Transglobal Underground

Born in London in the early 1990s around Tim Whelan and Hamilton Lee, Transglobal Underground developed from the outset a collective and fluid approach where electronics, dub, rock, diasporic percussion and traditions from North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and the Balkans intersect. The group belongs to the world-fusion and Asian Underground currents, with a sound built on club rhythms, melodic lines drawn from multiple repertoires and a consistent taste for cultural mixing. After the single "Temple Head" in 1991, the band released Dream of 100 Nations in 1993, International Times in 1994 and Psychic Karaoke in 1996. The early albums are closely tied to the presence of Natacha Atlas, whose voice left a lasting mark on Transglobal Underground’s identity before she pursued a solo career. Over the years the project remained open to many musicians and collaborations, notably with Johnny Kalsi, TUUP, Sheema Mukherjee and Fanfara Tirana, with whom Transglobal Underground recorded Kabatronics in 2013. Their discography also includes Rejoice Rejoice (1998), Yes Boss Food Corner (2001), Moonshout (2007) and Walls Have Ears (2020), which extend this hybrid aesthetic between sound‑system culture, urban folk and transnational musics.