Last October, Nigerian afrobeat legend Tony Allen released his tenth studio album Film of Life. Produced by French trio The Jazzbastards and featuring Damon Albarn, Nigerian singer Kuku, and all-female folk band Adunni & Nefertiti, the record was one of our favorites of 2014. This spring, Allen will share the Film of Life Remixes EP. The short yet involving EP features reworkings of two songs from Allen's latest album.
The first one is a lengthened, electronica-inflected version of "African Man" by German-Chilean producers/composers Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer. While the original "African Man" was a festive affair of loud horns and curling guitars, this longer remix, which aired on British DJ Gilles Peterson's BBC Radio 6 show last week, is a mellow piece of drum claps and rubbery bass lines. The other remix comes from London producer Fort Romeau who reworks the Albarn-featuring "Go Back." Like Villalobos's and Loderbeauer's reworking, this one adds a dance music aesthetic to Allen's original song, mixing in spacey electronics that elevate a somewhat earthy song. Although the producers significantly altered Allen's original songs, they keep the Lagos legend's masterful drumming, thrillingly displaying it in their own way.
Listen to "African Man (Villalobos - Loderbauer ZuHouse Remix)" and "Go Back (feat. Damon Albarn) [Fort Romeau Absolut Remix]" below. Allen's Film of Life Remixes EP is also available now on Beatport. For more from Tony Allen, revisit his episode of Okayafrica TV.