AR Rahman; Anil Kapoor with Aishwarya Rai In ‘Taal’
Sports activities and music go hand in hand.
In 2013, after India lifted the World Cup, M.S. Dhoni, one of many essential architects of the triumphant group within the finals, went on document to speak about probably the most emotional second within the finals. And that wasn’t the thrilling cricket or the steep run chase, however a track. “The stadium began to sing ‘Vande Mataram’. That environment, I really feel, may be very troublesome to recreate,” recalled Dhoni.
Within the recently-concluded Olympics 2024 held in Paris, there was yet one more marriage of track and sports activities, when the U.S. creative swimming group took to the waters. The proficient eight-member group carried out to ‘Taal Se Taal Mila’ from the 1999 superhit Bollywood movie Taal, directed by Subhash Ghai, that includes Aishwarya Rai, Anil Kapoor and Akshaye Khanna within the lead.
Taal had music by A.R. Rahman, then quick rising in reputation in Bollywood after a number of superhit albums in Tamil cinema. Past the melody within the songs, Taal additionally featured a percussion-led observe titled ‘Beat of Ardour’, a portion of which was utilized by the swimmers of their Olympics outing. ‘Beat of Ardour’ begins nearly like a whisper. A couple of finger-snapping sounds later, the drums come into play, albeit slowly, nearly prefer it’s a trailer for the principle course that’s to return. When the drums kick in, your toes begin transferring, and by the point the ‘Beat of Ardour’ ends, you’re in a frenzy.
The ‘Beat of Ardour’ is percussion mastery by ‘Drums’ Sivamani, with whom A.R. Rahman shares a long-standing skilled relationship, and who brings forth the magic that beats make you’re feeling.
Right here, Sivamani doesn’t use simply the drums alone; he makes use of sounds from finger-snaps, the tonking of the vessels and buckets and even the sound of water flowing from a bottle.
There’s additionally some heavy respiration on the finish of that exact observe, which contributes fairly effectively to the befitting musical soundscape of Taal.
This is only one instance; there are a lot of extra; just like the final minute or so within the ‘Dhandiya’ observe from Kadhalar Dhinam. There’s additionally one other silent hero in all these musical gems: audio engineer H. Sridhar.
Sivamani and AR Rahman in a photograph from 2009
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Percussion and melody are two sides of the musical coin, with beats enhancing our theatrical expertise. The Nineties had been a time when percussion peaked in Tamil cinema. This isn’t to say that percussion didn’t exist earlier than; the truth is, M.S. Viswanathan and Ilaiyaraaja have used it extensively of their songs. However the A.R. Rahman-Sivamani mixture and the growth of computer systems and expertise within the Nineties had been like a match made in heaven; Sivamani’s beats resonated in all walkmans of that period, altering the best way we consumed music. The current epic saga, Ponniyin Selvantoo, noticed work from the duo.
ALSO READ: Ilango Krishnan, the lyricist of ‘Ponniyin Selvan,’ on how ‘Aga Naga‘ took shape
Whereas many state that melody is the core of any music, some magic occurs when percussion combines with a core melody. ‘Nadaan Parindey’ from Rockstaris perhaps a soulful cry of a observe, however it nonetheless has some rollicking drum work to kickstart issues earlier than the guitars and vocals take over. Jodhaa Akbar’s musical panorama could be incomplete with out the catchy rhythmic patterns that accompany ‘Azeem-O-Shaan Shahehshah’. Extra just lately, the staccato beats of Ponniyin Selvantook us again to the Chola empire. Such historic topics additionally assist composers and musicians use uncommon devices and recreate sounds that aren’t typically heard in modern-day cinema. We hope to listen to extra of these within the upcoming Thug Life, which sees Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan coming together after a few years.
Percussion work is significant not simply in albums and movies, however in concert events too, the place they add to the general environment and elevate the temper; look no past percussionist Ranjit Barot’s efficiency in an A.R. Rahman live performance the place he shifts the musical temper from ‘Putham Pudhu Bhoomi’ to ‘Jai Ho’ with some pulsating work on the drums.
Greater than 30 years on for the reason that unforgettable Roja, the A.R. Rahman-Sivamani mixture continues to enthral audiences. They’ve additionally paved the best way for youthful composers to take up percussion in an enormous method, on this age of techno-driven soundtracks. Anirudh, as an illustration, lifted the theatrical expertise of Rajinikanth’s Petta by a number of notches with the ‘Rhythm of Petta’ that featured kuthu-style drumming. With out lacking a beat, the percussion journey continues.
