A blend of western and South Asian instruments drives Malayalam music’s core appeal, and that tenet stayed strong in the genre’s greatest of the 2010s. Synths and pads provided an updated mystique, as heard in “Kudukku”, while the pulsing thump of electronic drum patterns edged tracks like “Nee” towards a rolling warmth akin to classic house. Several artists aimed for bigger and bolder sounds, often employing a host of layered elements to powerful effect like on “Scene Contra”. Elsewhere, calmer offerings are embellished with long trails of reverb.