"Best set I saw at the whole festival!"
Innovative, catalyst and trailblazer are just some of the words you can use to describe Yung Singh.
The young DJ had a standout 2021, having been awarded DJ Mag’s ‘Breakthrough DJ of the Year’. But, this only hints at the type of viral moments he has had.
Singh’s relentless energy and hypnotic mixes have re-energised the British South Asian music scene.
His string of standout moments such as an ingenious Boiler Room set with Daytimers put him at the forefront of a resurgence.
His ‘Sounds of Punjabi Garage’ mix for Shuffle ‘n’ Swing was similarly iconic.
The DJ’s sound primarily lies in hip hop, jungle and Punjabi music but his ability to seamlessly mould in garage, grime and house is nothing short of dazzling.
His output focuses on raising awareness of South Asian culture, highlighting its significance in the history of British dance music.
Likewise, he wants to shine a light on the talented and highly skilled musicians and artists that inhabit that very culture.
Yung Singh is not afraid to push the boundaries and his arsenal is stacked with modern, retro, unique and rare sounds.
So, here are Singh’s five best DJ performances in what promises to be a scintillating career.
Daytimers – Boiler Room 2021
Perhaps the most popular Yung Singh set was at the Daytimers Boiler Room event in London.
The night was a showcase of some of the skilled South Asian DJs that make up the Daytimers collective, from Gracie T to Chandé to Yung Singh.
If there are any moments to signify the aura around Yung Singh, then it’s the first four minutes of this 66-minute set.
Starting off with Panjabi MC’s ‘Kori (Giddah)’, the audience is mellow and waiting for the bass to come.
As soon as the giddah part of the song comes in, Singh instantly slaps Benga & Coki’s grime/jungle song ‘Night’ on top, instantly receiving loud cheers and a rewind of the mix.
As onlookers bounce around and jump around the deck, Singh continues to drop banger after banger.
Featuring jungle, EDM and trap remixes to classics like Lethal Bizzle’s ‘Pow’, Jazzy B’s ‘Dil Luteya’ and The Game’s ‘Dreams’, this set is spectacular.
Boiler Room Festival London 2021
After his formidable Daytimers set, Yung Singh graced the Boiler Room stage once again, setting the crowd alight with a new mix.
One of the most captivating aspects of Singh’s craft is his ability to experiment with different sounds and genres. This performance highlights that.
The mix of reggae, afrobeats and techno are obvious crowdpleasers but intertwining this with offbeat bhangra and RnB is exquisite.
Even the mellow house tracks break up the set perfectly but don’t disrupt the momentum of the whole mix. One fan expressed his admiration for the performance, saying:
“He’s pushing new genres/styles, namely Asian underground music! That’s why he’s good.”
“He’s not good ’cause he has a cohesive set…Nah, it’s more ’cause he’s pushing a culture forward.”
If you want to witness the versatility of Yung Singh, just feast your eyes on this!
HÖR x Bau Mich Auf Festival 2022
Yung Singh’s talents have led him to worldwide stages, including Berlin where he played at the Bau Mich Auf Festival.
Bringing the best dance, electronic and pop-infused songs to this set, he created an immersive atmosphere where onlookers were in awe of the sounds he was producing.
Singh manages to cater to the crowd and he does so expertly here.
Providing an ambience for people to dance, mingle and groove all at once is just what you want from a popular festival.
The mix does wonders at providing a wide spectrum of vibrant sounds which get the audience going.
Songs like Suchi’s ‘Swift’ and a remix of Terrence Parker’s ‘Don’t Waste Another Minute’ show that Singh is not a typical DJ set entirely in one dimension.
His ear is as good as any established DJ’s and sets the bar for more emerging talents.
Kiosk Radio x Dour Festiv3al 2022
Bringing a euphoric type feeling to this set, Yung Singh sets out a tense build-up at the start of this performance.
As the crowd waits for the drop, Singh hits them with a bass-heavy track that ignites the eardrums and sets the audience into a frenzy.
He continues to infuse techno-pop songs and Singh has this impressive way of overlapping adlibs and sounds that complement the different tones of a track.
The inclusion of high-pitched vocals accompanies the colourful environment.
A person who witnessed the show live stated:
“Best set I saw at the whole festival! Amazing stage.”
These words aren’t hard to believe given how artistic the DJ looked on the set. Additionally, in true Singh fashion, he brought back the roots that inspired his career.
Bellowing out artists like Sidhu Moosewala and Bally Sagoo along with Punjabi garage were some of the standout moments of the whole set.
Keep Hush Live: Outlook UK 2022
Yung Singh takes the expression “start as you mean to go on” and runs with it in this set for Keep Hush.
The beginning of this mix starts with one of the most popular songs in history, Damian Marley’s ‘Welcome To Jamrock’.
As soon as this starts, the fans go wild. But, of course, this is Yung Singh, and he won’t play just the original version.
So, ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ goes into a mesmerising dubstep/grime remix with wobbles, snares and drums. This sets the tone for the whole performance.
Featuring TLC’s anthem ‘No Scrubs’, Panjabi Hit Squad’s ‘Hai Hai’ and ’26 Basslines’ by Benga, this mix boasts all the layers of Yung Singh.
Whilst the set is filled with songs from all over the world, there’s a sense of absolute Britishness about the show.
It’s raw, energetic, refined, vibrant and unapologetic all at once.
These amazing DJ sets by Yung Singh show how truly skilled he is at his craft. He also symbolises the amount of emerging British Asian talent there is in the music scene.
But, what makes Singh such a catalyst is his vision to expand the music scene for his culture.
The way he experiments with his own mixes surely impacts younger DJs looking to enhance their sound.
But, whilst he explores fresh and new manipulations, the foundation of his performances lies within Punjabi music, garage and the British underground.
So, there’s no denying that Yung Singh will continue his meteoric rise within the industry and carry on diversifying the landscape.
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