16:30 - 17:30
Sean Rafferty presents a selection of music and guests from the arts world.
   TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND (UK) Moonshout  WINNER - CLUB GLOBAL Transglobal Underground first took shape in the early 1990s as various London-based musicians began experimenting with sound. Several were veterans of the punk scene and they kept the punk ethic of do-it-yourself as their guiding spirit. Bringing in the influence of Jamaican dub and dancehall while sharing a keen interest in Arabic music helped give focus to the TGU sound. Around the same time the acid house revolution meant everyone wanted to dance all night and, initially at least, embrace Indian flavoured music. From such diverse enthusiasms and energies came TGU’s 1992 debut single, Temple Head. Temple Head was, to put it mildly, a sonic bomb of a record, winning the band Single of the Week in the then esteemed rock newspaper Melody Maker. Their 1993 debut album Dream Of 100 Nations was a crazy blend of samples from Bollywood films, Arabic orchestras and Tibetan monks mixed over huge dub basslines and Latin piano riffs as favoured in house music. On top of all this they boasted a rapper, an oud player and a young vocalist named Natacha Atlas who not only sang in several languages but also belly danced. Many a free festival and all night rave came alive when TGU hit the stage. More albums followed and lots of touring, including dates in Egypt and a tour supporting Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. The London-based collective helped pioneer the now very popular (and lucrative) mix of electronic dance culture and ethnic music yet their eclectic spirit meant they never won the large audience who embraced The Prodigy and Underworld. As Atlas’s solo career took off in the late-1990s some of the members followed into her band. Since then certain key members have kept TGU alive as an occasional recording and performing outfit, both calling on old friends (Atlas guests on one track on 2007 album Moonshout) and bringing in fresh talent. Today Transglobal Underground remain masters of what is often called something like “tribal house-world fusion-ambient dub”. Garth Cartwright www.t-g-u.com www.myspace.com/transglobalunderground CD Review on BBC Music Read other people's comments then  Tell us what you think:Lazar Staykov, Berlin Mitch Hart, Lewes kath P London charlie, london bekki, Bradford Ian Palmer, Lancaster Shri - California Sarah Flavell Vince MIllett, Croydon Norma Tenbury wells | | |
| | |
Listen to 'Dancehall Operator'
BBC iD
BBC iDBBC navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2014The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
