Rich Medina recently dropped this hour-long Afrobeat Since 1969: Created By Tony Allen mix for clothing label 101 Apparel. The mix, an ode to afrobeat co-creator & percussion pioneer Tony Allen, sees Medina navigating through a host of highly complex, horn-backed afrobeat drum patterns from the master himself. Here's what Okayplayer had to say about Rich's mix on Mixtape Monday:
For more from Rich Medina check out his Africa In Your Earbuds mixtape from a bit back. Tony Allen is prepping the release of his Film Of Life LP (due in October), you can hear the album's Damon Albarn-featuring lead single over here. Stream and download Rich Medina's Afrobeat Since 1969: Created By Tony Allen for 101 Apparel below.
Rich Medina is kinda like the inventor of afrobeat–at least as far as East Coast hip-hop heads dancing to it is concerned–both in mixtape form and at his Jump n’ Funk residency he has provided a master class for anybody willing to wind their clock. This new mix for 101 Apparel applies a slightly different filter on the canon by focusing on the work of drumgod (and actual afrobeat inventor) Tony Allen.