Trans-Global Underground A British Group Mixes It Up and Pumps Out The Ethno Grooves Back in the early nineties drum and bass were two separate things, Asian music was still bracketed as exotic, dub and reggae was dead and anyone playing dance music at any tempo other than 100bpm was taken out. Into this sad epoch emerged an ever-changing line-up of DJ's, producers and musicians of all sorts of backgrounds and cultures, linked by a refusal to be straight jacketed into one style and a belief that mixing musical genres didn't have to be some sort of obscure artistic statement. ___________________________ "...dance to rhythms you've never heard before, don't experiment if you can't communicate and if you see a barrier, trash it." ___________________________ Since then, Trans-Global Underground, who are based in London, England, has become notorious for mixing musical styles and rhythms with a total disregard for musical genres, technological barriers and common sense. Sometimes they've been right in the public eye, sometimes behind the screen, but they've never stopped being influential. Their mix would have been unthinkable if they hadn't thought of it first; not that cultural mash-up is commonplace. But they've long moved on. A little history: Their first single "Temple Head" was a statement of intention and gained the status of a club anthem despite operating at a slow funk tempo with Indian classical rhythms, Brazilian percussion and guitar solos. It took a while for the rest the world to catch up, but by the mid-nineties the growth of ambient and trance styles had created a hunger for new ideas and Trans-Global Underground had plenty. By now an acclaimed live act featuring Arabesque vocals, Nepalese temple guardians and a multitude of rappers and percussionists, their first album, "Dream of 100 Nations" reached the top fifty and topped the indie charts in Great Britain. All of this for a group whose record company, Nation Records was totally independent at the time. The second album, "International Times" went top forty and launched the group into the rest of Europe. Two more albums have followed along with a whole heap of remixes and productions (most notably for TGUs ex-vocalist Natacha Atlas, whose last album went gold in France). The line up changed so much no one was sure who they were anymore, including TGU themselves. Since the last album, "Rejoice, Rejoice" TGU has been organically forming itself into a new unit, made up of those who've worked most and cared most over the last couple of years. Some of the present members have been around for years, some of them are newcomers, but whatever changes take place the ideals remain the same - dance to rhythms you've never heard before, don't experiment if you can't communicate and if you see a barrier, trash it. TGU toured Europe in April and the USA in July. Next up: Australia! This website: Copyright © 2001 Studio Q Int'l Inc / Urban Mozaik Magazine. All rights reserved. The opinions expressed in Urban Mozaik Magazine are not necessarily those of Urban Mozaik Magazine and the publisher cannot be held responsible for them. This website/publication, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
			Trans-Global Underground, pictured above from left to right: COLERIDGE turned up sometime in the mid-nineties, raps, plays percussion, DJs, promotes clubs and is the prime mover behind the Trans-Global Underground Sound System, bastard child of the main engine. HAMID MANTU plays drums, programs, DJs and produces. TIM WHELAN TUUP - Transglobal Underground's creative lyricist, percussionist, vocalist and resident Shamanic Poet. Tuup has been cutting imaginative verse on every TGU album from day one. Tuup is a professional Oral Grioto working on the international scene. He also worked as a presenter/researcher on a children's 5 part science programme: 'Eureka' for Channel 4. Tuup was a part of a Art House which had painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, dancers and multimedia art called: THEE UNSPOKEN WORD'' DOREEN THOBEKILE was born in Nepal and would have first been seen on British screens frightening Michael Caine in "Zulu". Since when she's had an illustrious career as a singer and dancer, including appearing in the musical "Ipi Tombi" and singing with a whole range of artists from Miriam Makeba to the KLF. GURJIT SIHRA plays Indian percussion, chiefly dhol and dholak. He started out with the notorious Dhol Foundation, who have invaded TGUs stage on numerous occasions, going on to work with bhangra group Bombay Talkie and wedding and procession specialist the Bollywood Band. SHEEMA MUKHERJEE began studying Indian classical music at the age of five and began playing the sitar at the age of nine under the tutelage of her illustrious uncle Pandit Nikhil Banerjee. She went on to perform worldwide as well as working with musicians outside the Indian classical world, notably Courtney Pine.