Tigerstyle is a
Scottish folkhop group from
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
with a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
Punjabi background.
Background
Brothers Raj Singh (Kulraj Singh Burmy) and Pops (Amritpal Singh Burmy) come from a folk background, with the traditional upbringing of a
Sikh
Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...
family, with their roots in Punjab, Punjabi folk music, in particular Punjabi music from the late 1970s to early 1980s, including artists such as
Kuldip Manak and
Surinder Shinda as well as
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
music. They also list
Rap,
Hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
,
RnB and
Drum n bass
Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-bass lines, samples, and synthesizers. The genre ...
with artists such as
Dr. Dre
Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
and
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...
as influences.
Music career
They started their music career in 1997 when as
DJs they created Desi Bombsquad Sound System with the intent of nurturing the bhangra scene in Scotland as they felt it lagged behind the
English bhangra scene.
[
] The name Tigerstyle is taken from the Tiger Style of
Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin kung fu (), also called Shaolin Wushu (), or Shaolin quan (), is the largest and most famous style of Chinese martial arts, kung fu. It combines Chan Buddhism, Chan philosophy and martial arts.
It was developed in the Shaolin Temple in ...
named after the
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
,
[
] with the brothers coming from a Sikh warrior background which has its own martial art, Gatka, and the name Singh meaning
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...
.
[
]
The brothers have released a number of singles and albums and also done official remixes for artists such as
Lisa Maffia and
Raghav. After a legal dispute with previous record companies, they signed to
Nachural Records, the label that launched
Panjabi MC.
Tigerstyle have toured all over the world and shared stages with the likes of
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Lily Allen, Her accolades include a Brit Award, alongside nominations for a Grammy Award and a Laurence Olivi ...
,
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols are an English electronic music band founded in 1996 by Barry Ashworth and Jason O'Bryan.
Career
The band's first singles were "There's Gonna Be a Riot" and "Best Got Better" in 1998. Their first album, '' Point Blank'', came ou ...
,
Misty in Roots,
Talvin Singh,
Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney (; born 1964) is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines Asian and other ...
, Gunjan,
Asian Dub Foundation,
Badmarsh & Shri,
Truth Hurts, Panjabi MC, Future World Funk as well as
Bobby Friction and
DJ Nihal on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
. Friction has said of Tigerstyle, "They are without doubt the next Asian/Bhangra act that will break through into the mainstream – it is only a question of time." On 28 October 2006 they performed on the
BBC Electric Proms Asian Network gig.
[
]
In the second series of ''
Britain's Got Talent'' on
ITV1
ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 ...
in May 2008, the song used by dance act
Signature
A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, Handwriting, handwritt ...
in their audition and again in their performance in the final was "
Nachna Onda Nei", a bhangra remix of
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
's "
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...
" and
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
and
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
's "
Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album ''Hot Space'' (1982). The song reached number one on the U ...
" featuring
Kaka Bhaniawala with covering vocals. As a result of it being featured, it made the top 100 for the first time, spending one week at #62
Tigerstyle are one of the few Asian acts to have ever recorded a live session for the late
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
. They also performed on the BBC Introducing Stage at
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...
in July 2007.
[
][
]
Their Bollywood debut came in the shape of exclusive remixes of "Bas Ek Kinng" and "Bhootni Ke" under the guidance of hit music director Pritam, on the soundtrack of the blockbuster movie of summer 2008,
Singh Is Kinng. They also collaborated again with Pritam for Pankaj Kapur's directoral debut ''
Mausam''.
Over the past few years Tigerstyle have gone on to work with other Bollywood Music Directors such as Sachin Jigar and Ram Sampath and have also develop a new fusion of Bhangra with Electronic Dance Music which they have named "DigiBhang".
This new fusion style formed the basis of their 2013 album "Digi-Bhang". In the same year they transformed their studio produced album into a Live Band Performance. During the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tigerstyle performed at a one-off event named "DigiBhang Live" at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh with their newly formed band.
Discography
Albums
Songs
References
External links
MySpace pageOfficial WebsiteTigerstyle Ay HaDigi Bhang – The Musical Hammerblow To The Punjabi Music Industry
{{Authority control
Bhangra (music) musical groups
Scottish Sikhs
Scottish people of Punjabi descent
Musical groups established in 1997
British Asian musical groups