The Roar of India’s Lost Disco

In the early 1980s, when Bollywood disco ruled dance floors across India, a strange record quietly appeared in Bombay.Its name was Disco Roar.

Released in 1981 under the name of bassist Keith Kanga, the album was unlike anything else in the Indian music market. Instead of film songs, it delivered a wild mixture of psychedelic rock, funk grooves and disco energy.

Behind the scenes were members of the legendary Indian rock band Atomic Forest, who had already become underground heroes of India’s psychedelic scene.

The record featured explosive interpretations of songs like “Proud Mary”, “Smackwater Jack”, and “2001 Space Odyssey.” But these were not simple covers — they were transformed into heavy funk-disco jams perfect for late-night dance floors.

Despite its musical brilliance, Disco Roar disappeared almost immediately. Very few copies were pressed, and the album slipped into obscurity.

Decades later, crate-diggers and vinyl collectors rediscovered it. The combination of rare Indian pressing, psychedelic funk sound, and Atomic Forest lineage turned the album into a holy grail for collectors.

Today, original copies can sell for hundreds of dollars, and the record stands as one of the most fascinating artifacts of India’s underground disco era.

Sometimes the loudest roars are the ones history almost forgot.