Various
The Nid Tapes (2lp)
'ELECTRONIC MUSIC FROM INDIA 1969-1972' - 'The NID Tapes' presents a collection of early Indian electronic music uncovered at the archives of the National 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, NID teachers and technicians including Gita Sarabhai, who had previously studied with John Cage in New York in the 1940's. 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.