Charanjit Singh: 2010
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ย. 2010
- 2021 UPDATE: Watch • Charanjit Singh: 2014 for a short film on what happened after we met Charanjit. This was commissioned as part of a larger online exhibition for Google Arts & Culture, all of which can be seen at bit.ly/CS-GAC.
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In 1982, veteran Bollywood composer #CharanjitSingh visits Singapore and gets his hands on the now holy trinity of a Roland 303, 808, and Jupiter 8 - the core of acid house and arguably the precursor to electronica as we know it today.
The thing is, he does this four years before the clubs of Detroit, Chicago, and Manchester do.
Later that year, EMI India releases an album limited to a few thousand copies: "Synthesizing: Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat". It presents Charanjit's effort at using what was then entirely new technology to bridge the gap between programmed beats, synth lines, and classical Indian music motifs.
It essentially sinks without a trace.
In 2010, Dutch label Bombay Connection re-releases this LP to an unsuspecting and wholly ignorant public, one convinced that these beats were established in the clubs of Chicago, Detroit, and Manchester in the mid to late eighties.
They weren't.
Charanjit Singh still lives in Bombay. We met him. - เพลง
He himself had no idea what he created. He was a pure musician who didn't care about anything else. Otherwise he would've been much more famous. All of us who are listening to him now are lucky.
Very true. He has an almost blank look on his face for so many of the things he is being told. "You're probably the inventor or precursor of several music genres" "Oh. Ok. That's nice."
Cannot believe this is the only interview I found online on this amazing musician..
It is a wish for me becoming true to see an interview with Mr Singh.
I am from Germany and give courses in History of electronic music. I tell the participants of the courses that he is the real inventor of acid house. To this day there was not one person who knew him before beeing in my course. I think that's a shame and Mr Singh deserves more respect and more attention in the western world for his work.
Thank you a lot for this video!
Hi Matthias. Is there any way I can get in touch with you? This is in regards to you been an expert in 'History of Electronic music' and I wanted to talk to you about Mr. Singh. Please do let me know how I can get in touch with you. :)
RIP, Mr. Singh. You were a musical legend, and will always be remembered.
Raga Todi is in my opinion the best peice of electronic music in the world. I a have heard a lot of electronic music. To see him live in California with analog synthesizers would be a dream come true.
I've just discovered his work, so sorry to read his death. RIP great avant-garde artist.
This is such a fabulous video. He is so humble about his music.. and that improvisation on the Yamaha that he just whips out ... wow! And I love how out of touch he is with the 80s nostalgia of the younger generation. Pretty refreshing actually.
Thank you for making this. I feel sad I didn't know who he was when he came to the UK and performed. Would've loved to have seen him. And didn't know he had a bangla wife and sang in bengali !
I'd never've expected to see you here, doctor.
@@nakulgote I'm a fairly big nerd for all this stuff. The blue poster in the background of my videos is all about the pioneers of electronic music.
@@MedlifeCrisis do you have a playlist of your favourite old electronic music?
More people need to know about this Composer. I simply heard him over GTA 5 Online Kult 99 FM Radio Raga Madhuvanti and somehow the track resonated with me and here I am watching this video.
They were good friends of mine. I knew them both well throughout the 80's. He played and she sang . They played at many concerts in Montreal and Toronto. We entertained together as friends and shared years of good times together. Anyone doubting the authenticity of this video or even the music , really then , does not know anything.
@ccritxsfc
The interviewer was simply saying "electronic music" to make him understand. Chiranjit Singh clearly had no idea what "acid house" music is, since he's been out of touch with contemporary dance music for a very long time.
Besides, to say that electronic music came from Germans is to ignore decades worth of work by the Japanese, Americans, and French, who all contributed to the development of electronic music since at least the 50s.
Don't forget the Belgian pioneers! ;)
Don't forget the Egyptian Halim El-Dabh, who composed electronic music in 1944
charanjeet uncle was a very busy musician playing in bollywood movie songs and background music recordings during late 1960's to 1980's ...particularly with RD Burman who is considered to be a real pioneer of teechno sound beginning in early 1960's.... he mainly played synthesisers, organ, transichords and many others...a total genius
As an Indian, am really thankful to you for this interview. Thanks a lot mate!!! Great to see you take the effort to go there and interview him.
I read an article from an interview in Acton, wasn't aware there was a filmed interview in their hie in Bombay! This story is fascinating and the music fantastic. Well done mr Singh bravo👏
Thanks for making this!
He didn't understand how pioneering his electronic work really was.
His work was amazing. Discovered it last week and amazed!
I wish more electronic producers were exploring this style of music. A well-played improvisation in classical raga form is a beautiful thing. Hats off to Mr. Singh for his 1982 experiment, and I hope it encourages others to study Indian classical music.
charanjeet uncle too was greatly influenced by RD Burman's work ... by the way guys, charanjeet uncle doesnt need marketing .. he is a genius and most down to earth guy ... he got to be amongst world's all time best bassist and electronic exponent along with kersi lord whose best work too was with RD Burman
What a fantastic video! Thank you for making this, I have no other words.
Thank you for this video. Came here after listening the originals. Needed to know more about this Legend. Felt sad.
A masterpiece left underrated.
The best !!
Chranjeet uncle was a very busy musician in bombay back then playing organ, transichords, bass guitar , synthesiser and several other instruments ... using his kind of talent needed a special talent which was RD Burman , their work is stupendous as u can hear in hundreds of background tracks and songs by RD Burman
My tongue is still touching the floor in awe, man i´m fucking watching Mr. Singh speak, so sweet and natural as his huge talent!!!
Well EMI India released it in 1982. I have seen an original copy and touched it. The man behind the re-release is Edo from Bombay Connections - he is a great guy, passionate about vinyl who travels the world seeking out local unheard rarities, and then helping us all by re-releasing them
Don't think that Indian studios weren't producing good recordings. I am no expert but there are tons of great records all done analogue to tape in the proper fashion.
Surely this interview is the best proof?
Thank you for making this video❤
Thank You for making this mate! This is a beautiful conversation- and is only made (somehow) better by Mr Singh's performance midway.
And oh yeah, one more country I forgot to mention before is Egypt... Many might be even more surprised to know that the first piece of electronic music was produced by an Egyptian called Halim El-Dabh way back in 1944.
Respect. For finding him. True legend.
RIP,
The humble pioneer of electronic music!
I just found this album researching my own forage into dance and tb303. I am so happy to find this.
Charanjit uncle's best work was with RD Burman .. have seen him play in countless songs and background music recordings with Rd Burman in 70's and 80's .. he is a total master .. he could capture RD's vision and give the sound he wanted almost effortlessly ...charanjeet uncle - a genius
That album is so insanely good
Thank you so much for this important document of electronic history!
Love it!
RIP
Subscribed. For this video alone!
Bravo! 👏
Awesome stuff. I have never heard anything like this
Amazed
4:17 blast from the past, Thank you, Rest in Peace
🙏🙏🙏🙏
Very cool song...much respect. To basically say this predates electronic music from the west (8:00) isn't all too accurate. The foundation to modern electronic dance music came from the seventies. For example, Donna Summer "I Feel Love" is no less electronic music than Charanjit's song IMO.
Great!
wow, my world is shattered.
RESPECT to you guys !!
this is rlly sick!
bet he doesn't get the royalties anymore. It would be nice if there was a way for him to really understand/comprehend the contemporary relevance and new interest shown in these old recordings.
Fantastic stuff ! Come on Charanjit Singh... Let's Do The Timewarp Again :)
This is Charanjit Singh Malik :)
¡ RIP !
I need the original of this LP. Tough dig but I WILL find it.
Good work guys. It is amazing listening to what he did. I'm actually due to be spending 3 months in Mumbai early next year and was wondering where I might be able to find some venues playing electronic music/techno? If you've got any recommendations I'm all ears :)
@Jagged85
...Now that I think about it, Raga House could become the next Raga Rock?
this is what i am betting. i am betting some of those acid house artists owned this record back in the day and decided hey no one is gonna know the difference. while i disagree with the interviewers implication electronic music originated in india. i would have to say someone would have to be a fool after hearing this story to not think that charanjit singh originated acid house. someone needs to give this many a jp8 a tb303 and a tr808 and beg him to make another record.
C.S. Lives (In Sonorum)
How many Punjabi Man / Bengali Woman Ghazal duos are there?
Charanjit ji played for RD Burman. It will be great if we get to know which songs he actually played .
@BackToJack1990 it's not a nazi symbol, before they adopted it for their own use it was a common symbol used in various indian religions like hinduism or buddhism
@RRKS69
...More like the original Raga House!
I am a DISCO DANCER ,:-)
this is no marketing plan... we saw this recording in bombay in HMV studios ( EMI ) in Fort area of Bombay , even RD Burman was present at that recording in bombay 1980-81 if i remember right ... actually the recording wasnt a big deal .. they just did it without much thought...
According to the sleeve notes he recorded the LP at HMV studios, which would have been a professional facility, whereas most Detroit and Chicago records would have been recorded in home studios to a consumer level reel to reel or in some instances cassette.
I do know what you mean about it seeming like a big fraud but if that were the case it would be a hell of a double bluff to have Charanjit seemingly missing the significance of his own record.
Well, there's more than one "native language" in India, keep in mind. His wife says at one point, "I've been teaching him Bengali," which might mean that Charanjit mostly speaks Hindi and the interviewer doesn't.
Or it could be that they just want the interview to be more accessible by having it in English.
cool stuff, but def not acid house. you know, it IS possible for two peoples from different worlds to come up with similar musics and ideas without having met. for two
I would like to know more and work with you people.
contact me - 7738572747
Listen to me on soundcloud if you want ..
soundcloud.com/you/tracks
He acts as if he doesn't know anything about what they're talking about. He mustn't remember ever making the tracks. Maybe they should have let him listen to some more modern acid house because he obviously didn't have a clue about it even though people call his music acid house... I guess his music is probably genreless in his eyes.
This is Electronic music and I love it, But just because he used a Roland 303 for the bass line don't make it acid house.
Says the guy who calls it a "Roland 303." So had he started tweaking the resonance & cut off knobs things would've cool by your standards? Come on, this is '82, it's remarkable!
kevin walker it's not really acid house, but it is strikingly similar to goa trance that wouldn't emerge for another 10 years
J Clever house music was invented before people used the tb-303
What proof is there that he really made this music in 1982??
I would really like to see this because right now this looks like a smart marketing plan.
One thing that seems off to me is the sound quality of the recording. It's better than the early Detroit records, and this is supposed to be recorded in India in 1982, I mean serious popular records from that time don't even have this soud quality. Doesn't fit that this one guy got this audio quality back then.
If there's real proof post please.
It's a matter of public record.
Someone needs to teach you how to Google.
Raga todi is a damn masterpiece, you should have played inner city big fun for his ass lol.
7:23 .... Cops show up.. ministers AND OTHER SHADY TYPES... lmao! 🤣😂.
@BackToJack1990
More likely a Hindu or Jainist swastika ;)
It is simple, let's put Charanjit and myself in an abandoned dark warehouse with proper lights, smoke and give us both a 303, 808 & JP8 and see who's set is "acid house"...any takers???
Dude, this guy didn't even consider his music acid house. It was just Indian music discofied to him.
Doesn't even consider himself a pioneer.
I'm not sure why you even think he needs to be challenged on how 'acid' he is. I doubt he ever gave a shit.
The original Bolly House...not Acid House...sorry folks, regardless of when this was released it doesn't have the Acid Magic...
this shud be shown on Mtv but no they are too busy feeding us shitty chick shows..
00:57 nazi swastika? wtf?