Tony Allen breaks down the five major drum patterns of Afrobeat in an unreleased clip from the recent documentary short Birth of Afrobeat. Production team Rest In Beats and director Opiyo Okeyo ...

It is getting near midnight on a Friday evening in the Nigerian capital in the late 1970s. Young Lagosians are trekking from Oju Elegba, at the heart of the city’s night club scene, towards the old ...

Afrobeat drum loops capture the relentless, syncopated heartbeat at the core of Nigerian funk, blending traditional West‑African rhythms with the swagger of early ’70s soul and jazz fusion. These ...

“The first thing he asked was ‘Are you the one who said that you are the best drummer in this country?’ I laughed and told him, ‘I never said so.’ He asked me if I could play jazz and I said yes. He ...

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. According to legend, Tony Allen can drum in a different signature with each ...

The Nigerian musician was a restless creator who embraced the physicality of drumming and innovated until the end Few musicians can claim to have invented a revolutionary rhythm, but then few are ...

Nigeria's Fela Kuti was one of the leading ambassadors of African music, bringing his Afrobeat sound to fans around the world. Though he passed away in 1997, his influence continues to resonate, ...

JOHANNESBURGJOHANNESBURG — Pioneering drummer Tony Allen, the driver of the Afrobeat sound, has died in Paris at age 79. Allen died Thursday night at the Pompidou Hospital of aortic failure, his ...

Governor Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that his administration would be reviving the erstwhile drum festival by hosting the first Afro Beat Drum festival in Africa in Ogun State, as a way of ensuring and ...

Allen died Thursday night at the Pompidou Hospital of an aortic aneurysm, his manager Eric Trosset confirmed to The Associated Press. In an influential career that spanned decades and continents, ...