Based in New Dehli, India, the MIDIval PunditZ rank among the modern Indian groups that fuse advanced electronica with pronounced raga elements. They do not deliver traditional Indian classical music in the manner of Ravi Shankar, Bikram Ghosh or Ali Akbar Khan. Yet their dancefloor-oriented electronic explorations draw heavily from traditional Indian sources, above all those of the North, as they merge electronic dance rhythms with longstanding acoustic instruments such as the santur and the tabla drums.
The MIDIval PunditZ began their collaboration in 1994 after two former acquaintances, Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj, reconnected in New Dehli. Although Raina and Raj had first met in 1994, the producers did not establish their partnership until that same year. Previously each had participated actively in India’s current music landscape: Raina, an architecture graduate, worked as a radio DJ, while Tapan served as an engineer at a New Dehli recording studio. They quickly discovered extensive shared interests, both cherishing Indian classical music and embracing the hip-hop, drum ‘n’ bass/jungle and house sounds arriving from the United States and Europe. Their joint aim became the integration of these varied influences. Combining their assets, they launched their own recording studio and adopted the name MIDIval PunditZ by 1997. In 1998 they encountered London-born producer Talvin Singh, renowned for blending Indian music with electronica; through their connection with Singh they joined the ensemble Tabla Beat Science. Beyond recording and production, Raina and Raj occasionally host dance events they term Cyber Mehfil parties at assorted New Dehli locations, staging them sporadically whenever inspiration strikes.
In the early 2000s Raina and Raj resolved to document a self-titled album under the MIDIval PunditZ name. Singer Vidya Shah joined the effort, along with flute players Rajendra Prassanna and Shailendra. In October 2002 the MIDIval PunditZ’ self-titled album appeared in the United States on the San Francisco-based Six Degrees label.
