Testing
Topic started by TFM Group (@ greed.cs.umass.edu) on Mon Feb 23 12:57:58 EST 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
This is meant to be a thread just for test posts. You may go ahead and experiment with all your fancy tags. : )
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- From: Test (@ 193.188.124.247)
on: Sat Nov 20 01:59:40 EST 1999
Latest uploads
Song #100 - Devadhai climax / Title BGM
Song #101 - Poo malarnthida from Tik Tik Tik
Song #102 - Saalayoram solai from Payanangal mudivathillai
Song #103 - Paadavanthathor gaanam from Ilamai kaalangal
Song #104 - Amman kovil vaasalile from Thirumathi Pazhanichchami
Song #105 - Engengu nee sendra pothum from ??
Song #106 - Chittu kuruvi vekkappaduthu from Chinna veedu
Song #107 - Kaadhalin deepam ondru from Thambikku entha ooru
Song #108 - Kalyanach chelai from Ambigai neril vandhal
Song #109 - Kannil etho minnal from Poo vilangu
Song #110 - Paadariyen from Sindhu bairavi
Song #111 - Sengamalam sirikkuthu from Dhavani kanavugal
Song #112 - Solai pushpangaley from Ingeyum oru gangai
Song #113 - Kasturi maane from Puthumai peN
Song #114 - Andha nilavathan from Mudhal mariyathai
Visit http://listen.to/ilaiyaraaja
- From: . (@ abd99972.ipt.aol.com)
on: Sat Nov 20 21:01:02 EST 1999
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- From: t (@ sabik.anonymizer.com)
on: Tue Nov 30 03:13:10 EST 1999
test
- From: km (@ pc3.qtp.ufl.edu)
on: Fri Dec 3 22:13:55 EST 1999
test
- From: Ganesh (@ fw2.torolab.ibm.com)
on: Tue Dec 7 15:55:42 EST 1999
just a test...
- From: Karthik (@ proxy.sequent.com)
on: Tue Dec 7 16:00:23 EST 1999
test
- From: Ganesh (@ fw2.torolab.ibm.com)
on: Tue Dec 7 16:18:46 EST 1999
this is underlined...
this is in bold...
http://www.newtfmpage.com/" this is supposed to be a link>
- From: Ganesh (@ fw2.torolab.ibm.com)
on: Tue Dec 7 16:24:04 EST 1999
does" target="_top">http://www.newtfmpage.com/">does this work
- From: Ganesh (@ fw2.torolab.ibm.com)
on: Wed Dec 8 11:42:34 EST 1999
test........
TFM" target="_top">http://www.newtfmpage.com">TFM Page
- From: xxxxxxxxx (@ ts001d27.tal-fl.concentric.net)
on: Sun Dec 12 02:27:28 EST 1999
Hi
- From: xxxxxxxxx (@ ts001d27.tal-fl.concentric.net)
on: Sun Dec 12 02:32:26 EST 1999
" target="_top">http://members.tripod.com/ilayaraaja/raaja02-1.gif>
- From: B (@ 129.130.133.52)
on: Mon Dec 13 18:45:56 EST 1999
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- From: RB (@ 129.130.133.52)
on: Mon Dec 13 18:47:59 EST 1999
Fhats off to visiri for getting this font into tfm. RB
- From: test (@ 207.210.57.5)
on: Tue Dec 14 15:31:14 EST 1999
test...
- From: test (@ netcache1.mot.com)
on: Fri Dec 17 15:11:41 EST 1999
test
- From: test (@ netcache1.mot.com)
on: Fri Dec 17 15:12:07 EST 1999
test
- From: . (@ 205.139.184.198)
on: Fri Dec 17 16:22:23 EST 1999
.
- From: test (@ dialup-209.245.12.98.denver1.level3.net)
on: Thu Dec 23 14:10:58 EST 1999
test
- From: r (@ nscs21p16.remote.umass.edu)
on: Wed Dec 29 23:22:51 EST 1999
test
- From: tester (@ spider-wg043.proxy.aol.com)
on: Fri Dec 31 18:05:41 EST 1999
Wish You All
- From: tester (@ spider-tn022.proxy.aol.com)
on: Fri Dec 31 18:10:54 EST 1999
WYA
- From: tester (@ proxy.krdl.org.sg)
on: Fri Dec 31 23:59:34 EST 1999
test
- From: tester (@ proxy.krdl.org.sg)
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test
- From: me (@ 129.252.22.112)
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href = "mailto:me@yahoo.com"
- From: me (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Sat Jan 1 20:01:37 EST 2000
me
- From: hi (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Sat Jan 1 20:20:07 EST 2000
rajaG - srikanth
Naveen - Rexarul
G.suresh - rajaGovindarajan
srikanth - srikanth
Naveen - Naveen
Rex - Rexarul
G.suresh - G.Suresh
- From: hi (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Sat Jan 1 20:23:03 EST 2000
rajaG - rajaGovindarajan
srikanth - srikanth
Naveen - Naveen
Rex - Rexarul
G.suresh - G.Suresh
- From: R (@ nscs22p4.remote.umass.edu)
on: Mon Jan 10 03:47:36 EST 2000
Test.
- From: tester (@ titania.tesserae.com)
on: Wed Jan 12 17:38:40 EST 2000
testing
- From: ram (@ www.troop414.com)
on: Tue Jan 18 17:19:39 EST 2000
test
- From: kk (@ bbndrel5.net.external.hp.com)
on: Wed Jan 19 01:35:51 EST 2000
- From: tester (@ 147.72.64.26)
on: Mon Jan 24 13:25:35 EST 2000
testing
- From: . (@ 147.72.64.26)
on: Mon Jan 24 13:33:01 EST 2000
test
- From: xxx (@ 203.106.62.24)
on: Fri Jan 28 23:49:53 EST 2000
Fhats off to visiri for getting this font into tfm. RB
- From: Rajni2000 (@ ptl-cache6.jaring.my)
on: Mon Jan 31 23:39:47 EST 2000
<<>>
- From: Rajni1999 (@ ptl-cache6.jaring.my)
on: Mon Jan 31 23:40:37 EST 2000
<<>>
- From: test (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Tue Feb 1 00:09:30 EST 2000
1
- From: test (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Tue Feb 1 00:10:52 EST 2000
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- From: t (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Wed Feb 2 00:12:23 EST 2000
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- From: t (@ 129.252.22.112)
on: Wed Feb 2 00:12:50 EST 2000
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- From: .. (@ masur.crhc.uiuc.edu)
on: Wed Feb 2 13:32:10 EST 2000
test
- From: k (@ hlr-42-225.tm.net.my)
on: Wed Feb 2 23:43:14 EST 2000
Hi Everyone,
So here is the essay in its original format, as it appears in the
Fall/winter issue of SAMAR..
Comments, criticisms, suggestions, modifications, gaalis welcome.
Book_Antiqua A.R.RAH-MANTRA
Book_Antiqua From
my point of view of an avid listener of Hindi film music, there was a
certain intrigue and excitement in listening to the music of A.R.Rahman
for the first time.
I can imagine what 30,000 fans must have felt in November of 1996, when
A.R.Rahman appeared for his first ever live concert at the Shah Alam
stadium in Kuala Lumpur. They danced to the non-stop music for three
hours-and still pleaded for more. A.R.Rahman fulfilled their request by
performing one of his favorite songs "Mustafa,Mustafa" to bring the
concert to a thundering climax.
In 1997, his albumVande Mataram was described by
'India Today' as a magical anthem that "stirred the patriotic spirit of
a cynical nation." He dedicated the album to the future generations of
India and wished that "the youth of today would wipe out phrases like
'chalta hai' (loosely translated means 'anything will do' or 'whatever'
or 'it's okay') from their vocabularies and find themselves motivated
human beings."
A.R.Rahman (ARR, in short) began his music career at the age of eleven
as a keyboard player. He was seized by restlessness, after working for
some years as an assistant to music directors such as M.S.Vishwanathan
and Illayaraja. This drove him to the world of advertising where he
went on to compose about 300 jingles. While reminiscing about that
period, he said "I thought, what if the film world ends? I learnt
driving, so that I could survive as a driver."
"A.R.Rahman is a failure and slowly he is trying to reach something"
are the words he used to describe himself in an interview on Star
Plus.
One can speculate that his inclination to doubt himself has
metamorphosed into a sense of clarity and conviction. Or has it?
ARR-ival When I was growing up in Bombay, listening to 'Binaca
Geetmala' on
Ceylon Radio was a family ritual. Ameen Sayani, the host, introduced me
to the very concept of 'playback singer' and that of the 'music
director' (composer, arranger, conductor rolled into one in many
cases).
I was enamoured by music director R.D. Burman, whereas my seniors
spoke highly of Naushad, Shanker Jaikishan and S.D.Burman. I wasn't
able to notice how each one of them imprinted their personalities on
the song they created, or let themselves be identified by their unique
composing styles. I was just amused by playback singer Kishore Kumar
battling Manna Dey while they sang "Ek chatur nar" in the film
Padosan, but totally oblivious of the side-rhythms and
arrangements that exuded the personality and style of R.D. Burman. As
my awareness of various musical forms developed, I began to see how
even the film directors (like Raj Kapoor) put their indelible stamp on
the music in their films.
In the eighties, film music barring a few exceptions was becoming quite
generic and forgettable. It is well known that music directors then
would simultaneously sign dozens of films. With an average of six songs
in each film, it would have been a large output to keep up. It was no
surprise to see the shameless plagiarism; repetitious use of rhythms
that one would find programmed on the most ordinary synthesizers. There
were also rumors of poorly paid apprentices doing most of the work,
while the music directors reserved their best 'items' for the largest
and costliest productions. Some also created stock songs and song banks
in advance from which producers could take their pick. By this time,
one could hardly tell one composer's work from another even if one
could remember which film it came from.
All this just accentuated the nostalgic value of the 'Evergreen
oldies'. The 'Gramophone Company of India' (EMI/HMV label) which had
rights to most of film music of yesteryears, recycled the same songs in
different albums under various guises and enjoyed a monopoly.
Consequently, they didn't care too much about the quality of sound or
of the tapes. Most of us had to deal with a lot of static (pun
intended), poorly produced cassettes with a very small shelf life.
Competitors with better products began to make inroads into this
archaic infrastructure.
In 1992, within this context surfaced A.R.Rahman.
An ARR-ay of accomplishments He got his first break into films while just in his early
twenties, in Mani Ratnam'sRoja -the first film in the
trilogy on the theme of 'love in the time of terrorism'.
Roja and the second film,Bombay were
dubbed in Hindi from Tamil, which is not a frequent occurrence. The
Hindi dubbed version ofRoja was one of the
top-grossing movies in that year. A.R.Rahman bagged the national award
for the best musical score forRoja. A quote in 'Film
Comment' read, "In a country and culture where music and movies are
inextricably linked, Rahman is a crucial contributor to the Tamil
renaissance." The third film in the trilogy,Dil Se
was made in Hindi, primarily to reach a larger audience. All the three
films also won the Filmfare award, the Indian equivalent of an Oscar
(two in the Tamil category and one in the Hindi category).
Within a span of 8 years, he has bagged 2 national awards (the second
national award was for Rajiv Menon'sMinsara Kanavu)
and 10 filmfare awards amongst numerous others. He is being sought by
many of Hindi cinema's leading filmmakers such as Subhash Ghai, Boney
Kapoor, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal, a first for a music director
coming from South India. Sony signed him for a three-album deal,
another first for an Indian composer -the first of which,Vande , was highly successful as a non-film album and was
Mataram
released in twenty-seven countries at once. On this album, he
collaborated with the legendary Qawwali singer, Late Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan and guitarist Dominic Miller of 'Sting'. In June '99, Michael
Jackson performed a piece titled "Ekam Satyam" composed by him at a
fund raising concert in Munich. He is currently working on composing a
modified version of one of Beethoven's symphonies for an international
fun-raising project called "Listen". He is the only representative from
India amongst 99 other creative artists.
AR-ching over Where does ARR fit in as far as musicians from India are
concerned?
In the world of Hindi film music, there has been a line of musicians,
which includes Pankaj Mullick, C.Ramchandra, Salil Chowdhry,
Shanker-Jaikishen, Sachin Dev and Rahul Dev Burman, who succeeded in
combining classical and folk forms with musical idioms from around the
world. (I do not know enough about the work of other music directors
from South India besides ARR to attempt any categorization.) Within
their framework, they also straddled both the archaic and modern modes
comfortably. ARR could easily be fit in this category of musicians who
welcomed non-Indian influences into the playground of Indian popular
music.
There is yet another category of musicians that has been working in the
opposite direction. They have contributed significantly in constructing
a pathway for the rest of the world to receive musical elements and
influences from India. Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain,
L.Shankar, L.Subramaniam and Trilok Gurtu are some of these adventurous
artists who have tried to present Indian music in a manner accessible
to non-Indians and have tried to zestfully blend it into world music.
From the domain of film music, R.D.Burman's experiments in the album,
Pantera and his collaboration with Boy George did not
go too far, although his style could have easily permitted a way into
world music. While listening to ARR's "Raasathi" fromThiruda , where tens of vocalists sing like an assemblage of
Thiruda
violins in unison, or in expectantly waiting for Shekhar Kapur's
version ofThe Phantom of the Opera , where he might
collaborate with Andrew Lloyd Weber, one can envisage him as a member
in that latter set of musicians. Consolidating this bridge and making
it into a two-way street is a possibility that remains to be realized.
Whether ARR succeeds in doing so is an exciting question that remains
to be answered.
I am sure, doting on and identifying with him and his music in such an
enthusiastic way has a sociocultural meaning. What are scores of fans,
who are constructing their 'unconscious collective fantasy' (to borrow
psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar's term), saying by choosing his kind of
music. Let me speak for myself. Exploring my own fantasy about
flaunting his music to others, I can sense my need to project an image
that is not only modern and sophisticated, but also one that reveres
tradition. A personality, which relates to a musical language that is
easily identifiable, unique, confident and yet comes across as open and
accessible. An individuality, that is aware of a dialectical need to
preserve its definition, but also one that acknowledges a desire to
merge with the other, across space and time.
ARR-esting style What makes a soft-drink manufacturer from Japan want to use
his music ("Kuluvaliley" from the Tamil filmMuthu) in
an advertisement? For sure, his music has tapped into something that is
not restricted to regional or national boundaries. In order to be
embraced by Indians all over, especially for his film music, he has to
work within the confines of an accepted framework and work through from
within, stretching the limits gradually, in his own idiosyncratic way.
He has to maintain his own identity as he creates, for a unique
composing style to emerge. A case in point is "Ishq bina" from Subhash
Ghai'sTaal wherein one can sense a typical refrain,
"Ishq, Ishq" in the style of a Qawwali but filtering through the ARR's
unmistakable lens. What critics call repetitive, fans have begun to
call 'Rahmanesque'. The paucity of any definite identifiable styles
currently in the Hindi film industry may just be working in his favor.
Music directors such as Ram Laxman (Maine Pyar Kiya, HumAapke ), Nadeem Shravan (
Hain KaunAashiqui ,
Pardes), Jatin Lalit (Dilwale Dulhaniya le have definitely delivered
Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai)
commendable and extremely successful scores but have been unable to
articulate a distinctive composing style. The difference is evident not
only in the arrangements of Rahman's music, but also in the care given
to the technical quality of the medium and the recording. Rahman
started his own studio, 'Panchatan Record Inn' when he was
twenty-three. Today it is one of India's most advanced sound recording
studios where he experiments with sound technology. He also began
collecting sound samples, forming one of the most comprehensive sonic
libraries in Asia.
So what, if a style emanates? It just merits serious consideration; it
puts itself forth, to be microscopically examined, judged and
inevitably evokes strong reactions, idealizations and devaluations.
ARR-angements What constitutes his composing style? Gangai Amaram, music
director and Ilaiyaraja's brother says, "Rahman's music is of the
computer age. It is digital, but intelligent, not just noise. He
concentrates on his melody and has not deviated totally from Carnatic
traditions." One may have to refer to a musical pundit to analyze his
music seriously. I shall share only what I can discern. The first thing
that stands out often is an accompanying multiplicity of harmonizing
vocalists that gives ARR's music its distinctive feel. Generally
speaking, harmony is not a strong point of Indian music. Rahman
delicately laces in harmonic elements along with a technological
tweaking of certain frequencies to highlight peaks of sounds like
"sssss" and "cchh" very softly.
One can see how he is inspired by a variety of musical idioms and how
he is able to comfortably integrate them in his own creation. For
instance, one faintly hears Hariharan starting the song "Hai Rama" from
the filmRangeela with
based on the Hindustani classical raga "Puriya Dhanashri". One can also
see influences of 'jugal-gaan' in the manner of Rajan Sajan Misra in
"Bol sajni mori sajni" from the filmDoli Saja Ke . "Vennelaa" from
RakhnaIruvar is sung in the
tradition of jazz, whereas the strings in "Netru Illada Mattram" from
Pudiya Mugam have the texture of a western symphony.
Although he is very comfortable with synthesizers, he always uses
various traditional and acoustic instruments that are rarely heard in
Indian films- he uses an oud in "Telephone" fromHindustani or a morsing in "Jiya Jale" from
Dil Se. It's
not just play with instruments but also with mundane sounds in the
style of R.D.Burman. Listen to the chugging of the train incorporated
smoothly into "Chicku buku raile" fromGentleman or
to the sound akin to the sharpening of a knife blended into "Kariye na"
fromTaal. He has talked about a very different recording technique. He
first records a rough tune. He then records the voice. This is followed
by addition of layer upon layer of different instruments. He says, "I
do not restrict the musicians, but ask them to play whatever they feel.
Then I record what I want. " In another interview he states, "My
recordings are very non-linear. Each track is taken solo. The artistes
and musicians can keep improvising till the space on the hard disk runs
out. " Layers are cut and pasted to form something like a 'musical
collage'. This technique clearly ensures some freshness, as each piece
then becomes a composite of various creative energies. Also, he is not
a shy collaborator- in the same way that Naushad Ali did in the past,
he has requested classical musicians such as Ustad Sultan Khan, Pandit
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Vikku Vinayakram, Kadri Gopalnath to perform on his
film tracks. On the other hand of the spectrum, he is also comfortable
bringing in modern musicians like Apache Indian, Ranjit Barot, Remo
Fernandez to play with him. Special mention must also be made of his
energetic percussionist Sivamani- who surely contributes to the
strength of his percussion sections.
AR-ticulating himself He deserves credit for consistently introducing new
vocalists (some seasoned, some new) to the arena of Indian film music.
It was always hard for newcomers to break in. As soon as one was
introduced, one would be compared to Lata Mangeshkar right away! It
sees that our collective mourning for the loss of Mohammed Rafi,
Kishore Kumar or Mukesh remained incomplete so that we were, for a long
time, still in the search for the perfect clones.
Luckily, Udit Narayan, Hariharan, Shanker Mahadevan and many others
have arrived and been welcomed. ARR's launching pad is increasing the
tolerance of the Indian mass audience and acceptance for a wider
differentiation of playback voices. Rahman also likes working with
untrained voices, saying "a slight defect in the singing adds a human
touch."
He also has moved from the traditional stance of taking all the credit
for his work. For the first time, on the covers of his CDs and
cassettes, one can see credit being shared with other musicians,
technicians and collaborators. Most Indian filmgoers have not cared too
much about the credits, so that many a film screenings are interrupted
before the credits are projected without much display of outrage on the
part of the audience.
The very format of film music that has been a vehicle of success for
him is something he is ambivalent about. He thanks Bala and Kanika on
the inlay notes ofVande Mataram for having "rescued
him from drowning into the sea of film music". Understandably, a
producer's demand for creating the original for a Tamil film and then
trying to dub it in Telugu, Hindi or Malayalam to meet the needs of
various regional markets could be tiresome. It surely takes a toll on
the lyrics, which are awkwardly inserted to fit the song's framework.
There could be other deeper reasons for this ambivalence. In a way,
this may push him to expand his musical repertoire beyond the range of
film music.
Antithetical to his confident musical strokes, he is socially anxious,
doesn't sustain eye-contact, softly answers questions in brief
sentences accompanied by nervous giggles. He is modest in his manner
and speaks of his predecessors with reverence. Watching his concert in
Dubai on television, one also sees his need to be in total control of
his music. He seems to be very anxious about the outcome of each piece
to the point that one can't see him immerse himself into his own music
and perform with abandon. He deftly blends live tracks with recorded
tracks to match the original song. One can even see him 'lip sync' his
own vocal tracks in "Dil se re" or "Hamma Hamma" to curb his
performance anxiety. It is evident from his interviews that he seems to
be driven by a very strong ego ideal and is forever trying to keep up
with his own internal insurmountable standards.
He lost his father, R.K.Sekhar, also a music director for Malayalam
films, at the age of nine. Prior to that, there are memories of
anxieties associated with his father's frequent hospital visits,
multiple surgeries. His father suffered a mysterious ailment that
doctors could not properly diagnose. He remembers his father having
bought him one of the first synthesizers in the city and thinks it may
be his inspiration for using electronics in a big way. He had to work
in his schooldays as a keyboard player to support his mother and three
sisters, which even lead to his pulled out of college at eleventh
grade. He had no hobbies besides an interest in computers and
electronics. One can see the resolution of the conflict between having
to play music due to life's circumstances and his interests then, in
the synthesis of his music today. But he still carries his anxieties
with him and probably a longing desire to make his father proud.
What if the film world ends?
Sufi Hasrat Inayet has said, "....music seems to be the bridge over
the gulf between form and the formless." He adds, "Beauty of line and
color can go so far and no further: the joy of fragrance can go a
little further: but music touches our innermost being and in that way
produces new life, a life that gives exaltation to the whole being,
raising it to that perfection in which lies the fulfillment of one's
life." I wish that Allah Rakha Rahman finds that perfection within
himself.
-Sunil Khushalani, July 1999
Send your feedback at khushsv@g-net.net
- From: test (@ bonobo.tesserae.com)
on: Wed Feb 16 14:24:11 EST 2000
test
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