For some years the city of Tilburg in the Netherlands was hometown of that great worldmusicgroup Atlal. In 1978 the group was hit in Istanbul by the arrest of singer Alida B, cousin of Eurovision Songcontestwinner Lenny Kühr and drummer Askin Gencerler AKA John Faithful. Akin was send for some years to the Imrali prison on a Turkish island (now its only imate is PKK-Chief Abdullah Öcalan). Alida stayed three months in the Istanbul Bayrampasha-prison (from the movie ´Midnight Express´).

After Alida was released on bail leadsinger Mohamed el-Fers managed to get her out of the country and followed her suit to meet up in the Netherlands. Where he found that se was in prison again, now in Germany. When trying to visit her, he was held up himself for three days and after heavy investigation thrown out of the country.

Back in the Netherlands Mohamed el-Fers formed another Atlal-group with basplayer Peter Etheredge . I found an interview with el-Fers in ´De Stadskrant´ (September 27th, 1979) and an article in Het Nieuwsblad van het Zuiden about him (January 10th, 1980). Just a month before former groupmember Firouz Taghikani joined Atlal again. Taghikani was with Atlal in the Shekoufeh Now in Teheran and during the Bush & Bull concerts of the group in Ndolo City, Zambia.

The picture left was published in Het Nieuwsblad van het Zuiden, 10th of January 1980: Left on the picture Mohamed el-Fers, left Peter Etheredge

Just after the Iranian drummer Firouz Taghikani he was arrested as illegal citizen. In Tilburg was held a manifestation in the Maranathachurch (!). One of the attendants was the Greco/French musician George Moustaki.

But Firouz was not released. and due to lack of papers send back to Iran by the Dutch Minister of Justice. As Atlal Foundation el-Fers and Etheredge opened a world music center in the Tilburgs Pironstraat. Their neighbor was Nol Havens of the national known musicgroup V.O.F. De Kunst).

As duo, accompanied by a group of Egyptian musicians Mohamed el-Fers and Peter Etheredge toured as Atlal through Egypt in July and August 1982. Their manager was John Driesen, a Dutchman el-Fers had met in Istanbul.

Just before their Egyptian tour started El-Fers and Etheredge recorded two songs: Back on the Nile (Jil Jilala/Mohamed el-Fers) and Cool Running (Mohamed el-Fers). Thanks to heavy airplay by Radio Cairo´s Sheriff al Attar the song went in no time number 1 on the Egyptian hitparade. The English words on a song of the Moroccan group Jil Jilala did it very well. El-Fers played together with Jil Jilala baseman Mustafa Bakbou in the group Tiq Maya.

That the summer of ´82 Atlal did two recording in the Cairo Sawt el Arab-studio, where the late Oum Kalsoum did most of her studio-recordings). Producer was Sheriff al Attar. This program, for the first time broadcasted on the English worldservice of Radio Cairo in 1982, resulted in a boost of different bootleg-tapes of the group. In Cairo alone the group collected 4 different versions of the Cairo-tapes at the street-vendors available. On some of the songs Etheredge and el-Fers are accompanied by percussionist Hadi Girgis.

After El-Fers and Etheredge played the song in Hamdia Hamdi´s tv-show el-Alem ghainni (the world sings) they hardly could go out on the street without bodyguards. Mohamed is interviewed by e.g. Kamel el Malach (one of the last interviews of the nestor of Egyptology for his shownews-page in daily al Ahram), Hamdia Hamdi (top tv-host of musicshow El Alem Ghani, the World Sings). Egyptian daily al-Akhbar published on 22 July ´82 a portrait of Atlal and picture of Etheredge and El-Fers in front op the poster of a London concert, together with the group Madness (Picture left).

After Atlal returned to Tilburg, the Netherlands, the Dutch weekly Aktueel (November 20th, 1982) shows Atlal with Peter Etheredge, Rocky Winklaar, Hani Girgis and Mohamed el-Fers. Dutch daily Algemeen Dagblad (March 25th, 1983) shows that the group now is formed by Jos Lemmens (drums), Peter Etheredge (bass), Andrea Puddu (leadguitar), Mohamed el-Fers (vocals and 12 string guitar), Norvel Siberie (clarinet) and Rocky Winklaar (percussion).

Atlal-guitarist Andrea Puddu was asked by Dutch musician Henny Vrienten to join the Dutch group Doe Maar, but Andrea preferred to stay with Atlal. Percussionist Hani Girgis (who joined Atlal during their Egypt-tour in 1982) is back with the group on a picture published in Rotterdam weekly De Maas (December 4th, 1983), with next to Girgis, Rocky Winklaar, Mohamed el-Fers, Norvel Siberie and Peter Etheredge. After this last publication it seems to be all over with the formation Atlal. I could not find a trace about the group. As individuals is a complete other story.

Jan Naaikens

Links: Tiq Maya - Atlal World Music - Mohamed el-Fers