Tony Allen, famed Afrobeat drummer for Fela Kuti, dies in Paris
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Although forever connected to Kuti’s projects, most notably Africa 70, Allen’s percussion work continued to evolve after he left Kuti’s circle in the early 1980s. Teaming with the New York/Paris imprint Celluloid, Allen beefed up his bottom-end tones, pushing up the levels on the recording mikes closest to his kit to make sounds informed by the hip-hop fueled 1980s. He continued to embrace any style that needed a beat, including techno and house music.
Among others, across his life Allen worked with Charlotte Gainsbourg, Angelique Kidju, Malian singer Oumou Sangaré and Detroit techno producer Jeff Mills. Starting in the mid-'00s, Allen began an extended collaboration with Blur singer Damon Albarn, with whom he formed a supergroup called the Good, the Bad and the Queen. A few years later, he and Albarn joined Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea to form Rocket Juice and the Moon.
After striking out on his own, Allen became the only Kuti collaborator to maintain the public’s attention. Even as Kuti’s sons Femi and Seun forged new sounds based on their father’s vibrations, Allen insistently kept his sticks at the ready. Once moving, they tapped out immediately identifiable beats.
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