "'Studio 84′: Digging into the History of Disco in India". The Original Soundtrack. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ Geeta Dayal (5 April 2010). "Thoughts on '10 Ragas to a Disco Beat'". The Original Soundtrack. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ a b Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat at Discogs (1983 LP)
- ^ a b Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
- ^ Adam MacGregor (3 January 2011). "Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- ^ [https://ra.co/news/18002 Resident Advisor – Charanjit Singh makes UK debut]
- ^ [https://julietippex.com/roster/charanjit-singh/ Juliette Tippex – Charanjit Singh artist page]
- ^ [https://chriscook50.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/in-contrast-watching-a-performance-by-charanjit-singh/ Chris Cook – Concert review]
- ^ Charanjit Singh – Synthesizing: Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat at Discogs (2010 LP)
