When we look back at the history of house music at its inception around the US and Europe, who knew that in the studios of '80s Bombay, a Bollywood composer who was in the inner circles of Kishore Kumar, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, and R. D. Burman came up with what is now hailed as the first acid house record. Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat by Charanjit Singh needs no introduction. Completed in just over two days, it has inspired many DJs and artists, including psychedelic rock trio Glass Beams, since its rediscovery in 2002. Though not a commercial success at its time, its 2010 reissue thrust it into the spotlight, with Singh even being recognised as the "father of acid house".
Photo credit: Vibe City
Ironically, Singh never set out to create a new genre. A highly sought-after session guitarist in Bombay's bustling film industry, he was simply experimenting with the latest electronic instruments finding their way into recording studios. His idea was to reinterpret ten Hindustani ragas using synthesizers, drum machines and sequencers, marrying classical Indian melodies with the pulse of contemporary disco. As Singh himself later explained, he wanted to "combine Indian ragas with disco beats" using the new technology available to him.
Central to the album's distinctive sound was the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, an instrument that would later become synonymous with acid house after producers in Chicago discovered its unconventional capabilities. Years before that movement emerged, Singh had already pushed the machine beyond its intended purpose, producing the squelching, resonant basslines that would eventually define the genre. Paired with the crisp rhythms of the Roland TR-808, the result was a hypnotic, repetitive sound unlike anything being made in India at the time. Later the album would be described as "an uncanny precursor" to acid house, noting how naturally its looping grooves and bubbling basslines fit alongside records released several years later.
Despite its originality, Synthesizing barely registered upon release in 1982. Indian audiences were largely unfamiliar with stripped-back electronic music, while internationally the record remained virtually unknown. It quietly disappeared into obscurity, another overlooked release from an era of rapid musical experimentation.
Everything changed two decades later when collectors rediscovered the album in 2002. DJs and electronic music enthusiasts were struck by how closely it resembled the acid house records that would emerge years later in Chicago and eventually sweep across Europe. Its 2010 reissue transformed it from a forgotten curiosity into a cult classic, prompting critics to reassess where the story of acid house really begins.
More than four decades after its release, Charanjit Singh's unlikely experiment stands as a reminder that musical innovation isn't confined by geography. Sometimes, history's most influential records simply arrive before the rest of the world is ready to hear them.
Charanjit Singh's Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat now available for pre-order at On the Jungle Floor!