Natacha Atlas
Gedida (Beggars Banquet)
by Jamie Kiffel
Thick-lipped, glittering in perspiration and heavy with chipping gold bangles and sequined, beaded belt, the dancer lifts one arm slowly, raising her body as she uncurls from the base of her spine to her forehead. Thud, pulse, hop – her hips jump up and back to an insistent Arabic drumbeat, then halt for syncopation; bright finger cymbals glint hot red, and above the twanging guitar, a smooth alto voice flows in as sultry as the Nile. Natacha Atlas‘ tones slide serpentine figure-eights over and through traditional Arabic rhythms. Earning the album’s title, Gedida (“New”), Atlas adds a daringly modern bass beat and surprisingly industrial rap and electrical noise to the Moroccan mix. The monster-machine grinds and techno trills overlapping traditional Egyptian tarsims (guitar jams), combined with Atlas’ mystically rich, almost gypsy-thick voice and high sighs are enough to make any fakir drop his doumbek.
(580 Broadway #1004 New York, NY 10012)