Tiga

Tiga may have first made his name as an electroclash prankster—his breakout hit was a 2001 cover of Corey Hart’s New Wave chestnut “Sunglasses at Night,” and in 2003, he followed up with a cheeky cover of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre”—but the Montreal DJ has endured as a respected tastemaker in North American house and techno. Born Tiga Sontag in Montreal in 1974, Tiga spent his formative years in Goa, India, where he was first exposed to electronic sounds, and he began throwing parties in his teens. His early work drew from ’80s synth-pop and dance-punk, positioning him alongside acts like LCD Soundsystem and Peaches, but he also maintained one foot in the world of European minimal and tech-house: His 2002 DJ-Kicks mix album alternates names like Soft Cell and DFA with M.A.N.D.Y. and Swayzak. Founded in 1998, his Turbo label has struck a similar balance, signing indie-dance acts (Chromeo, Boys Noize) as well as purist house and techno (Terence Fixmer, Gesaffelstein). As evidenced by his 2016 album, No Fantasy Required, Tiga’s music can be both funny and freaky; the only requirement he seems to suggest is that it makes you move.