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Natacha Atlas
Natacha
Atlas is of Egyptian ancestry, and her family moved through Palestine from
Meknes in Morocco some generations ago. She was born in an Arabic quarter
of Brussels, and spent some time in Northampton as a teenager before returning
to Brussels. For the last five years, she has been spending as much time
as possible in Cairo, strengthing her bonds with her roots, immersing herself
in shaabi, Egypt's indigenous bluesy pop music, and writing songs in Arabic.
She brings this unique array of influences to bear on her music not simply
by patchworking them together, but by synthesising them into something thrillingly
new.
Natacha has enjoyed in recent years the enthusiastic support of Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant, who share her passionate interest in North African music
- she and Transglobal Underground were special guests on the 1998 Page and
Plant European Tour, and they were in attendance at a vibrant Improv Theatre
gig in London in February.
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