Ilaiyaraaja's first two non-film albums were explorations in the fusion of Indian and Western classical music. The first, "How to Name It?" (1986), is dedicated to the Carnatic master Tyāgarāja and to J. S. Bach. It features a fusion of the Carnatic form and "ragas" with Bach partitas, fugues and Baroque musical textures. The second, "Nothing But Wind" (1988), was performed by flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia and a 50-piece orchestra and takes the conceptual approach suggested in the title—that music is a "natural phenomenon akin to various forms of air currents".