MIDIval PunditZ

The musical partnership of Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj creates MIDIval PunitZ. The two cemented their acquaintance in grade school, and reunited again in 1994. Both were veterans of India's dance club culture and shared a love of the classical music of their homeland. However, each bring their own unique talents to the front.

Gaurav was an architecture student who moonlighted as a radio DJ. And Tapan, an IT specialist by day, engineered at a New Delhi recording studio where Gaurav's station booked time.

By 1997 they dedicated themselves to a fusion of their beloved classical ragas with the beats and loops of electronica. PunditZ's love for Indian classical music is obvious from the first notes of the CD. Bansuri flute melodies snake between sequencing, and echoing notes from a santur add depth to the rhythm.

MIDIval PunditZ reflects the extent to which younger generations of Indian music fans have allowed equal time for the past, present, and the future. Imprinted with traditional Indian music, this deep cultural programming somehow coexists with knowledge of the Internet and club culture.

MIDIval PunditZ has gained substantial acclaim in a comparatively short time, radiating beyond New Delhi's club scene to wherever the Asian Massive congregates.

— Courtesy Calabash Music