A collection of early indian electronic music uncovered at the archives of the Mational Institute of Design in Ahmedabad.

Recorded between 1969-1972 the compilation chronicles electronic works from the previously unknown indian composers gita sarabhai, i.S. Mathur, atul desai, s.C. Shama and Jinraj Joshipura who worked at the nation’s first electronic music studio founded at the nid during the utopian years following india’s independence – a radical period of visionary experimentation and artistic freethought.

The compilation presents excerpts from the 27 reels of archive tape spanning the three years of the studio’s operational history, showcasing work from the pioneering electronic composers which included the musician and poet atul desai, nid teachers and technicians i.S. Mathur and S.C. Shama, gita sarabhai who had previously studied with John Cage in New York in the 1940’s and the young architecture student Jinraj Joshipura who was just 19 years old at the time of first composing with the Moog synthesiser. The audio showcases their various visions for electronic music production, exploring analogue synthesis, tape collages, voice experiments and field recordings revealing a meeting point of western and indian avant-garde traditions, and offering a unique insight into south asia’s post-colonial sonic imaginary.