Biography
Riot grrrl Hanin Elias carved an independent path even while belonging to the German punk electronica dissenters Atari Teenage Riot. Born in Wittlich, Germany in 1972, she followed her medicine practicing father when the family relocated to Syria, where she passed her earliest years. Once her parents settled in Berlin during her teens, Elias responded with instinctive rebellion and turned to music. She first immersed herself in the punk scene, then gravitated toward rockabilly before establishing a presence among goth circles. Growing intolerant of prevailing social norms, she sought a fresh creative channel toward the close of the 1980s. In 1991 she encountered Alec Empire, with whom she would later share duties in Atari Teenage Riot and help establish Digital Hardcore Recordings. In the late '90s Elias launched Fatal Records to champion the precise sounds and artistic voices that drew her interest. Dissatisfied with corporate rock and male-dominated electronica, she positioned Fatal as a dedicated platform for independent female artists. The label welcomed the English punk girl band Lolita Storm in 1999, the same year Elias released her own debut solo album, In Flames, through Fatal/Digital Hardcore in mid-'00.