Gorillaz have paid tribute to legendary Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen after the drummer passed away last week, sharing a new song called ‘How Far?’ that features Allen along with Skepta.
“The track was written and recorded with Skepta in London just before lockdown and is being shared immediately as a tribute to the spirit of a great man, Tony Allen,” reads a press release.
Allen, largely considered one of the founders of the Afrobeat genre for his work with Fela Kuti, died aged 79 last week, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the music world.
Gorillaz bandleader Damon Albarn was a longtime collaborator of Allen. The pair played in supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen, which also featured bassist Paul Simonon of the Clash and guitarist Simon Tong of the Verve. The band released two albums – a self-titled debut in 2007 and Merrie Land back in 2018.
Albarn and Allen also played together in Rocket Juice and the Moon, another project which featured Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.
‘How Far?’ is the fourth single Gorillaz have shared as part of their ongoing collaborative Song Machine project. Previously released tracks have included ‘Désolé’ with Fatoumata Diawara and ‘Aries’ with Peter Hook. Back in February, the band teased a collaboration with Tame Impala.
Listen to ‘How Far?’ below.
