South India
Chennai · Thanjavur · Bengaluru · Kerala
Home of Carnatic classical music, centred on composed songs; Chennai’s music season draws listeners from around the world. Tamil and Telugu film music built their own golden ages.
A rhythm of this region: Adi tala (8 beats)
26 recordings, 1944–2024
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1944
G. Ramanathan & Papanasam Sivan, Haridas (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Songs from the 1944 Tamil film starring singer-actor M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, with music by Papanasam Sivan and G. Ramanathan. Released on Diwali, it ran for three years at Chennai’s Broadway theatre.
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1952
R. Sudarsanam, Parasakthi
Songs from the Tamil film Parasakthi (October 1952), music by R. Sudarsanam. Sivaji Ganesan’s debut, with dialogue by M. Karunanidhi, it is famed for its political message; the lyrics draw on poems by Subramania Bharati and Bharathidasan.
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1959
A. M. Rajah, Kalyana Parisu
Songs from Kalyana Parisu, the directorial debut of Sridhar, and the first Tamil film scored by A. M. Rajah, including “Aasaiyinaale Manam.”
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1961
Viswanathan - Ramamoorthy, Paasamalar
Songs from Pasamalar (May 1961), the brother-and-sister drama starring Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri. Composed by the duo M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy to Kannadasan’s lyrics, it includes “Malarnthum Malaratha,” sung by T. M. Soundararajan and others.
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1970
M. S. Subbulakshmi, Bhaja Govindam · Vishnu Sahasranamam
The great Carnatic singer, the first musician awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Her devotional recordings still play in South Indian homes each morning.
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1973
Lalgudi Jayaraman, Thodi Concert (1973 - Eka Raga Concert)
The violinist who perfected playing the contours of the voice on his instrument — here a whole concert built on a single raga, Thodi.
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1975
Shakti, Shakti with John McLaughlin
British guitarist John McLaughlin with masters of South Indian violin and ghatam (clay pot): Carnatic rhythm and jazz striking sparks.
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1981
L. Shankar, Who's to Know
Violinist L. Shankar’s first album for ECM, recorded in West Germany in November 1980: two long pieces, one a ragam-tanam-pallavi, with Zakir Hussain on tabla, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman on mridangam and his father V. Lakshminarayana keeping the tala.
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1986
Ilaiyaraaja, How to Name It?
The giant of Tamil film music dedicates this album to J. S. Bach and Tyagaraja, the great Carnatic composer.
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1986
U. Srinivas, Mandolin Maestro: U. Srinivas
From Andhra Pradesh. As a child he began playing Carnatic music on the Western mandolin, bringing a new instrument into the classical world.
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1991
Ilaiyaraaja, Thalapathi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Ilaiyaraaja’s soundtrack, with lyrics by Vaali, for Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film, released by Lahari in April 1991 — the director and composer’s last collaboration. “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu” came fourth in a BBC World Service poll of the world’s most popular songs.
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1992
A. R. Rahman, Roja
A. R. Rahman’s first film score fused synthesizers with Carnatic melody and transformed the sound of Indian film music.
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1995
A. R. Rahman, Bombay
A. R. Rahman’s score for Mani Ratnam’s Bombay, blending South Indian melody with electronics — it changed Indian film music.
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1995
U. Srinivas & Michael Brook, Dream
A collaboration between mandolinist U. Srinivas and guitarist Michael Brook for Real World. Planned as a traditional album, it was instead built from Real World Studios sessions into four ambient pieces, with guests including Nigel Kennedy and Naná Vasconcelos.
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1997
A. R. Rahman, Minsara Kanavu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
A. R. Rahman’s soundtrack for Rajiv Menon’s Tamil film. Songs such as “Vennilave”, “Strawberry”, “Thanga Thamarai” and “Mana Madurai” became hits, and it brought Rahman his second National Film Award for music direction.
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2000
Aruna Sairam, South India: Aruna Sairam (Padam, le chant de Tanjore)
Aruna Sairam, a disciple of the Tanjore-style singer T. Brinda, sings padams — the slow, expressive songs bound up with South Indian dance. Recorded in 1999 and issued by France’s Ocora in 2000.
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2001
John McLaughlin, Remember Shakti: Saturday Night In Bombay (Live)
John McLaughlin’s group Remember Shakti live in Bombay in December 2000: U. Srinivas on electric mandolin, Zakir Hussain on tabla and Selvaganesh on ghatam and kanjira, with guests including santoor player Shivkumar Sharma.
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2006
Kadri Gopalnath, Saxophone Vol III
From Karnataka, he found ways to play the fine ornaments of Carnatic music on the saxophone.
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2008
Bombay S. Jayashri & T. M. Krishna, Margazhi Raagam
The music of the concert film of the same name, pairing Carnatic singers Bombay Jayashri and T. M. Krishna as they trade and share classic compositions.
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2008
Avial, Avial
The debut of Avial, formed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in 2003: alternative rock sung in Malayalam about tribal culture, farmers’ hardships and environmental damage. It took six of the seven 2008 Jack Daniel’s Rock Awards.
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2011
Anirudh Ravichander, 3 (Original Soundtrack)
The soundtrack to the Tamil film 3, Anirudh Ravichander’s debut as a composer. “Why This Kolaveri Di”, written and sung by the film’s star Dhanush, came out first in November 2011, and the full album followed on 23 December; the film opened in March 2012.
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2014
Santhosh Narayanan, Jigarthanda (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Santhosh Narayanan’s songs for Karthik Subbaraj’s Tamil film, released by Think Music in March 2014, five months before the film opened. Critics and audiences alike regard it as one of his best works.
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2015
Thaikkudam Bridge, Navarasam
The first studio album by Kerala band Thaikkudam Bridge, sung in Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi, taking on political satire and social inequality. It made them known across India.
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2016
Santhosh Narayanan, Kabali (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Santhosh Narayanan’s soundtrack for the Rajinikanth film Kabali, five songs released by Think Music in June 2016, including “Neruppu Da”, written, rapped and sung by Arunraja Kamaraj.
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2023
Shakti, This Moment
Shakti — John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain’s group, now with Shankar Mahadevan and others — on their first studio album in 46 years.
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2024
Varijashree Venugopal, Vari
The debut of a Bengaluru-based Carnatic singer and flautist, produced by Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, joining Carnatic vocal art to jazz.