Naya Beat Volume 1: South Asian Dance and Electronic Music 1983-1992

This was the first compilation by Naya Beat Records, a reissue label — though the two founders Filip Nikolic (Turbotito) and DJ and Raghav Mani (Ragz) occasionally release great, club-ready reworks —  focused on uncovering rarities from South Asia and the diaspora. Though most people are familiar with the theatrical, extravagant Bollywood music, the tracks collected here are a mixed bag of rare disco, synth-pop, boogie and balearic bangers from Pakistan, India, the U.K., Canada, Guyana and Suriname. Some real oddities stand out, like Asha Puthli’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” or Pinky Ann Rihal’s New Wave inspired “Indian Dance,” but the compilation is full of killer tracks like the propulsive “Ishkaan De Mamle” or the irresistibly funky “Sabko Maloom Hain Main Sharabi Nahin.”  The compilation feels a bit like Naya Beat’s manifesto, a small glimpse into the world they’re seeking to uncover.