Natacha Atlas

Diaspora (Beggars Banquet)
by Lex Marburger

With a mixture of Middle Eastern and more Occidental musics, Natacha Atlas has bridged a gap between the heavy grooves found in Dub and Funk, and the earthy yet light, exciting qualities found in Morrocan and Indian music. Atlas, a bellydancer and singer for Transglobal Underground, exhibits a mixture of Dead Can Dance and The Orb on her solo album, Diaspora.

Her voice flutters effortlessly through the music, which incorporates traditional instruments with synthesizers and drum machines. There’s something electric about Moroccan (and surrounding areas) music. It’s charged with an element of fire, full of rhythms that shift with ease through fluid patterns and tricky passages. Throw all of that on top of solid basslines and a taste of good old American backbeat, and you’ve got yourself an album to listen to.