My piece on Rahman that made it to the cover page

Light at the Edge of the World

And so a golden age begins. The floodgates are open and we are now firmly on the mainstream musical map of the world. And its all down to the inimitable ARR. This is tremendous, because it means that the paradigm for listening has shifted. It also means that there is now a new standard to aspire for, a greater commitment towards musical aesthetics than ever before. With this comes a responsibility to understand the music of this rather self effacing, reticent mind that sits so productively on the shoulders of a man who grew up in the same magical city as us.



Rahman's music has always been ahead of the times, each composition containing an element that is unique. In fact, the Rahman era has galvanized sound engineering, spearheading a movement towards finding a truly global idiom, one which instantaneously appeals worldwide. I remember telling friends that to truly appreciate ARR' music, one needs a high-fidelity stereo system, since his music is not made for ordinary boomboxes. There is always that extra timpani that one hears after a stanza, the extra sarangi layer beneath a truly moving melodic line. Sometimes, it is a whiff of a theme, played repetitively in the background that uplifts the entire song (the guitar in "Kabhi Kabhi Aditi" for instance). Other times it is the use of the strings, played with a sensitivity that defies description (the theme from "Bombay'). In fact, the musical speciality of ARR's music is that it is unpredictable, and there is nothing that one can call a signature other than the entire envelope of it – to view it as a "sum-of -component parts" would be doing the music a great travesty. This is not an ordinary mind, as it works holistically. It is a mind that "views" the music in its entirety, obtaining the best combinations of instruments and voices, balancing rhythm and harmony with an innate sense of precision.



Musically speaking, it would be very easy to point out that Rahman's speciality has been his ear for unconventional sound – human and otherwise. He has always put in a voice that the prevailing convention of the time may have not appreciated as fully. Interesting use of instrumentation (remember the "singing" violin in 'Pakkadhey Pakkadhey" or the use of a capella voices in "Rasaathi En Usuru"?). And he does not stop with just bringing in this element. There is a treatment to it that reflects a keen understanding of audiences as well as musical tonality. For instance, when Unnikrishnan sings "Katre En Vasal Vandhu" from Rhythm, it is the rustic percussion and desert echo voices that lift the song from just carrying a pleasing melody.



The use of the moving bass is yet another feather to Rahman's cap. From the very first song that drifted our way in the early 90's ("Chinna Chinna Aasai") to the latest offering from Slumdog Millionaire, the bass (guitar, cello or strings) is like a spring unwound – restless, energetic and dynamic. This feature reaches for the gut, forcing even the most unmusical to start tapping their feet unconsciously.



I could go on, but this is not a time for analysis. It is one for celebration. Rahman has taken us a long way, showing the world that there is tremendous light emanating from this edge of the world. Our stars are on the rise yet again. Lets look up!



ANIL SRINIVASAN
Courtesy The New Sunday Express, Jan 18, 2009