As part of my post Roadmap chillout weekend efforts, I went to meet a friend at Terroir, a wonderful, quirky and charming wine bar in Soma district of San Francisco. They were playing a record that sounded vaguely familiar — it was potent blend of Bollywood, electronic dance music and trip hop. I thought it was Dj Shadow or Dj Cam — but instead it turned out to be Dan the Automator. And the album was called, Bombay The Hard Way – Guns, Cars & Sitars.

The cover art on this album is perfect example of 1970s Bollywood kitsch. The music of my childhood, remixed into the music of my youth — it was such a wonderful journey down the memory lane. I remember watching the movies, the songs and the dialogues. I even remember most of the scenes too. Funny how mind remembers so many things you think you have forgotten. I am guessing that is because there was a sense of harmony in those movies and their soundtracks. During the pre-Internet era there was a distinct language to films in Bollywood that made them memorable (both in a good and a bad way.)

Anyway, the album which first came out in 1998 and was big part of the Indian-Electronica fusion movement is still fresh and funky — make sure you put this on your listening list — yes, Spotify has it. My favorite song is still, Theme from Don.