Transglobal Underground - Digging the Underground Vol 1

The Guardian 60

(Nation Records)

Transglobal Underground shook up English music in the 1990s by mixing house, hip-hop and dub with influences from Africa, Asia and the Arab world. The band are still going, but this new selection, modestly billed as “rare releases, unfinished remixes and never before released gems from 1991 to 1998” is a reminder of their early years, and it sounds impressively fresh. The lineup then included Natacha Atlas, now a major star in Europe, and she is featured here on several of the best tracks, including El Haya Gamilla, a stomping, Arabic-reggae workout driven on by the bass lines of Nick Page, later to be heard with Dub Colossus and Xaos. Elsewhere, the set veers from rap to Indian influences, with fine flute work from Deepak Ram on the percussive Callisto. It’s currently available as a download, with a CD release to follow.