Tony Allen made his name as the drummer for Fela Kuti’s band Africa 70, with whom he more or less created the entire Afrobeat genre. He’s played with a ton of other luminaries since then, including King Sunny Ade, Sébastien Tellier, and the Damon Albarn-fronted supergroups the Good, The Bad, & The Queen, and Rocket Juice & The Moon. This year, Allen is releasing a solo LP, Film Of Life, and its first single, “Go Back,” features none other than Albarn on vocals. The track is nothing short of beautiful — a languid, easy, sun-drenched thing that sounds especially great on a hot summer day like the one we’re currently experiencing in New York City. It flows on a bubbling bass line and Allen’s crisp beat, with a relaxed Albarn vocal cascading over the groove. Albarn guested on one track on Allen’s 2002 LP, Home Cooking, so there’s a decent chance this is his sole appearance here, but I like “Go Back” more than anything on Albarn’s recent solo album, and I’d be deeply pleased if he were to be featured prominently on this album. Check out the song and a trailer for Film Of Life below.

http://pitchfork.com/news/55772-tony-allen-announces-new-album-shares-go-back-featuring-damon-albarn/

Film Of Life is out in October via Jazz Village.