Trans-Global Underground

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Flashback to the early 90s…
A group of disenchanted misfits from various corners of the dance, indie, bhangra, and Arabic scenes in London begin congregating in and around the offices of Nation Records in Ladbroke Grove. From this comes a single ‘Temple Head’ and a hastily thought up name, Trans-Global Underground.
‘Temple Head’ is a serious club anthem for 1991, played by Andy Weatherall, Gilles Peterson and the whole Iberia crowd. It’s licensed by house label Deconstruction, who reject the album as too left-field.

1992: TGU go on to cause chaos and confusion at raves around the country, playing a mixture of funk, bhangra and dub, with the band dressed as Nepalese temple guardians and vocalist Natacha Atlas belly dancing onstage. Along with Natacha are the rhythm section and production team Hamid Mantu on drums, Tim Whelan on keyboards and Dubulah on bass, tabla player and rapper Goldfinger completes the first live lineup.

1993: TGU return to Nation Records and the finished debut album, ‘Dream of 100 Nations’ arrives just in time for the heyday of the UK trance scene and the music scene opening enough to accept their fusion of styles. The album goes Top 40 and is one of NME’s albums of the year.
Vocalist/percussionists Tuup and Neil Sparkes join the line-up and the band’s live reputation for spectacular live shows continues to grow as they play all over the UK, making their debut at Glastonbury, where they’ll be one of the most popular acts over the next few years.

1994: TGU simultaneously record their second album ‘International Times’ and Natacha Atlas’ first solo album, ‘Diaspora,’ while playing around the UK with the travelling Megadog rave/live/chaos night. ‘International Times’ is released worldwide the same year and TGU tour Europe for the first time. Goldfinger and Tuup leave the live lineup and rapper Coleridge becomes a regular live member.

1995: TGU tour under Natacha’s name, promoting ‘Diaspora.’ They release ‘Interplanetary Meltdown’ an album of remixes of and by the group, featuring Andy Weatherall, Lionrock, Youth, Dreadzone and others. By now they’re in demand at festivals all over Europe.

1996: Release of 3rd official TGU album ‘Psychic Karaoke.’ After the UK tour for the album, Dubulah and Neil Sparkes leave to form Temple of Sound, leaving Hamid and Tim as the centre of the band with Natacha and Coleridge still heavily involved. Johnny Kalsi, from the legendary Dhol Foundation, joins on percussion.  A more club based line-up promote the album in Europe and TGU make their first journey into Central Europe, playing a legendary debut in Prague to several thousand people with no air conditioning, and being one of the first British based outfits to play at the Sziget festival in Budapest.

1997: Much of album, ‘Rejoice Rejoice’ is recorded, including sessions in Hungary and Belgium with Hungarian and Rajastani gypsy musicians, pre-dating the rediscovery of gypsy music by a few years. An unexpected relationship with ex Led Zeppelin stars Jimmy Page and Robert Plant begins with Tim Whelan playing oriental keyboards on a single for them, which wins a Heavy Metal Grammy.

1998: ‘Rejoice Rejoice’ proves to be TGU’s most successful release outside the UK.  Tuup rejoins the live lineup along with sitarist Sheema Mukherjee. TGU become one of the first acts to play Sarajevo after the Bosnian war, a city and country they’ll return to many times. They also tour the USA for the first time, followed by a tour of Europe supporting Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, playing to stadium rock crowds for the first and last time. TGU make more of their DJ and soundsystem work, run mainly by Hamid and Coleridge, bringing the name into smaller clubs in Eastern Europe that couldn’t otherwise see them, and cementing their following there.

1999: By mutual consent the relationship with Nation Records ends. Much of what both the label and TGU dreamed of achieving years back has been accomplished. A compilation album of the Nation years, ‘Backpacking on the Graves of Our Ancestors’ is released. With the release of TGU produced album ‘Gedida’ Natacha Atlas’ solo career goes into overdrive and she leaves the group. Her hit single ‘Mon Amie La Rose’ goes on to win a Victoire de la Musique award in France, and the album goes gold there. Johnny Kalsi also leaves to concentrate on the growing reputation of the Dhol Foundation. In come percussionist G Man and Zulu vocalist Doreen Thobekile, ex Shikisha and KLF.

2000: TGU’s growing contacts in Egypt lead to a stay over there for much of the first part of the year, working for a number of artists including Hakim, Natacha Atlas, Riko and Latifah. They produce hits for Lebanese vocalist Dania in Lebanon and Turkish singer Candan Ercetin in Turkey. In the autumn the band plays WOMAD in Singapore and goes on to tour Australia, playing a festival to launch the Sydney Olympics.

2001: TGU begin the new millennium at the stroke of midnight by the side of the Thames at the London New Year event. Touring takes them further afield; Tunisia and India (where ‘Backpacking on the Graves our of Ancestors’ launches the band on the sub-continent), and WOMAD in Johannesburg.
The band’s Arabic connection finds them teaming up with US label Ark21 for the release of their fifth album, ‘Yes Boss Food Corner’ After the bands second US tour in the summer, Ark 21 plan a massive tour of Arabic artists, due to start in the US on September 12th 2001. So that doesn’t work.

2002: Tours include Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan and Venezuela: Tim co-hosts Global Headfunk which runs at Herbal in London and regularly in Paris; Hamid DJs regularly in Prague.

2003: With the band getting too big and the sound system too small, the 2 sides are fused into a line-up which becomes the core for the next few years: Hamid, Tim, Tuup, Sheema and G Man.

2004: Birth of TGU's own label, Mule Satellite, with the release of TGU's 6th album ‘Impossible Broadcasting’. The band plays Mexico and do a residence in Turkey…. in the same week. TGU makes their return to the UK festival scene to an enthusiastic welcome. Natacha Atlas makes a return for a tour of the Balkans as the band drive through roads that had been shut since the war.

2005: A bizarre summer tour of the West Coast of the USA and Canada takes the band into the American alternative underworld, from vast reggae festivals to Deadhead gatherings and near deserted Native American islands. Percussionist Rav and bassist Matt Tweed make their debuts.

2006: Much of the summer is spent working once more with Natacha Atlas on the soundtrack to the film ‘Whatever Lola Wants,’ and the autumn putting together the next TGU album, ‘Moonshout.’ Vocalist Krupa, who’s worked regularly with the soundsystem, becomes a regular member.

2007: Release of ‘Moonshout’ leads to a long touring schedule yet again, playing the now expanding UK festival circuit and all round Europe. The album gets the best reception they’ve had in the UK in several years. In the autumn, the Real World act The Imagined Village release their first album, including 2 songs produced by TGU, one of which wins a Radio 2 Folk Award. It goes nicely next to the Heavy Metal Grammy.

2008: TGU win the ‘Club Global’ Radio 3 World Music Award...a category many think they more or less invented. The success of Moonshout brings rave reviews from The Independent on Sunday to Songlines. Demand for the band sees them perform major festival sets at Bestival, WOMAD, Beautiful Days and more. The band enters the digital sphere for the first time, giving away a free download bundle just before Christmas.

2009: Buoyed by the ongoing success of Moonshout, Dancehall Operator is released as a download single. A launch party and rare London live show is booked to mark the occasion (It sells out almost instantly). Nascente announce details of ‘Best Of…Run Devils And Demons’ to be released in April, followed by another busy summer of festival bookings right around the world.

 

 

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