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Tony Allen (1940 – 2020) performs live on stage at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 11th March 1988.
AFRICAN DRUMMING

Of drumming, Tony Allen, Charles Mungoshi and my cousin

Drummers have the power to allow Zimbabweans to commune with their ancestors, and none more so than those with elevated talent on the skins.

  • Percy Zvomuya
11 min read
Drawing from many contemporary styles, Tony Allen’s astuteness turned Afrobeat into an evergreen sound (Bernard Benant)
AFRICA 70

A caress rather than a beating: The science behind Tony Allen’s style

By retracing funk’s steps and picking from jazz, Tony Allen rewired highlife into Afrobeat

  • Kwanele Sosibo
6 min read
BRIAN BURTON

United Kingdom of gloom

Damon Albarn’s <i>The Good, the Bad and the Queen</i> is a scintillating, record that is part protest, part social commentary and part metaphysical projection, writes Lloyd Gedye.

  • Lloyd Gedye
4 min read
Tony Allen (1940 – 2020) performs live on stage at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands on 11th March 1988.
AFROBEATS

Tony Allen: Beast of no nation

Herculean, the first single from the yet-to-be-named group featuring Fela Kuti’s former drummer Tony Allen, Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz), Paul Simonon (The Clash) and Simon Tong…

  • Kwanele Sosibo
5 min read