This is a compilation of south Indian 7″ records from the late 70s and early 80s, specifically  - 1979-1983 in Tamil Nadu. India’s modern music industry has almost always released music in the form of film soundtracks. It is for this reason that the music is so grandiose in nature. The Bollywood film industry was centered in Bombay, which is now named Mumbai, but there were other lesser known industries in Pujab, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Orissa, and more. Most notable of these were the films from the south centered in Madras which is now known as Chennai. They called it Kollywood, this was because of the Kodambakkam neighborhood which served as the center of the film industry of the south. The music is loose and energetic but is also laced with South Indian classical music which added a beautiful depth to the songs. The results were often loud drum machines, low fidelity synths, strings, flutes, and other funky elements put it for good measure. It feels like Bollywood without the kitsch. The epic nature of the compositions remain but the sound is much more raw. The stripped down garage studio sound is juxtaposed by funky arrangements for 20 piece ensembles is a wonderful aesthetic. The sounds are a fusion of musical styles rather than the one after another style found in most bollywood arrangements. This adds a much more consistent tone to the songs and leads to more organic sounding songs. These are a few records from this genre I found in an attic in Delhi. Not sure how rare they are but the music of South India is still largely unexplored. Get down to the funky traditional sound of Kollywood!