Tony Allen and Jeff Mills’ story began back in December 2016 in Paris, when they decided to share the New Morning’s stage in front of an audience that was completely dazzled by the encounter of these two giants of rhythm. While the Nigerian started his career as Fela Kuti’s drummer, the American – as few people know – also started out on drums before he began developing techno music with a few friends in Detroit. Collaborating on an album made perfect sense, Tony Allen being the one who first put the idea forward. After playing with Damon Albarn, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Moritz von Osward, he was delighted to find a partner who so masterfully handled the beat: “The difference is that Jeff can play with me, whereas the others cannot play with me. I can only play with them, but they cannot play with me.”
On this album released by Blue Note, the pair collaborated with Jean-Philippe Dary, who has played with countless big names, including Phoenix, Papa Wemba, Peter Gabriel and Alpha Blondy, and whose keyboards provide a melodic framework (most often afrobeat/jazz-funk). The mix by François Kevorkian, a French legend of New York House music, highlights each of their parts, for example on the track On the Run, Tony Allen’s syncopation that breaks time apart on the left channel battles it out with Jeff Mills’ frenzied hi-hats on the right. A captivating duel between two highly talented individuals who listen to and respect one another, whilst never overdoing it just for show. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz