Tru-Skool

Punjabi folk/hip-hop producer Tru-Skool was a prominent figure behind the scenes of U.K. bhangra. Born in Derby, England, Olk was brought up listening to Punjabi folk. He started listening to hip-hop when he started school, which lead to an interest in music production; specifically, the combination of hip-hop-inspired beats alongside the traditional bhangra music he was raised with. In pursuit of his musical interests, Olk was classically trained on a number of traditional Punjabi instruments, including tabla, tumbi, harmonium, dholki, and naal. Additionally, he also taught himself how to play the electronic keyboard. Eventually, his skill and hard work was noticed by successful crossover act Panjabi MC, who would feature Olk on his 2000 LP Switchin'.
In 2005, Olk released his first major album, Word Is Born, in collaboration with co-producer Mandeep Singh "Specialist" Marwaha. The album was followed by a second release, 2006's Repazent. Gradually, Tru-Skool became the go-to producer in the U.K. bhangra scene, putting his production stamp on a number of Punjabi folk records.