Transglobal Underground (sometimes written as Trans-Global Underground or simply as TGU) is a London-based music collective who specialise in a fusion of western, Asian and African music styles (sometimes labelled world fusion and ethno techno). Their first four albums featured Natacha Atlas as lead singer and their single "Temple Head" was used in a Coca-Cola advertising campaign for the 1996 Olympic Games. In 2008 they won the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music after the release of their seventh official album, Moonshout. Formed by Hamilton Lee, Dubulah and Tim Whelan in 1990. Musical collaborators since their schooldays, Tim Whelan and Hamilton Lee were previously both founding members of British pop band Furniture and had played with the experimental psychedelic art-punk group the Transmitters. While with Furniture, both musicians had already demonstrated an interest in world music by bringing in more culturally-diverse instrumentation to what was originally a fairly conventional rock band line up... (Read more at Wikipedia.)
Links to Peel
Transglobal Underground are contemporaneous with another Transmitters offshoot, Loop Guru, and share their philosophy of democratising and disseminating dance music based on worldbeat, but seemed to be more popular with Peel's audience and his family: on one occasion, JP apologised to William for being unable to get him into one of their gigs [1]. They gained two lower rung FF entries, and recorded two Peel sessions two years apart, the first of which featured TGUs and L Guru's bassist and Guitar player Count Dubulah.
Festive Fifty Entries
- 1993 Festive Fifty: 'Sirius B' #49
- 1994 Festive Fifty: 'Taal Zaman' #50
Sessions
- Two sessions. All from session #1 except 'Sirius B' available on Inner Nation - The Peel Sessions (Strange Fruit / Nation)
1. Recorded: 1993-02-21. First broadcast: 02 April 1993. Repeated: 17 July 1993.
- This Is My Army Of Forgotten Souls / Yallachant / Shimmer / Sirius B
2. Recorded: 1995-04-20. First broadcast: 20 May 1995. Repeated: none.
- Boss Tabla / Light Fish / Mouth Wedding / Make Me A Drum
Live
- 15 July 1994, Glastonbury Festival.
- Temple Head
- International Times
- Dustbowl
- Slow Finger
- Earth Tribe
Other Shows Played
- 1991
- 05 May 1991 (BFBS): 'Temple Head (Burundi Beat Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- 26 May 1991: 'Temple Head (Burundi Beat Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- Best Of Peel Vol 28: 'Temple Head (Burundi Beat Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- 07 June 1991 (BFBS): 'Temple Head (Burundi Beat Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- 1993
- HO John Peel 54 1993: Shimmer (12") Nation NR018T
- 29 June 1993 (BBC World Service): Shimmer (Run Devils And Demons Mix) (12") Nation NR018T
- 03 July 1993 (BFBS): 'Shimmer (12")' (Nation)
- Peel Summer 1993: 'Yallachant' (Peel Session) 17 July 1993
- 06 August 1993: 'Shimmer (Run Devils And Demons) (12"-Shimmer)' (Nation)
- 13 August 1993: Temple Head (Pacific Mix) (12") Nation NRO20T
- 02 October 1993: 'Sirius B (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- Peel October 1993: 'Sirius B (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 09 October 1993: 'Slowfinger (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- John Peel In Scandinavia: Sirius B (2xLP - Dream Of 100 Nations) Nation
- 15 October 1993: 'Slowfinger (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 16 October 1993: 'El Heddud (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 16 October 1993: I, Voyager (album - Dream Of 100 Nations) Nation NR21L
- 16 October 1993 (BFBS): Slowfinger (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations) (Nation)
- 22 October 1993: Tutto Grande Discordia (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 22 October 1993 (BFBS): 'La Voix Du Sang (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 01 November 1993 (Ö3): 'Tutto Grande Discordia (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 05 November 1993: 'Earth Tribe (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 09 November 1993 (Radio Mafia): 'Tutto Grande Discordia (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 13 November 1993 (BFBS): 'Earth Tribe (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)
- 20 November 1993: El Hedudd (album - Dream Of 100 Nations) Nation NR21L
- 25 December 1993: 'Sirius B' (Peel Session) 1993 Festive Fifty #49
- 1994
- 16 April 1994: 'Slowfinger (Delta Ladies Night Mix) (12"-Earth Tribe)' (Nation)
- 17 June 1994: 'Taal Zaman (12"-Protean)' (Nation)
- 02 July 1994 (BFBS): 'Protean (Thuban Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- 25 June 1994 (BBC World Service): 'Dustbowl (CDS-Protean)' (Nation)
- 16 July 1994 (BFBS): 'Visnu Fulfilmet (remix of Grotus track) (maxi CD-Opiate Of The Masses)' (Alternative Tentacles)
- 23 July 1994 (BFBS): 'Dustbowl (Shamash Mix) (12")' (Nation)
- 08 October 1994 (BFBS): 'Lookee Here (12")' (Nation)
- 22 October 1994: Taal Zaman (EP - Protean / Taal Zaman / Dustbowl) NATION NR 39CD
- 29 October 1994: 'Dustbowl (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- 04 November 1994: 'Jatayu (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- 05 November 1994: Sumeria (CD - International Times) Nation
- 05 November 1994 (BFBS): International Times (CD-International Times) (Nation)
- 12 November 1994 (BFBS): 'Jatayu (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- 18 November 1994: 'Ana (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- Peel November 1994: 'Jatayu (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- 03 December 1994: El Hedudd (Ten Beats To The Border) (v/a CD - The Serious Road Trip) Melody Maker
- 03 December 1994 (BFBS): 'International Times (CD-International Times)' (Nation)
- 17 December 1994: 'Taal Zaman (CD-International Times)' (Nation) 1994 Festive Fifty #50
- 1995
- 03 March 1995: This Is The Army of Forgotten Souls (album - Inner Nation - The Peel Sessions) Strange Fruit SFRCD 131
- 1996
- 18 May 1996: Mouth Wedding (album - Psychic Karaoke)
- 01 June 1996: 'Bullet Train (CD-Psychic Karaoke)' (Nation)
- 01 June 1996 (BFBS): 'Lexicona (CD-Psychic Karaoke)' (Nation)
- 22 June 1996: 'Boss Tabla (12")' (Nation)
- 14 July 1996: Boss Tabla (Full Length Mix) (album - Psychic Karaoke) Nation NR 1067
- 02 December 1996: Yallachant (21/2/93) (John Peel's Classic Sessions)
- Other
- No Difference: 'Dream Of 100 Nations (CD-Dream Of 100 Nations)' (Nation)