Tuesday 2 February 2016

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and S.P.Balasubrahmanyam


Several of my blogging buddies have expressed their understandable relief that a pretty rotten January 2016 has finally been consigned to the history books, a sentiment I echo wholeheartedly. To commence proceedings for February on a lighter note, here's a joyous clip from a 1981 Tamil comedy film entitled 'Ellam Inba Mayyam'. In it we see leading Kollywood actor Kamal Haasan lip-syncing and generally freaking out to the incredible 'Solla Solla Enna Perumai', a song written by legendary Indian composer Maestro Ilaiyaraaja with vocals by S.P.Balasubrahmanyam, a man who has allegedly recorded over 40,000 songs since 1965! One of the comments below this clip on YouTube reads, 'Disturbing, demented and life changing. A window into some forbidden realm between 70's funk and a near life threatening fever dream'. I couldn't have put it better myself! Surely Charlie Higson must have had this piece of film in mind when he created his Fast Show character Mikki Disco.

There are three volumes of Ilaiyaraaja's work available on Andy Votel's venerable Finders Keepers record label here, here and here.

4 comments:

Walter said...

Strange sound, Swede. It reminds me to some Bollywood movies I've seen during the last decade. It's a weird mixture of late 60s psychedelic and soul. Very, very special and not from this planet.

Anonymous said...

I want he's having and I'd like to go to the party!

C said...

I missed this before... but wow (I'm lost for any other descriptive words!) And yes, definitely Charlie Higson.
Thanks for cheering us up.

The Swede said...

It's a groovy hoot isn't it?

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