Tigerstyle
We went to see Tigerstyle in New York last night. It was pretty great -- these guys are probably the best underground Bhangra/hip hop remix producers out there right now. You can listen to some samples here (try "Punjabi Lean Back").
There's also a good interview with the duo here.
It started snowing. We spent the night in the city at my brother's, and went to see The Gates this morning before heading home. I didn't bring a camera, so I'll just plagiarize someone else's Flickr stream for The Gates in the snow. (Slice is a little grumpy about the whole thing. Maybe he got up too early in the morning...?)
There's also a good interview with the duo here.
It started snowing. We spent the night in the city at my brother's, and went to see The Gates this morning before heading home. I didn't bring a camera, so I'll just plagiarize someone else's Flickr stream for The Gates in the snow. (Slice is a little grumpy about the whole thing. Maybe he got up too early in the morning...?)
3 Comments:
Amardeep
Tigerstyle are wicked, arent they? Without a doubt, one of the top three or four producers and bhangra artsists at the moment, and their gigs are always wicked too. They are taking the whole Punjabi music scene in the UK to another lever with their whole set up.
A new crew has just released an album and put themselves at the top of the league with this their first release...I havent heard hip-hop-bhangra done better than this ever...they are called Specialist & Tru Skool...you can read an interview with them on
http://www.ukbhangra.com
Try and get hold of their album it is MASSIVE!!
What was the crowd like at the Tigerstyle gig Amardeep? Big turnout? Mostly apnay? Whats the bhangra scene like in New York?
Coolie,
I probably should have mentioned the crowd in the post itself, but here goes.
The energy was pretty explosive. I was surprised -- it was a Sunday night show, and there was a prediction for snow for the evening. And I don't think Tigerstyle are quite as well known here as they are in the UK. Songs like "Putt Jatt de Shakeen" and "Nachna Onda Nei" are staples, but they've been... appropriated by so many other remixers that I'm not sure people know who did the originals.
I myself found "The Rising" at a store in Southall) when I was in England in the summer of 2000. I've never seen any of their CDs on sale in the U.S. For all that, the turnout was solid.
I should also mention that the show was tied to "Basement Bhangra," which is run by a DJ named Rekha at S.O.B.'s. So some of the people who came out undoubtedly were there because of Rekha.
One of the things I really like about the U.S. Bhangra scene is the fact that it's basically all about the dancing. There was no "dance floor" as such at the Tigerstyle show; the entire club was in motion. At the center, right in front of the speakers, there were groups of boys dancing particularly frenetically (almost a kind of mosh pit).
I attribute the emphasis on dancing partly to all the college Bhangra teams in the U.S. There are huge, intercollegiate Bhangra competitions (generally once a year) where the different college teams compete. A lot of graduates of those teams -- they are, essentially, "professional" Bhangra dancers -- show up at Basement Bhangra and elsewhere. It's a little intimidating for those of us who are a little older (I never learned all the steps quite so precisely).
The people dancing most energetically were Indian, last night at least (though not necessarily Punjabi). 30-40 percent of the men were turbaned Sikhs... It's one of the few club nights where Sikh men feel completely comfortable and relaxed.
But the crowd was still pretty mixed; it usually is, at Basement Bhangra. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
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