Charanjit Singh, Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat

This rather obscure record is worth tracking down not only for its unusual subject matter but also because it's immensely listenable and incredibly ahead of its time. A true acid house outing years before that was actually a thing, Singh took ten exemplars of Indian classical music (roughly one raga each of the ten thaats) and with Roland synthesizers under his fingers fashioned an unlikely Eurodisco merger that nevertheless rapidly transcends those disjointed origins. The tracks can sometimes sound similar to the uncultured ear, and the individual arrangements are at times less innovative than the overall concept, but the revved-up and rapid-fire beats never sa(a)g and the trilling, expansive arpeggios never falter. No one track stands out over any other but this is probably exactly the effect Singh intended. Although potentially tedious to the non-classicist, both devotees of world music and denizens of trip will find many things here they'll like in what was, in its day, an unjustifiably underappreciated gem. (Content: no concerns.)

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