Mohinder Kaur Bhamra: A Review of Punjabi Disco – Rediscovering the 80s Pioneer | music

IIn 1982, London-based Sikh devotional singer Mohinder Kaur Bhamra recorded True Strangeness. Accompanied by her son Kuljit on early Roland drums and synthesizers, the pair lay down nine tracks of Punjabi folk singing backed by hammering electronic percussion, disco basslines and synth melody. Only 500 copies of the resulting album Punjabi Disco were pressed. It was released amid confusion from a diaspora audience accustomed to bhangra bombast. In the decades since, rare LPs have turned up on resale sites, but Colgate’s recent rediscovery of master tapes has now made the record widely available for the first time.

The flashing electronic drums and crackling rockers of opening number Disco Wich Aa set the tone, gradually building a swaying groove over the siren-like synth melody before Mohinder’s falsetto takes over, beckoning the listener to come along and dance. Employing Indian classical singing technique, her vocals are delightfully versatile, transcending the fast-paced disco sound of Nainan Da Pyar Di Gaya, longing long notes alongside the bossa beats of Sonia Mukh Tira and making full-throated statements on the driving groove of Ve Tu Jaldi Jaldi Aa.

Kuljit’s production can sound somewhat heavy, as he programmes drum machine grooves of relentlessly increasing tempo with bursts of synth sound. But the metallic harshness of the instruments combined with the warmth of Mohinder’s voice makes for a strangely attractive combination, blending dancefloor action with emotional melody. Nowhere is this more evident than on Pyar Mainu Kar, where synths double the Punjabi folk melody traditionally played on organ over bubbly disco bass, electronic thumps guiding the ripple of drum beats and Mohinder’s soaring vocals. Released a decade before the explosion of underground Asian dance music, the charming and unusual Punjabi disco reveals itself to be a major predecessor.

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