The lead track from YANNIS PHILIPPAKIS' posthumous collaboration with Afrobeat drumming legend TONY ALLEN captures the electrifying spark that ignited during their global musical meeting, weaving a tapestry of sound that reflects the cultural touchstones of Lagos, Paris, and London. Read our latest Dork Mixtape cover feature now.

Words: Martyn Young.
Photos: Kit Monteith, Rishi Salujah.

"It's about serendipity and coming together with someone." There's always something amazing when you get to meet your heroes, but for Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis, the opportunity to not only meet but work with legendary Afrobeat pioneering drummer Tony Allen was a truly special experience. Tragically, Tony passed away during the pandemic, leaving the work that they started in flux, but seven years after they first met, Yannis has now put together a beautiful EP documenting their time and the music they made together as a special project under the name Yannis And The Yaw. 'Lagos Paris London' is a reflection of a moment in time and two generations meeting and creating a little bit of magic.

With Foals riding high on the wild success of their fourth album 'What Went Down', a call offering an intriguing opportunity came following two years of hard touring. "I got a call when we were deep in a Foals tour. We were touring 'What Went Down' so it was quite a few years ago now. I got a call from a mutual friend who said, do you want to go and write with Tony Allen in Paris?" says Yannis.

The mention of Tony Allen's name immediately conjured excitement as he remembered the pivotal role Tony and his work as drummer for Fela Kuti, as well as his long and winding career, played in the genesis and evolution of Foals. "A lot of our formative musical years were spent listening to Fela Kuti," he explains. "Especially this one compilation of Tony Allen's that I think is just called 'The Best Of'. It's a quadruple vinyl. We used to hammer it when we were writing 'Antidotes' and 'Total Life Forever'. I was a huge fan."