As a member of the German punk electronica dissenters Atari Teenage Riot, riot grrrl Hanin Elias is her own woman. Born in Wittlich, Germany in 1972, Elias' medicine practicing father moved the family to Syria where Elias spent her early childhood years. It was during her teens when her parents moved to Berlin that Elias naturally rebelled and discovered music. She got involved with the punk scene, then switched over to rockabilly before making her face in the goth cliques. Intolerable of social mainstreams, she eventually began searching for another outlet by the end of 1980s.
In 1991 she met Alec Empire, who she would later collaborate with in Atari Teenage Riot and also build the roots for Digital Hardcore Recordings. Elias founded Fatal Records in the late '90s in order for her to plug specific musical styles and identities that she was interested in. Tired of corporate rock and male dominated electronica, she made Fatal a prime outlet for showcasing independent female talent. She signed the English punk girl band Lolita Storm in 1999, as well as issuing her own debut solo album, In Flames, on Fatal/Digital Hardcore in mid-'00