How Glass Beams Revived Charanjit Singh’s Legacy

Sometimes you stumble upon music that feels like it’s from another dimension, something that doesn’t just play in the background but pulls you in, wraps you up, and takes you on a journey. That’s what Australian trio Glass Beams have been doing since their burst onto the scene in 2021.

Their music is a hypnotic blend of auditory panorama and visuals, cloaked in mystery, thanks in part to their anonymous identities hidden behind shimmering masks. It’s the kind of music that makes you stop whatever you’re doing, close your eyes, and let your imagination run wild. When it comes to blending old-school nostalgia with futuristic sounds, very few do it better than Glass Beams.

A huge part of Glass Beams’ magic comes from their ability to mix sounds you wouldn’t expect to go together, like traditional Indian music with melodies made in the West. This fusion isn’t just a random experiment, it’s rooted in the band’s DNA. Rajan Silva, one of the founding members, has Indian heritage, and you can feel that influence coursing through their tracks. It’s no wonder they’ve built a massive fan base in India. The sound feels like home, yet it’s dressed up in a way that’s totally fresh and new.

Their latest music video “One Raga to a Disco Beat,” is a perfect example of this seamless fusion. It’s a rework of “Raga Bhairav” by Charanjit Singh, a name that might not ring too many bells unless you’re a deep-cut music lover. But make no mistake—this man is a legend, known as the acid house pioneer for good reason. Way back in 1982, Singh dropped an album called Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat, and it was way ahead of its time. He was experimenting with the Roland TB 303 bassline synthesizer, which would later become the signature sound of what’s now known as acid house. Listening to it now, you’d never guess it’s over 40 years old. Head over to YouTube, check out the comments, and you’ll find people echoing the same thought, Singh was playing in the future while the rest of the world was stuck in the past.

But what makes this track so special isn’t just the synthesizer or the beat but the raga itself. In Indian classical music, ragas aren’t just a series of notes; they’re like emotions in musical form. “Raga Bhairav” is one of those pieces that has been around for ages, and it’s known for its deep, meditative vibe. Traditionally, it’s performed in the morning and often starts off classical concerts. There’s something about it that feels almost a sacred mix of solemn seriousness and philosophical depth that pulls you into a different state of mind.

But here’s where things get fun. As you listen to Glass Beams’ “One Raga to a Disco Beat,” it’s like slipping into a time machine. You’re smack in the middle of a Bollywood mafia chase scene from the Eighties. Think dimly-lit alleys, creaky old cars, and the aesthetic grit of old Bombay. Or maybe your mind drifts further back, and you find yourself floating through the animated landscapes of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. There’s something about the fusion of these ancient ragas with synth-heavy disco beats that feels like a point of contact between periods, cultures, and even fantasies.

Glass Beams nails this sense of otherworldliness, all while bringing Singh’s work to a new audience. Singh’s genius was never fully appreciated in his time, but now through Glass Beams, his music is getting another kind of recognition that he deserves. He was a one-man orchestra, crafting acid house before anyone even knew what that was. And here we are, decades later, grooving to his beats with a whole new generation of listeners.

What makes Glass Beams so incredible is that they’re not just making music but creating experiences that manage to take you through an array of emotions without a single lyric or word. They’re taking sounds from different worlds and stitching them together in a way that feels both familiar and brand new. Whether you’re a fan of Indian classical music, psychedelic music from the West, or just something that takes you on a wild ride, Glass Beams is the kind of band that’s worth getting lost in.

Watch the video for “One Raga to a Disco Beat” below

Listen to Charanjit Singh’s “Raga Bhairav”