Chocolate Chip Flavored Cleverfolk

This category has folk lyrics WCM interlude arrangement (not camouflaged). Raja takes the smoke and mirrors and lets you enjoy almost a WCM concert in the interludes while you listen to folk lyrics throughout the track. Perhaps the WCM arrangement sticks out like a c

hoco chip and that has its own nice taste as well!

Poovarasan was a 1996 Tamil film that disappeared without a trace. Raja has two duets in this film completely set to

folk lyrics. Itha Poovukoru Arasan and Rasathi Rasathi – both sang by SPB and Chitra. If you hear the prelude, interludes of these Intha Poovukoru Arasan, they are very modern sounding and amazing WCM work. Raja uses very pleasant synth sound with flute, with beautiful violins and solo (violins) as well. The last few lines of the charanams are beautifully backed by synthesized violins. The second interlude starts off with a beautiful flute and synth counterpoint followed by synth work. This is one of his fine WCM work hidden by a folk lyric. Rasathi Rasathi

also starts with synthesized violins as part of its prelude. The first interlude uses a nice chorus arrangement with flute and synth parts – towards the end of the interlude switches to a tremolo violin arrangement which is typical of Raja’s WCM work. The second interlude starts off with another counterpoint between plucked violin strings and synthesizer followed by extensive violin work. He makes no attempt to hide any of these flavors – no tabla, no duffle – pure WCM work.

Kadhaipola Thonum from Veera Thaalatu (1998) is another interesting track where Raja provides a choco chip and vanilla flavor to the track. The prelude and first interlude are like several songs of Raja. However, the second interlude is just stunning. There is a brief silence followed by synthesizer to simulate wind followed by some very fine tremolo string work. This is supposed to be a folk track – Raja uses a nice WCM technique to bring additional flavor to the song.

Sandhirarum Sooriyarum from Avatharam (1995) is a track that fully does away with any percussion and uses western style violins throughout the song that is very folkish in its lyrics. More of it in the section – Raja’s rhythm innovation stage 12.

The clip below starts off with the interlude of Intha Poovukoru Arasan – this is like hearing a western classical concert than a folkish melody. This is followed by an astounding interlude (2nd) from Kadhaipola Thonum fully using western ideas such as tremolo strings. Finally, I included Rasathi from Poovarasan. When you hear this whole collage, you never get an impression of hearing any folk melody. Raja’s interludes live in a different world. He somehow stitches his interludes to his main pallavis and charanams. There is nobody who is better than him in this. I almost forgot that I was providing you examples with his folk work. Enjoy the hidden Western classical music interludes in the folk melody – except, Raja does not make any attempt to hide it.