Campus Celebrity: Tyler Miller

DJ/Producer Tyler Miller, who goes by the name Tigorilla, has an extraordinary background.  He was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Hong Kong, London,and Shanghai.  When Miller became dissatisfied with the generic club sound in Hong Kong, he decided to do something about it.  He began hosting and DJing parties with friends in Hong Kong.  After taking lessons with DJ Katherine Cheung, he landed a residency at a nightclub called Drop.
 
Miller continues to develop his exclusive sound at the University of Illinois, where he currently studies graphic design and business.  I sat down with Miller to explore his music, his future goals and Tigorilla. 
 
HC:  Describe your music and style. 
It’s always evolving and it’s definitely changed over time.  My music is primarily electronic.  Electronic is so diverse and you can do so much with this genre.  Lately, I’ve been dabbling with a new D.C. underground genre called moombahton.  It’s a genre of electronic dance music that I’ve been trying to incorporate into my own style. 
 
HC:  Who are your musical influences?
Right now, I’m really into Munchi, Tony Senghore and Savage Skulls, who are all DJs. 
 
HC:  What live music performance has had the most impact in your life?
I was definitely impacted by 2ManyDJs at Lollapalooza 2010.  They’re two Belgian brothers who are considered the cornerstones of “bastard pop,” or the electro/alternative-rock fusion movement.  They were crazy good and the visuals were amazing.    
 

 
 
HC:  What are your future goals?
Right now, my first goal is to finish school and get my graphic design degree.  DJing is definitely a passion but school is number one.  Music has always been a passion but I’m keeping DJing and producing on the side until school is over. 
 
HC:  Do you see DJing as a potential career?
Yes, I can definitely see DJing as a potential career but I’d like to concentrate on producing.  I can see myself both DJing and producing in the future.  
 
HC:  Any advice for aspiring DJs?
I’d say you really have to know exactly what DJing entails because most people only see the exterior DJ at work on stage.  There are so many more intricacies that occur behind the scenes that no one really knows about.  DJs should know what they are getting into before they decide to put the work in. 
 

 
Follow Tyler Miller!
Twitter  http://www.twitter.com/tmlz
Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/tyleremiller
Soundcloud  http://soundcloud.com/tigorilla