Sandalwood's new-age music directors

At a time when most Sandalwood soundtracks have become predictable, with staple romantic duets, hero introduction songs, pathos songs and tapanguchi numbers, the industry is witnessing a sea change with new-age composers churning out tunes that are different from the usual albums. From electronica and trance to jazz and blues, there is a variety of new genres being explored, adding interesting nuances to the stories the filmmakers tell. Here's a look at our pick from the lot:

Bharath BJ

Be it the upcoming Half Mentlu or the recently-released Simpallag Innond Love Story, Bharath's tunes have caught the fancy of Gen Next. Even when he composed the typical item number Sunday Banthu for Plus, he gave it his own spin.

B Ajaneesh Loknath

From Shishira to Ulidavaru Kandante and his upcoming film Akira, Ajaneesh has come up with something new and different for each of his film soundtracks. From blues to electronic dance, he's got everything in his repertoire.

Dheerendra Doss

When Dheerendra Doss turned music composer, after years with a rock band, his first album for the film Puta Tirugisi Nodi was a mix of varied genres ranging from pop to blues and jazz. He also tried to use novel voices and live instruments.

Anoop Seelin

If there's a tag for the most rooted music composer, then Anoop takes the cake. A trained singer, Anoop's music is contemporary and appeals to younger generations, he mixes classical and old to give an interesting mix, be it in Googly, Love In Mandya, Aatagara or Bhagyaraj. Though most filmmakers have been switching to making the music of their films available online, the composer recently launched his own music label.

Charan Raj

He's among the newer names on the block and his album for the upcoming film Godhi Banna Sadharana Mykattu has already created quite a stir, despite the team releasing it only on online platforms. Interestingly, the music has been composed to seamlessly integrate with the narrative, considering that the songs are all situational numbers.