An evening of South Asian electronic music and discussions to accompany the launch of Subcontinental Synthesis, a new publication edited by Paul Purgas exploring the history of India’s first electronic music studio founded at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad in 1969.

The event will mix historical context with contemporary musical explorations supported by live contributions from Poulomi Desai & Suren Seneviratne, Nahi Mitti and Anu embracing the experimental sonic outlook that characterised the studio’s pioneering spirit.

At the centre of the programme is Purgas’s deep-rooted research, which uncovers the history of how an electronic music studio emerged as a beacon of innovation and creativity in post-independence India. Supported by composer David Tudor, the facility transcended geographical and cultural boundaries, integrating experimental design, radical pedagogies, and the international avant-garde into its progressive ethos.

Material from the archival release The NID Tapes will be presented through a listening session as well as a live video conversation with Jinraj Joshipura the only surviving composer of the sound studio conducted by Ayesha Hameed. Alongside this will be a discussion with book contributors Paul Purgas, Rahila Haque and Matt Williams chaired by Amrita Dhallu, reflecting on the studio’s role in the global expansion of Modernism and its vital significance within the subcontinent’s continuum of electronic sound, unpacking its interconnections with broader cultural and philosophical movements and the NID’s complex relationship with post-colonial Western power and influence.

The programme offers a unique insight into the conditions and circumstance surrounding this forgotten chapter in the history of global music, providing an opportunity to engage directly with Purgas’ research uncovering the utopian dreams and creative ambitions for electronic sound within the subcontinent.

Subcontinental Synthesis: Electronic Music at the National Institute of Design, India 1969-1972 is published by Strange Attractor Press.