Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
name	Beggars Banquet Records
parent	Beggars Group
founded	1973
founder	Martin Mills, Nick Austin
distributor	Beggars Group
genre	Various
country	United Kingdom
location	Wandsworth, London
url	www.beggars.com }}

Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels. In 1977, spurred by the prevailing DIY aesthetics of the British punk rock movement (then at the height of its popularity), they decided to join the fray as an independent label and release records under the Beggars Banquet imprint. The first band on the label was English punk group The Lurkers; the first ever release on the label was The Lurkers' punk classic Shadow/Love Story 7" single. Later in the decade and into the early 1980s, hits with Tubeway Army and Gary Numan secured the label's future. They have since released music by Biffy Clyro, Buffalo Tom, The Charlatans, The Cult, The Go-Betweens, The National and Tindersticks. In 2008, Beggars Banquet became a catalog label only, closed to new signings. Artists that remained on their roster were shifted over to affiliate label, 4AD.

The label became the start point for what is now The Beggars Group, an umbrella group of iconic indie record labels. It is the largest and most influential independent group of labels in Europe and 4AD, Matador Records, Rough Trade Records and XL Recordings are the four main labels that now form the group. The group is managed by Martin Mills, Managing Director Paul Redding and non-executive Andy Heath Their main offices are in the UK with a large satellite office in New York City. The labels are distributed by Alternative Distribution Alliance in the United States.

Current and former signings

The Associates

Daniel Ash

Bauhaus

The Beekeepers

Bettie Serveert

Biffy Clyro

The Bolshoi

Bowery Electric

Buffalo Tom

John Cale

Calla

The Charlatans

Come

The Cult

The Darkside

Devastations

Died Pretty

Dream City Film Club

The Early Years

Electrelane

The Fall

Fields of the Nephilim

Film School

Flesh For Lulu

Robert Forster

Freeez

Gene Loves Jezebel

The Go-Betweens

The Gun Club

The Icicle Works

iLiKETRAiNS

Mark Lanegan Band

Arthur Lee

Llama Farmers

Love and Rockets

Luna

The Lurkers

Main

Mercury Rev

Morrissey - Mullen

Peter Murphy

The National

Colin Newman

Nico

Gary Numan

Oceansize

Ramones

Spirit

St. Vincent

The Strokes

Swell

Sun Dial

Terminal Power Company

Tindersticks

Tones on Tail

Tubeway Army

Pierce Turner

Voxtrot

See also

List of record labels

List of independent UK record labels

Beggars Group

References

External links

Beggars Banquet Records website

Category:British independent record labels Category:Beggars Group Category:Record labels established in 1977 Category:Indie music record labels Category:Alternative rock record labels

de:Beggars Banquet Records es:Beggars Banquet Records fr:Beggars Banquet Records it:Beggars Banquet Records ja:ベガーズ・バンケット・レコード pl:Beggars Banquet Records pt:Beggars Banquet Records ru:Beggars Banquet Records fi:Beggars Banquet Records sv:Beggars Banquet Records

Banquet Records (formally part of the Beggars Banquet Records chain) is an independent record shop in Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey. It stocks a broad range of music on both CD and vinyl but mainly specialises in new music from indie, punk, emo, electro, house, drum ‘n’ bass and dub-step genres.

The store prides itself in being "More than just your local record store" also running various gigs, club nights and in-stores in and around Kingston Upon-Thames. "The premise outlined in their advertising strap line is simple: ‘More than your local record store’. And it is incredibly apt. Not just content with supplying Kingston’s art school students and music aficionados with their favourites, Banquet Records has firmly placed itself at the heart of this vibrant town’s music scene."

The shop is also the base of the record label 'Banquet Records' and singer/songwriter Dave House.

History

Started as part of the Beggars Banquet chain of record stores before becoming fully independent in 2002. The store was sold to the then manager, however decreased profits lead the store to near bankruptcy towards the end of 2004.

In February 2005, Banquet Records was taken over by new owners; previous employees of the store, Jon Tolley and Mike Smith. Since the store has managed to turn its fortunes around and continues to grow, running various club nights, shows and in-stores.

In-Stores

Notable acts to perform in-store at Banquet Records include: {| |- | * Laura Marling || * Frank Turner |- | * The Futureheads || * Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip |- | * White Lies || * All Time Low |- | * Mystery Jets || * Blood Red Shoes |- | * You Me At Six|| * The Swellers |- | * The King Blues || * Cancer Bats |- | * Polar Bear Club || * Starsailor |- | * We Are Scientists || * Jack Penate |}

Banquet Club Nights

New Slang

Launched in 2006, New Slang is Banquet Records weekly indie club night held at the Hippodrome Nightclub in Kingston Upon Thames. Originally held at the nightclub "The Works" until it was closed in 2008. New Slang then moved to the nearby McCluskys nightclub in 2008. In January 2010 New Slang moved back to The Works, now renamed The Hippodrome, re-opening with a sold-out Vampire Weekend show. The weekly indie and alternative night includes live music from up-and-coming, local and established acts. The night also includes DJs who are closely linked to Banquet Records, often working in the store themselves.

Notable acts which have played at New Slang include: {| |- | * Frank Turner || * The Maccabees || * The Whip |- | * Vampire Weekend || * Foals || * Born Ruffians |- | * Alkaline Trio || * The Futureheads || * Shy Child |- | * Babyshambles || * The King Blues || * Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip |- | * British Sea Power || * Hadouken! || * Example |- | * The Rakes || * Crystal Castles || * Fun. |- | * Friendly Fires || * Los Campesinos || * The Holloways |- | * Jack Penate || * Good Shoes || * Slow Club |}

The name "New Slang" is taken from The Shins song of the same name; from their 2001 album Oh, Inverted World.

Variations of the night occasionally replace New Slang, including: 'New Slam' (a skateboarding event), 'Old Slang' (bands & music of yesteryear) and 'You Slang' (a karaoke twist on the New Slang formula)

In 2010 Banquet Records launched New Slang Wimbledon, held at the Watershed nightclub on weekly Fridays.

New Noise

Banquet Records fortnightly Punk/Emo club-night at Bacchus nightclub in Kingston Upon Thames. The night includes DJ's from Banquet Records and often includes live music from local, up-and-coming, and established bands.

The name "New Noise" is taken from the song of the same name by hardcore punk band Refused; off their 1998 album The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts.

D.A.N.C.E.

Launched in 2009, D.A.N.C.E. is Banquet Records weekly Saturday night event playing commercial dance music, urban, pop and similar genres. It is held at the Hippodrome in Kingston Upon Thames. The club-night consists of three rooms each playing a different genre of music, usually one room playing underground dance music and another playing more guitar based music. Resident DJs are often joined by guest DJ's & also the occasional live act.

Notable acts to perform at D.A.N.C.E. include:

Tinie Tempah

Professor Green

Lethal Bizzle [June 2010]

The name "D.A.N.C.E." is taken from the song of the same name by Justice; from their 2008 album Cross.

Repeater

Drum 'n' bass and dub-step night held fortnightly in room two of D.A.N.C.E. at the Hippodrome in Kingston Upon Thames by Banquet Records. The night consists of guest DJ sets, which are supported by Repeater residents Tronik & Sam:E:B.

Notable guest DJ's include: {| |- | * Chase & Status || * Pendulum |- | * Joker || * Andy C |- | * Caspa and Rusko || * DJ Hazard |- | * Skream || * Benga |- | * Break || * Sub Focus |}

Other Shows

Banquet Records also holds separate one-off shows, the majority of them being held at The Peel and The Fighting Cocks in Kingston Upon Thames.

Notable acts to perform at these shows include: {| |- | * Capdown || * Adequate Seven |- | * Big D and The Kids Table || * Arab Strap |- | * 65daysofstatic || * Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly |- | * Set Your Goals || * New Found Glory |- | * A Wilhelm Scream || * Gallows |- | * The Get Up Kids || * Polar Bear Club |- | * Anti Flag || * Broadway Calls |- | * Ash |}

References

External links

http://www.banquetrecords.com

http://www.rockmidgets.com/features.php?page=3&id;=3382

http://www.mintmagazine.co.uk/music/banquet-records/

Category:Independent stores Category:Music retailers of the United Kingdom

Coordinates

30°19′10″N81°39′36″N

name

Beggars Banquet | Type studio | Artist The Rolling Stones | Cover BeggarsBanquetLP.jpg | Caption | Released 6 December 1968 | Recorded 17 March – 25 July 1968, Olympic Studios, London | Genre Rock, hard rock, rhythm and blues, blues rock, roots rock | Length 39:44 | Label Decca | Producer Jimmy Miller | Last album ''Their Satanic Majesties Request''(1967) | This album ''Beggars Banquet''(1968) | Next album ''Let It Bleed''(1969) | Misc }}

''Beggars Banquet'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band The Rolling Stones. It was released in December 1968 by Decca Records in the United Kingdom and London Records in the United States. It marked a return to the band's R&B; roots, generally viewed as more primal than the conspicuous psychedelia of ''Their Satanic Majesties Request''.

History

Following the long sessions for the previous album in 1967 and the departure of producer and manager Andrew Loog Oldham, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards hired producer Jimmy Miller, who had produced the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic. The partnership would prove to be a success and Miller would work with the band until 1973.

In March, the band began recording their new album, aiming for a July release. One of the first tracks cut, "Jumpin' Jack Flash", was released only as a single in May 1968, becoming a major hit.

''Beggars Banquet'' was Brian Jones' last full effort with the Rolling Stones. In addition to his slide guitar on "No Expectations", he played harmonica on "Dear Doctor", "Parachute Woman" (along with Mick Jagger) and "Prodigal Son"; sitar and tambura on "Street Fighting Man"; mellotron on "Jigsaw Puzzle"and "Stray Cat Blues", and sang backing vocals on "Sympathy for the Devil".

On 7 June 1968, a photoshoot for the album, with photographer Michael Joseph, was held at Sarum Chase, a mansion in London. Previously unseen images from the shoot were exhibited at the Blink Gallery in London in November and December 2008.

By June, the sessions were nearly completed in England, with some final overdubbing and mixing to be done in Los Angeles during July. However, both Decca Records in England and London Records in the US rejected the planned cover design – a graffiti-covered lavatory wall. The band initially refused to change the cover, resulting in several months' delay in the release of the album. By November, however, the Rolling Stones gave in, allowing the album to be released in December with a simple white cover imitating an invitation card, complete with an RSVP. The idea of a plain album cover was also implemented by The Beatles for their eponymous white-sleeved double-album, which was released one month prior to ''Beggars Banquet''. The similarity garnered widespread accusations of Beatle-esque imitation when ''Beggars Banquet'' was finally released. In 1984, the original cover art was released with the initial CD remastering of ''Beggars Banquet''.

Critics considered the LP as a return to form. It was also a clear commercial success, reaching #3 in the UK and #5 in the US (on the way to eventual platinum status).

The LP pressing did not credit Rev. Robert Wilkins as the writer of "Prodigal Son" although the Stones' original "bathroom" cover did. His performance of "Prodigal Son" at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival was included on the Vanguard LP ''Blues at Newport, Volume 2''; that performance is similar to the Stones' cover.

On 10–11 December 1968 the band filmed a television extravaganza entitled ''The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus'' featuring John Lennon, Eric Clapton, The Who and Jethro Tull among the musical guests. One of the original aims of the project was to promote ''Beggars Banquet'', but the film was shelved by the Rolling Stones until 1996, when it was finally released officially.

In August 2002, ABKCO Records reissued ''Beggars Banquet'' as a newly remastered LP and SACD/CD hybrid disk. This release corrected an important flaw in the original album by restoring each song to its proper, slightly faster speed. Due to an error in the mastering, ''Beggars Banquet'' was heard for over thirty years at a slower speed than it was recorded. This had the effect of altering not only the tempo of each song, but the song's key as well. These differences were subtle but important, and the remastered version is about 30 seconds shorter than the original release. It was released once again in 2010 by Universal Music Enterprises in a Japanese only SHM-SACD version.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 57 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In the same year the TV network VH1 named ''Beggars Banquet'' the 67th greatest album of all time. The album is also featured in the book ''1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die''.

Track listing

All songs written by Jagger/Richards, except where noted.

Personnel

;The Rolling Stones

Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica

Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"

Brian Jones – slide guitar, backing vocals, sitar, tambura, mellotron, harmonica

Charlie Watts – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Bill Wyman – bass guitar, backing vocals, percussion

;Additional personnel

Rocky Dijon – congas

Ric Grech – fiddle

Nicky Hopkins – piano

Dave Mason – Mellotron, shehnai

Jimmy Miller – backing vocals

Watts Street Gospel Choir – backing vocals

Chart positions

;Album {|class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Year ! Chart ! Position |- | 1968 | UK Albums Chart |align="center"| #3 |- | 1969 | Billboard 200 |align="center"| #5 |}

;Singles {|class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Year ! Single ! Chart ! Position |- | 1968 | "Street Fighting Man" | The Billboard Hot 100 |align="center"| #48 |- | 1971 | "Street Fighting Man" | UK Top 40 Singles |align="center"| #21 |}

Certifications

!Country	!Provider	!Music recording sales certification
United States		Platinum

References

[[Category:The Rolling Stones albums Category:1968 albums Category:Albums produced by Jimmy Miller Category:Decca Records albums Category:English-language albums Category:London Records albums Category:ABKCO Records albums Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Category:Albums released in Super Audio

cs:Beggars Banquet da:Beggars Banquet de:Beggars Banquet es:Beggars Banquet fr:Beggars Banquet hr:Beggars Banquet it:Beggars Banquet he:Beggars Banquet hu:Beggars Banquet nl:Beggars Banquet ja:ベガーズ・バンケット no:Beggars Banquet nn:Beggars Banquet pl:Beggars Banquet pt:Beggars Banquet simple:Beggars Banquet fi:Beggars Banquet sv:Beggars Banquet uk:Beggars Banquet

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
background	group_or_band
name	The Lurkers
origin	Uxbridge, London, England
genre	Punk rockPop punkNew Wave
years active	1976–1979; 1982–1984;1987–1997; 1999–present
label	Beggars Banquet RecordsClay Records
associated acts	the Boys,999
website	Lurkers official website (archive)
current members	Arturo BassickSteve StraughanNelly
past members	Manic Esso (given name: Pete Haynes)Nigel MoorePete StrideHoward WallMark FinchamNigel MooreBilly Gilbert / Damo Waters / Dan Tozer / Tom Spencer / Dave Kemp
notable instruments	}}

The Lurkers were a late 1970s English punk rock group from Uxbridge, West London, notable for being the first group ever on Beggars Banquet Records.

Career

The Lurkers formed late in 1976 and played their first gig at Uxbridge Technical College in the December supporting Screaming Lord Sutch to an audience of 10! The original line-up consisted of Pete Stride on Guitar, Stephen Colegrave, Pete "Manic Esso" Haynes on drums, Howard Wall on vocals and Nigel Moore on Bass. Despite not being the principal vocalist, Stride was the band’s main songwriter. The band were one of the pioneering punk bands that played live in the first few months of the now-legendary Roxy Club in London. Nigel was swiftly replaced by Arturo Bassick. They supported The Jam in February 1977, Eater in March, and Slaughter & The Dogs in April.

The Lurkers recorded four sessions at Maida Vale 4 studio for John Peel at BBC Radio 1, on 18/10/1977, 18/04/1978, 25/07/1978, and 24/01/1979. Their debut single "Shadow", the first release on Beggars Banquet Records, was voted by John Peel as his twelfth best track of the year in 1977's ''Festive Fifty''. with "Love Story", the B-side, at number 31. Bassick left the band after this first single, and was replaced by former Saints member Kym Bradshaw, who left before the recording of the third single, 1978's "Ain't Got a Clue"/"Ooh, Ooh I Love You" which saw the return of Nigel Moore to the band. That single was their biggest hit, reaching No. 45 on the UK singles chart.

The following month, the band’s debut album, ''Fulham Fallout'', reached No. 57 on the UK albums chart. One reviewer described it as "by far their best with production that really makes the guitar kick. It's sloppy and amateurish, but that's what makes it so great." "Be My Prisoner", a song from the album, also appeared on ''Streets'', a 1977 compilation album of early UK punk bands from a variety of independent record labels.

In January 1979, The Lurkers’ fifth single, "Just Thirteen", was released, and in 2001 it was included in ''Mojo'' magazine’s list of the best punk rock singles of all time. A month after the release of this single, The Lurkers' track "I'm on Heat" appeared, alongside songs by more famous bands like The Jam and The Stranglers, on the punk compilation ''20 of Another Kind'' (Polydor, POLS 1006). The album reached number 45 in the UK charts. Another of the band's tracks, "Out in the Dark", appeared on the follow-up ''20 of Another Kind Volume 2''.

The band’s second album was not as well received, critically or commercially, as their debut, and the band split for a few years. Pete Stride collaborated with ‘Honest’ John Plain (of English punk band the Boys) and released an album in January 1980. In 1982, Stride re-formed the Lurkers. They signed for Stoke-on-Trent-based label Clay Records, for whom they released four singles and one album. The band broke up again in 1984.

In the years since, they have reunited with various members numerous times, and continue to record and perform around the world to this day, although its really just Arturo and some of his mates. Their legacy, however, is primarily based on their late 1970s output. "Shadow", "Ain't Got a Clue", and "Just Thirteen" in particular are cited by punk cognoscenti as classic examples of the style, and still show up from time to time on genre overview compilations. The current line-up is: Bassick (bass and vocals) who also plays for 999, Steve Straughan (guitar), and Nelly (drums), ex Hangups and Fiend. In January 2009 the band supported punk legends the Buzzcocks on fourteen dates of their UK tour. Esso, Stride and Moore are jamming again under the name of God's Lonely Men.

Reviews

‘Bouncy pub-punk that owed far more to a band like Eddie and the Hot Rods than to The Clash’.

‘Unabashedly as indebted to The Ramones as the Pistols but boasting a mock-cockney swagger which was utterly unique’.

‘Relentless, uncompromising barrage of 100 mph raw punk rock, taking its lead from the Ramones but replacing the bubblegum factor with an aggressive edge more akin to Motörhead’.

‘London’s answer to the Ramones’.

‘When the band is at its best (notably in their singles "Ain't Got a Clue," "I Don't Need to Tell Her," and "Shadow..."), the album is an astonishing accomplishment, a blur of high octane riffs and unforgettable hooks tumbling over one another without a care for manners or niceties’.

‘The Lurkers were not loved by the Punk Rock cognoscenti - that didn’t stop juvenile urchins like me latching on to their Ramones-esque brevity & celebrating for all it was worth. Their debut 7, Shadow (Beg 1) was one of the greatest Punk Rock sides in the relatively short history of the genre’.

‘Their records are very simple, basic, underproduced stuff that makes the Ramones sound like Queen. But they had a knack for really catchy, singalong choruses and they've got this amateurish charm that you just have to fall for eventually. I now rank these guys as among the greats’.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

''Fulham Fallout'' (June 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEGA 2) # 57 UK Albums Chart

''God's Lonely Men'' (April 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEGA 8)

''This Dirty Town'' (July 1983: Clay Records, CLAY 104)

''Wild Times Again'' (Feb. 1988: Weser)

''King of the Mountain'' (June 1989: Link)

''Powerjive'' (October 1990: Released Emotions)

''Non-Stop Nitropop'' (November 1994: Weser)

''Ripped n Torn'' ( 1995: Step 1)

''26 Years'' ( 2003: Captain Oi! Ahoy 229)

''Fried Brains'' (2008: Captain Oi! Ahoy 301)

Compilations

''Last Will and Testament - Greatest Hits'' (November 1980)

''Totally Lurkered'' (Dojo, December 1992)

''The Beggars Banquet Punk Singles'' (Anagram, May 1997)

''Take Me Back To Babylon'' (Receiver, December 1997)

Live albums

''Live And Loud'' (Link, November 1989)

''Live In Berlin'' (Released Emotions, June 1992)

Freakshow Live (Kotumba Records 2004)

Appearances on various artist compilations (Selective)

Listing of those various artist compilation albums mentioned in the text of the main article:

"Be My Prisoner" featured on the ''Streets'' compilation album (End of 1977: Beggars Banquet BEGA1)

"I’m On Heat" featured on the ''20 of Another Kind'' compilation album (1979: Polydor Records POLX-1) UK #45 UK Albums Chart

Singles

Shadow / Love Story (July 1977: Beggars Banquet, BEG 1)

Freak Show / Mass Media Believer (October 1977: Beggars Banquet, BEG 2)

Ain't Got A Clue / Ooh Ooh I Love You (May 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEG 6) # 45 UK Singles Chart

I Don't Need To Tell Her / Pills (July 1978: Beggars Banquet, BEG 9) # 49

Just Thirteen / Countdown (January 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 14) # 66

''Out In The Dark E.P.'': Cyanide / Suzie Is A Floozie / Cyanide (pub version) (May 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 19) # 72

New Guitar In Town / Pick Me Up / Little Ol' Wine Drinker Me (November 1979: Beggars Banquet, BEG 28) # 72

Shadow / Love Story / Freak Show / Mass Media Believer (1979: Beggars Banquet, BACK 1) double-7" pack

I Don't Need To Tell Her / Pills / Just Thirteen / Countdown (1979: Beggars Banquet, BACK 3) double-7" pack

This Dirty Town / Wolf At The Door (June 1982: Clay, CLAY 12)

Drag You Out / Heroin (It's All Over) (November 1982: Clay, CLAY 17)

Frankenstein Again / One Man's Meat... (February 1983: Clay)

''Final Vinyl EP'': Let's Dance Now (No Time To Be Strangers) / Midnight Hour / By The Heart / Frankenstein Again (March 1984: Clay)

Let's Dance Now / Midnight Hour (May 1984: Clay, CLAY 32)

Go Ahead Punk / Lucky John (Empty Records 1999)

See also

List of British punk bands

List of musicians in the first wave of punk music

List of Peel sessions

References

External links

The Lurkers on www.punk77.co.uk

The Lurkers on Punkmodpop

Category:English punk rock groups Category:Musical groups from London Category:Musical groups established in 1976

da:The Lurkers de:The Lurkers es:The Lurkers fr:The Lurkers it:The Lurkers pl:The Lurkers ru:The Lurkers

Coordinates	30°19′10″N81°39′36″N
name	Natacha Atlas
background	solo_singer
birth date	March 20, 1964
origin	Brussels, Belgium
genre	World music, Arabic pop music, Ethnic electronica
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years active	1991–present
label	Nation Records (1993–1997), Mantra Records (1998–2006) , Harmonia Mundi, Six Degrees Records
associated acts	Mandanga, Transglobal Underground, Jah Wobble
notable instruments	}}

Natacha Atlas (}} ; born 20 March 1964) is a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "cha'abi moderne" (modern popular music). Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabic, hip hop, drum 'n' bass and reggae.

Atlas began her career as part of the world fusion group Transglobal Underground. In 1995, she began to focus on her solo career with the release of ''Diaspora''. She has since released seven solo albums and been a part of numerous collaborations. Her version of "Mon Amie La Rose" became a surprise success in France, reaching 16 on the French Singles Charts in 1999. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism.

Biography

Early life

Atlas was born to a father of Moroccan, Egyptian, and Palestinian ancestry who was born in Jerusalem and a British mother who had converted to Islam. Her paternal grandfather was born in Egypt, but grew up in Palestine, immigrating to Europe at age 15. She concedes to being "maybe 10 percent Jewish or something." Atlas says the claim that her father is purely Jewish and not Arab is "one of those things where someone had a grudge against me and wanted to hurt me. My grand-grand-grandfather was Jewish. But Jews have always been part of Arab society, so it’s not so unusual for someone to find out that they have Jewish blood. At the end of the day, we really are so connected."

Atlas grew up in Laken, a suburb of Brussels, Belgium with a large Morrocan population, After her parents separated, Atlas went to live in Northampton, England with her mother. Atlas learned several languages, including Arabic, French, English, and Spanish, and has used them all in the course of her career.

Early career and Transglobal Underground

Atlas returned to Belgium at age 24 and began her career with two jobs as a belly dancer and the lead singer of a Belgian salsa band. In 1991, she recorded the track "Timbal" with Balearic Beat on the album ''¡Loca!''. Atlas also worked with Jah Wobble composing five tracks for the LP ''Rising above Bedlam''. Through the recording of ''¡Loca!'', Atlas met British labelmates Transglobal Underground (TGU), who at the time had a Top 40 hit, "Templehead". She became the lead singer and belly dancer for the group, which focused on mixing Eastern and Western sounds as well as other styles.

Solo career

Most of Atlas' albums have been produced by TGU. She continues to focus on her Middle Eastern roots, as the titles of her albums imply: ''Diaspora'' (1995), ''Halim'' (1997) (in honour of Egyptian singer Abdel Halim Hafez), ''Gedida'' (1998) and ''Ayeshteni'' (2001).

In 1999, Atlas collaborated with David Arnold on the song "One Brief Moment". The single featured a cover version of the James Bond theme song from the film ''You Only Live Twice''. Two years earlier, Atlas had collaborated with Arnold on the album ''Shaken and Stirred'', recording the song "From Russia with Love" for the eponymous film (originally performed by Matt Monro).

2000 saw her collaborate with Jean Michel Jarre for the track "C'est La Vie" on his album ''Métamorphoses''. The track was released as a single.

Due to her French-language tracks, Atlas is now quite popular in France. In the U.K., on the other hand, she has not experienced the same amount of success. She is not very happy about the way her music is perceived in the UK: "Someone from the New Musical Express rang us about a feature we're to do with them and said 'We don't want it to be about the multi-cultural angle'. In other words that fad is over. And I'm personally insulted... what other... angle is there for us? I get sick of it all."

In 2003, Atlas provided vocals for the Kolo folk dance song "'Ajde Jano" on Nigel Kennedy and Kroke's album, ''East Meets East''. In 2005, Atlas contributed the song "Just Like A Dream" (from ''Something Dangerous'') to the charity album ''Voyces United for UNHCR''.

Her music has been used in a number of soundtracks. Her song "Kidda" was featured on the ''Sex and the City 2'' soundtrack and in the 2005 video game ''Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'' on Radio del Mundo. Additionally, her song "Bathaddak" is one of the songs included in the 2007 Xbox 360 exclusive video game ''Project Gotham Racing 4''.

Atlas was originally billed to star in and provide the soundtrack to the film ''Whatever Lola Wants'', directed by Nabil Ayouch. However, shooting delays caused Atlas to only be involved in the film's soundtrack. Her song "Gafsa" (''Halim'', 1997) was used as the main soundtrack during the Korean film ''Bin-Jip'' (also known as ''3-Iron'') (2004) by Kim Ki-Duk. She participated in the piece "Light of Life (Ibelin Reprise)" for the soundtrack of Ridley Scott's ''Kingdom of Heaven''.

In 2007, Atlas collaborated with Belinda Carlisle for Belinda's seventh album ''Voila''. She contributed additional vocals on songs "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp," "La Vie En Rose", "Bonnie et Clyde" and "Des Ronds Dans L'Eau." ''Voila'' was released via Rykodisc in the U.K. on 5 February 2007 and in the U.S. the following day.

The 2007 film ''Brick Lane'' features four songs with vocals by Atlas, "Adam's Lullaby", "Running Through the Night", "Love Blossoms" and "Rite of Passage". On 23 May 2008 Atlas released a new album, ''Ana Hina'', which was well-received by critics. In 2008, two of Atlas' songs, "Kidda" and "Ghanwa Bossanova", were used in Shamim Sarif's romantic comedy about two women, ''I Can't Think Straight''.

On 20 September 2010 Atlas released her newest album, ''Mounqaliba''. Co-produced by Samy Bishai, it explores the more classical world. It is inspired by the poems of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore. She is also composing the music for Francoise Charpat's upcoming film.

Personal life

In 1999, Atlas married Syrian kanun player Abdullah Chhadeh. The couple divorced in 2005. Atlas is now in a relationship with British Egyptian violinist Samy Bishai. The couple divides their time between London and Condom, France.

Atlas has said in the past that she is "technically Muslim" and that she identifies with Sufism, but says that "these days I prefer to say that I'm Anglo-Middle Eastern and leave the religion out of it." She is, however, open to other forms of spirituality because "it's important to be tolerant".

In 2001, she was appointed by Mary Robinson as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Conference Against Racism. Robinson chose Atlas because "she embodies the message that there is a strength in diversity. That our differences – be they ethnic, racial or religious – are a source of riches to be embraced rather than feared".

Music themes

Atlas uses her multi-ethnic background when singing lyrics that often are intertwined with phrases from the Quran. She personally calls herself a "human Gaza Strip", reflecting her diverse Judaeo-Islamic background and thoughts relating to the Muslim and Jewish world. In her music, Atlas makes many political statements regarding Islam and Judaism and often takes a middle ground approach advocating for peace and harmony. For example, her lyrics say "Why are we fighting/When we’re all together/Let’s return to peace/Let’s make peace, we are brothers" (from her song "Laysh Nata’arak").

During an interview with ''Muslim Wake Up!'' online magazine, Atlas talked about her identification with her European and Arabic roots by saying "There will always be two identities living within me: Arabic and European. When I was very young, I tried to ignore the Arabic side, my father’s side, because I saw it as foreign. But something happened in my late teens. I was at a nightclub in Brussels and I heard Arabic music, and I knew then that there was something inside of me that I wanted to go back to. So I ended up going to the other extreme. But as you mature, you realize that you have both inside you. That’s how God made me. These days I dream in two languages, and not a day goes by when I don’t end up using Arabic".

Discography

Studio albums

1995: ''Diaspora''

1997: ''Halim''

1999: ''Gedida''

2001: ''Ayeshteni''

2002: ''Foretold in the Language of Dreams'' (with Marc Eagleton)

2003: ''Something Dangerous''

2006: ''Mish Maoul''

2008: ''Ana Hina''

2010: ''Mounqaliba''

Compilation albums

2000: ''The Remix Collection''

2005: ''The Best of Natacha Atlas''

DVD

2005: ''Transglobal Underground''

2009: ''The Pop Rose of Cairo''

See also

List of Natacha Atlas collaborations

World music

Arabic pop music

Yasmin Levy

References

External links

MantraRecordings.com Beggars.com

Category:1964 births Category:Arab people Category:Arabic-language singers Category:Belgian female singers Category:Belgian Muslims Category:Belgian people of Moroccan descent Category:English-language singers Category:French-language singers Category:Living people Category:People of Egyptian descent Category:Belgian people of Jewish descent Category:People of Palestinian descent Category:People from Schaerbeek

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