In 1982, London-based Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra recorded a true oddity. Accompanied by her son Kuljit on an early Roland synthesiser and drum machine, the pair laid down nine tracks of Punjabi folk vocals backed by hammering electronic percussion, disco basslines and fizzing synth melody. Only 500 copies of the resulting album, Punjabi Disco, were pressed; it was released to confusion from a diaspora audience used to the bombast of bhangra. In the decades since, rare LPs have appeared on resale sites, but Kuljit’s recent rediscovery of the master tapes has now made the record widely available for the first time.
The blipping electronic toms and rattling shaker of opening number Disco Wich Aa set the tone, gradually building a swaying groove over siren-like synth melody before Mohinder’s falsetto vocal takes over, entreating the listener to come and dance. Employing the melismatic, note-gliding technique of Indian classical singing, her vocals are delightfully versatile, skipping over the fast-paced disco bass of Nainan Da Pyar De Gaya, yearning with drawn-out notes alongside the bossa rhythms of Soniya Mukh Tera and making full-throated declarations on the driving groove of Ve Tu Jaldi Jaldi Aa.
Kuljit’s production can feel somewhat clunky, programming relentlessly up-tempo looping drum machine grooves with jolting bursts of synth sound. But the metallic harshness of the instrumentation paired with the warmth of Mohinder’s voice makes for a strangely engaging combination, blending the dancefloor movement with emotive melody. Nowhere is this more apparent than on Pyar Mainu Kar, where synths double a Punjabi folk melody traditionally played on a harmonium over bubbling disco bass, electronic toms that channel the undulation of tabla beats and Mohinder’s soaring vocals. Released a decade before the Asian underground dance music explosion, the charming, unusual Punjabi Disco reveals itself to be a key predecessor.
Also out this month
Two generations of Zulu guitarists, Madala Kunene and Sibusile Xaba, release their debut album kwaNTU (New Soil/Mushroom Hour), a beautifully expansive collection of interweaving, finger-picked melody, husky vocalisations from elder Kunene and thrumming hand percussion. The final release from Amadou and Mariam, after Amadou’s death in April, L’Amour à la Folie (Because Music), is a poignant testament to their musical connection, playing through the signature vocal harmonies of Sonfo and displaying Amadou’s rough-edged bluesy guitar style on Nakan. A career retrospective of Kenyan benga music pioneer Joseph Kamaru is released. Co-curated by his grandson, the sound artist KMRU, Heavy Combination (Disciples) showcases Kamaru’s infectious blend of 70s funk with plaintive group vocals, highlife guitar and driving grooves. An east African gem.
