Premiere: Asha Puthli ‘Space Talk (Maurice Fulton Remix)’
Legendary Indian vocalist Asha Puthli’s seminal hits get revamped by 6 electronic innovators for a new release on Naya Beat
Naya Beat are releasing a new remix album in September, ‘Disco Mystic - Select Remixes Volume 1’, featuring the work of legendary Indian vocalist, Asha Puthli. Have an exclusive first listen to ‘Space Talk (Maurice Fulton Remix)’ below.
On this foundational six-track collection, curated by Turbotito and Ragz’s Naya Beat imprint, a stellar line-up of remixers put their spin on the work of the cosmic disco pioneer, Studio 54 luminary, and jazz improviser.
Naya Beat (Hindi for ‘new beat’) is dedicated to uncovering culturally foundational electronic and dance music from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora; a mantle which shines through on their newest LP sculpted using the original stems and recordings from Puthli’s seminal albums, including 1976’s ‘The Devil is Loose’.
The collection pays homage to the Mumbai-born singer’s soulful classics, which reach across improvisational jazz, blues, and disco, while pushing them into new, dancefloor-adjacent shapes. Yuksek opens up with a roaring disco refit of ‘I Am Song (Sing Me)’ awash with celestial synths and big claps, while label heads Turbotito & Ragz flip ‘One Night Affair’ (released originally in 1974) into a funkified disco shindig.
Elsewhere, the iconic ‘Space Talk’, which already has one of most venerated sample repertoires of all time (see: The Notorious B.I.G., Diddy, and 50 Cent), gets the remix treatment by US producer Maurice Fulton into a super steamy, late-night mover. Think finger-picked bass grooves and cruising chords, paired with Puthli’s sultry top line. Psychemagik, Jitwam, and Kraak & Smaak get in on the action too, transfiguring the singer’s archival hits into loungey heaters fit for the modern-day dancefloor.
“I am thrilled and grateful that Naya Beat and the wonderful producers they have curated have reimagined some of my favourite music,” Putli said of the project. “There is a magical originality to each of these remixes and yet they somehow remain respectful of the originals. They have made me dance again. Just like I used to at Studio 54!”
‘Disco Mystic - Select Remixes Volume 1’ is available to pre-order here. Listen exclusively to ‘Space Talk (Maurice Fulton Remix)’ below.