K.s Chithra

2012 release. The electrification of K.S. Chithra and Kollywood pop! Known by adoring fans and devotees, throughout South India, as Chinna Kuyil (trans. "Little Nightingale") on account of her expansive vocal range and crystalline, sweet voice, the uplifting and surprising sound of K.S. Chithra is, for many, best exemplified by the early plugged-in-pop she made in the 1980s with the man/machine who first introduced her to the Tamil film industry, Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. There are few records you will hear that combine the sounds of a child's choir, a DX7 bass line, three types of drum machines, a mariachi trumpet cry, a re-sampled 40-piece orchestra and an electronic bass line that takes the Moog Taurus by the horns and rides into the Indian summer. There is probably less chance of hearing a vocal performance so confusingly dazzling that it instantly detracts from the previously aforementioned wish-list combination of bizarre instruments, but for those intrepid enough to dig a little deeper and take a detour due East, pick-axing right where Lollywood meets Bollywood - then prepare to be rewarded with a double, triple and quadruple whammy! This compilation focuses on a small and select handful of Chithra and Ilaiyaraaja's developing collaborations from the formative years of their relationship between - 1986 and 1991 - a vibrant time where analog recording techniques and digital technology first overlapped and Chithra, as a developing vocalist, adapted to the sounds and arrangements of a classic maverick composer pushing the boundaries.