- Sensuous disco-jazz fusion from the '70s gets a four-on-the-floor makeover from Maurice Fulton, Psychemagik and others.
- Asha Puthli is an unsung jazz heroine. Born in Mumbai before moving to New York in the early '70s, she quietly developed a name for herself with her breathy vocals, magnetic personality and innate sultriness—the kind that's seductive but not salacious. After studying at Martha Graham's renowned dance academy, the young artist got the attention of talent scout John Hammond at Columbia Records who sent her to Ornette Coleman's recording studio. The spiritual jazz maestro had her sing on his 1971 album, Science Fiction, launching her career as a psychedelic disco mystic. Her smouldering sound, later played out at David Mancuso's Loft parties and sampled by The Notorious B.I.G, is inherently groovy but fundamentally experimental because of the way she combines pop, free jazz, the grainy textures of psych rock, disco's syncopated bass lines and Indian classical music.
Like many cult figures, Puthli sat on the periphery of commercial fame for most of her career. She's been enjoying a revival in recent years following Mr. Bongo's 2022 reissue of her 1973 self-titled album, appearances on Worldwide FM and now, this new remix EP of her hits from Los Angeles label Naya Beat Records. Comprising six tracks, Disco Mystic: Select Remixes Volume 1 offers a variety of four-on-the-floor remixes of Puthli's moody funk. These no-fuss reworks omit her flamboyant theatrics—the high-pitched shrieks, sped-up synths and delinquent snippets of laughter—but their easy listening nature could pave the way for her music to reach more dance floors across the world.
On their respective renditions, disco producer extraordinaire Maurice Fulton and UK duo Psychemagik bring a live element that gives their tracks the feeling of an intimate jam session. Reinterpreting Puthli's spacey slow-burner "Space Talk" from 1976, Fulton adds extra layers of Funkadelic-like percussion, extended synth lines and an array of other shuffled instrumentation that presents the original's disco essence in a more minimal arrangement. Psychemagik transforms "Right Down Here," Puthli's acid jazz cover of J.J. Cale, into an orchestral version of prog rock. Mired in dark bass and replete with indulgent breakdowns, it's by far the most dramatic metamorphosis heard on the EP.
The rest of the 12-inch is dominated by clubbier cuts. French producer Yuksek applies a supercharged disco filter on "I Am a Song (Sing Me)," taking the 1973 track to hip-shimmying heights. Puthli's original starts out in ballad mode before slowly entering Studio 54 territory but Yuksek doesn't waste any time on a build-up, playing up the euphoric synths and thick claps from the get-go. Closing out the EP is Jitwam's dirtier disco take on "I'm Gonna Dance." His drawly vocals would have made a good accompaniment to Puthli's sotto voce chorus and turned the track into an intergenerational conversation but, disappointingly, he chose a simpler instrumental route.
Puthli's records have always remained a fixture among jazz fans and rare groove diggers but Disco Mystic: Select Remixes Volume 1 could very well introduce her to younger audiences who make up a large chunk of reissue release customers. Considered the first artist of South Asian heritage to leave a mark on jazz and pop music in the West, Puthli has a lot to celebrate. This EP is just a taste of her lasting legacy.
Tracklist01. I Am Song (Sing Me) (Yuksek Remix)
02. Space Talk (Maurice Fulton Remix)
03. Lies (Kraak & Smaak Remix)
04. One Night Affair (Turbotito & Ragz Remix)
05. Right Down Here (Psychemagik Remix)
06. I'm Gonna Dance (Jitwam Remix)