Charanjit Singh (musician)
Encyclopedia
Charanjit Singh is a musician from Mumbai
, India
, who performed in numerous Bollywood
soundtrack
orchestras in the 1960s and 1970s. He led a wedding band and recorded and released a number of albums covering
popular film songs
. These were a form of instrumental
elevator music
, some of which have since been re-released by Sublime Frequencies
, 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. In 1981, he produced synthesizer
-based electronic
renditions of the Silsila soundtrack in his record Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on Synthesizer of Silsila.
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 its resemblance to music from the acid house
genre of the late 1980s. Since then, certain commentators in the music press have hailed Singh as a pioneer of acid house
. He also used the same drum machine
and synthesizers for his experimental
electronic calypso
record, Experiments in Calypso.
of electronic
disco
music with Indian classical
Raga
s. Some music journalists have speculated that it is perhaps the earliest example of acid house
because it pre-dates Phuture
's seminal "Acid Tracks" (1987) by five years.
Since its 2010 re-release, the album has been critically acclaimed in the music press. Besides comparisons with acid house, some have also described it as an early example of house music
, techno
and acid techno
, and compared it to the work of contemporary electronic dance music
ians such as Ceephax, Phuture 303, and Aphex Twin
. This has led some to regard Singh's record as being "far ahead" of its time.
s made by the Roland Corporation
: the Jupiter-8
synthesizer
, TR-808
drum machine
, and TB-303
bass synthesizer. 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 synchronize 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'." 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.
Besides Indian raga music, he also took inspiration from contemporary Bollywood
film 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 West
by that time. The continued relevance of disco in India and the increasing reliance on synthesizer
s 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
up to a "techno
wavelength" and made the sounds more minimalistic, while pairing them with "mystical, repetitive, instrumental Indian
ragas" using his new equipment setup to produce a sound resembling acid house. 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." The first track "Raga Bhairavi" also features a synthesized voice
that says “Om Namah Shivaya” through a vocoder
.
The album was released under the label Gramophone Company of India
(now Sa Re Ga Ma), having been recorded at their HMV Studio
in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1982. Following the LP record
's release in 1982, 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. However, Singh may have played a role in popularizing electronic music in Bollywood at the time, 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.
s and the 2010 CD and LP re-releases contain the following tracks:
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who performed in numerous Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
soundtrack
Bollywood songs
Bollywood songs, more formally known as Hindi movie songs, are songs featured in Bollywood films, often performed in item numbers.The language of Hindi movie songs, generally termed Hindi, can be complex. Some songs are saturated with Urdu and Persian terms and it is not uncommon to hear use of...
orchestras in the 1960s and 1970s. He led a wedding band and recorded and released a number of albums covering
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
popular film songs
Filmi
Filmi is Indian popular music as written and performed for Indian cinema. Music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playback singers and it makes up 72% of the music sales in India....
. These were a form of instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
elevator music
Elevator music
Elevator music refers to instrumental arrangements of popular music designed for playing in shopping malls, grocery stores, department stores, telephone systems , cruise ships, airports, doctors' and dentists' offices, and elevators...
, some of which have since been re-released by Sublime Frequencies
Sublime Frequencies
Sublime Frequencies is a record label based in Seattle, Washington that focuses exclusively on "acquiring and exposing obscure sights and sounds from modern and traditional urban and rural frontiers," mostly from Southeast Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East...
, such as his steel guitar
Steel guitar
Steel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
renditions of "Manje Re" from Bandhe Haath
Bandhe Haath
Bandhe Haath is a 1973 Hindi movie produced and written by O. P. Ralhan. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Mumtaz, Ajit, O P Ralhan, Ranjeet, Madan Puri, Asit Sen, Tun Tun and Pinchoo Kapoor. The films music is by R. D...
in 1973 and "Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne
Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne
Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne is an Indian Bollywood film which is directed by Sangeeth Sivan and released on 21 March 2003. Zayed Khan, the son of actor and director Sanjay Khan made his film debut with this film.-Synopsis:...
" from Yaadon Ki Baaraat in 1975. In 1981, he produced synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
-based electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
renditions of the Silsila soundtrack in his record Charanjit Singh: Plays Hit Tunes on Synthesizer of Silsila.
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, an album of original electronic disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
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 its resemblance to music from the acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
genre of the late 1980s. Since then, certain commentators in the music press have hailed Singh as a pioneer of acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
. He also used the same drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
and synthesizers for his experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
electronic calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
record, Experiments in Calypso.
Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat
Charanjit Singh is best known for his 1982 release Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, an album originally intended as a fusionFusion (music)
A fusion genre is music that combines two or more styles. For example, rock and roll originally developed as a fusion of blues, gospel and country music. The main characteristics of fusion genres are variations in tempo, rhythm, i a sometimes the use of long musical "journeys" that can be divided...
of electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
music with Indian classical
Indian classical music
The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...
Raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s. Some music journalists have speculated that it is perhaps the earliest example of acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
because it pre-dates Phuture
Phuture
Phuture is a Chicago-based acid house group founded in 1985 by Spanky, DJ Pierre and Herb J.The group's 12-minute track "Acid Tracks" is one of several recordings that lay claim to being the first-ever acid house record....
's seminal "Acid Tracks" (1987) by five years.
Since its 2010 re-release, the album has been critically acclaimed in the music press. Besides comparisons with acid house, some have also described it as an early example of house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
and acid techno
Acid techno
Acid techno is the term used to describe a style of techno that developed out of late 1980s Chicago Acid house. Acid house was essentially house music made with a specific sound, obtained by using very distinctive instruments created mainly by Roland, such as the TB-303 for bass and lead sounds,...
, and compared it to the work of contemporary electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
ians such as Ceephax, Phuture 303, and Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
. This has led some to regard Singh's record as being "far ahead" of its time.
Production and release
Singh produced Ten Ragas using three electronic musical instrumentElectronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
s made by the Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
: the Jupiter-8
Roland Jupiter-8
The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...
synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, TR-808
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...
drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
, and TB-303
Roland TB-303
The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...
bass synthesizer. 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 synchronize 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'." 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
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...
function which made it suitable for reproducing the Indian Raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
melodies.
Besides Indian raga music, he also took inspiration from contemporary Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film music
Filmi
Filmi is Indian popular music as written and performed for Indian cinema. Music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playback singers and it makes up 72% of the music sales in India....
, 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
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
and Indian producer Biddu
Biddu
Biddu or Biddu Appaiah is an Indian-British music producer, composer, song-writer and singer who produced and composed many hit records worldwide during a career spanning five decades...
), at a time when disco's popularity had declined in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
by that time. The continued relevance of disco in India and the increasing reliance on synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s led to experiments in minimalist
Minimalist music
Minimal music is a style of music associated with the work of American composers La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass. It originated in the New York Downtown scene of the 1960s and was initially viewed as a form of experimental music called the New York Hypnotic School....
, high-tempo
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
, 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
Disco Dancer
Disco Dancer is a 1982 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Babbar Subhash starring Mithun Chakraborty in lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer...
, 1982). Such developments eventually culminated in the work of Singh, who increased the tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
up to a "techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
wavelength" and made the sounds more minimalistic, while pairing them with "mystical, repetitive, instrumental Indian
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
ragas" using his new equipment setup to produce a sound resembling acid house. 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
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
. And I did it. And it turned out good." The first track "Raga Bhairavi" also features a synthesized voice
Speech synthesis
Speech synthesis is the artificial production of human speech. A computer system used for this purpose is called a speech synthesizer, and can be implemented in software or hardware...
that says “Om Namah Shivaya” through a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
.
The album was released under the label Gramophone Company of India
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
(now Sa Re Ga Ma), having been recorded at their HMV Studio
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1982. Following the LP record
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
's release in 1982, it garnered some interest in India, finding its way onto Indian national radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
, but it became a commercial failure and was largely forgotten until recent years. However, Singh may have played a role in popularizing electronic music in Bollywood at the time, and a somewhat similar "techno-sounding interlude" had later appeared in Lahiri's song "Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki
Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki
Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki is a 1984 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by B.Subhash, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Smita Patil, Salma Agha, Karan Razdan, Geeta Siddharth and Amrish Puri-Plot:...
" from the film of the same name in 1984.
Track listing
Both the original 1982 and 1983 LP recordLP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
s and the 2010 CD and LP re-releases contain the following tracks:
- "Raga Bhairavi"
- "Raga LalitLalit (raga)Lalit is a raga in Hindustani classical music. It is commonly described as serene and devotional and is performed at dawn.The swara of Lalit put emphasis on the minor second and minor sixth , and include natural and sharp fourth , but omit the commonly used perfect fifth...
" - "Raga Bhupali"
- "Raga TodiTodi (raga)Todi is a Hindustani classical raga which gave its name to the Todi thaat, one of the ten modes of Hindustani classical music. Ragas from the Todi raganga include Todi itself, Bilaskhani Todi, Bahaduri Todi, and Gujari Todi....
" - "Raga Madhuvanti"
- "Raga MeghmalharMegh MalharMegh Malhar is a Hindustani classical raga. The name derives from the Sanskrit word Megh, meaning cloud. Legends say that this raga has the power to bring out rains in the area where it is sung. Megh Malhar is similar to raga Megh.-External links:*...
" - "Raga YamanYaman (raga)Yaman is a heptatonic Hindustani Classical raga of Kalyan Thaat.-Description:Yaman emerges from Kalyan Thaat.-Mechanics:...
" - "Raga KalavatiKalavatiKalavātī is a modern pentatonic Hindustānī rāga; Re and Ma are omitted. Kalavātī belongs to the Khamāj thaat .- Aroha and Avaroha :ĀrohanaS G P D n S'...
" - "Raga MalkaunsMalkaushMalkaush is a raga in Indian classical music. It is one of the most ancient ragas of Indian classical music. The equivalent raga in Carnatic music is called Hindolam, not to be confused with the Hindustani Hindol.-Etymology:...
" - "Raga BairagiBairagi-External links:* * *...
"