Biddu is one of the most successful producers ever

One is a Best Of compilation that encompasses both his work in England and in India, but the other is composed of new material, a spiritual album called Diamond Sutra.

Biddu recently returned to India to focus on developing the Eastern side of his music. He worked in particular with the gifted young singer Nazia Hassan, as well as Shweta Shetty and Alisha Chinoy.

His collaboration with Chinoy, Made in India, became the best-selling Hindi dance album of all time.

He told BBC World Service's The Music Biz programme that he had been working on Diamond Sutra for two years, and that he was very happy with it.

"It's spirit-chill - spirit and chill - it's in the groove and sung in Sanskrit, but it's got a tremendous appeal for the world," he said.

"The idea came to me just after September 11, and I thought the world was losing its focus.

"That's what started me working on the album, which gives a feeling of peace and good vibration."

Disco scene

The producer began his music career as a singer in Bangalore in the 1960s, before moving to Britain at the age of 23. He worked in a burger bar in the day and later as a chef in the American embassy, while he wrote songs at night.

"The whole idea was to come to England and conquer the West in two weeks - I gave myself 14 days," Biddu recalled.

Carl Douglas's Kung Fu Fighting was initially a joke B-side

"It took longer than that... I didn't really know too much about England or anything - I'd just come here on the chance of meeting the Beatles and doing some music. Everything that I did had this danceable flavour.

"The whole disco scene took off - a lot of that is attributed to the West. I think I was probably the first guy in England doing that."

Biddu became associated with the classic disco sound of a driving rhythm and sweeping strings.

He said that he had first picked up this style listening to Radio Ceylon at home in India.

"I'd be glued to my wireless," he recalled.

"There'd be more static than music, and I couldn't make out all the hits, but very often we got Frank Sinatra and Cliff Richard... it was very instrumental, so you got a lot of strings etc.

"I suppose I grew up with that... so when I started doing my own music I did have a lot of strings. I wasn't trying to create any particular sound, and I suppose it's synchronicity because people in America were doing the same thing."

But his breakthrough came when in late 1973 he was hired by the then-unknown Carl Douglas to record his Ballard I Want to Give you my Everything.

The B-side for the record was put together in 10 minutes at the end of the session, but Douglas was persuaded to put it out as the A-side by his record company. It was Kung Fu Fighting and it went on to become a Number One around the world.

After producing further hits such as Tina Charles's I Love To Love (But My Baby Just Loves To Dance) and Jimmy James's I'll Go Where your Music Takes Me, as well as two solo releases, Biddu returned to India in 1979.

Film score

He was encouraged back to Indian music by film producers, who wanted him to write a Bollywood score - Biddu had already recorded his soundtrack to the Richard Roundtree film Embassy.

I can't stand people swearing Biddu on why he quit England at the start of punk

Initially he rejected the offer, as he "didn't know anything about Indian music or Indian films.

"When this guy approached me I initially said no," he added.

"But he kept saying 'please, please, please do it,' and I thought it would keep my mum happy."

The music, which was Hindi but had Western production values, helped make the film a hit, and it was the start of his full-time focus on Eastern music.

Biddu's interest in Western music had waned when punk arrived in the late 70s.

He said he could not connect with the sound and had no regard for its fashion.

"I can't stand people swearing," he explained.