Comes on black vinyl LP.
Limited edition, cover signed by Yannis.
All the greatest things in life take time to deliver; Rome was not built in a day. However, the flip side of that argument is that the longer something takes, the more potential there is for disappointment. Back in 2016, Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis was offered studio time with the utterly iconic Nigerian drummer Tony Allen, and the pair spent two days working on a handful of tracks together.
Philippakis has spent much of his adult life dedicated to the creation of indie rock music through his work with Foals. Back in 2016, the band were at a particularly important part of their career, with the release of – arguably their greatest effort – What Went Down. Hence, it seems a strange time for the vocalist to head into the studio with Tony Allen. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine any self-respecting musician turning down an opportunity to work with one of the world’s defining Afrobeat percussionists. Inevitably, though, much of the EP is imbued with the atmosphere of 2016-era Foals, which slightly detracts from Allen’s contributions.
There is no doubt that Allen is the main attraction for this EP. The Nigerian musician has worked alongside everybody from Damon Albarn to Fela Kuti, and is rightly hailed as one of the greatest drummers of all time. His entire career was storied by collaborations, session work, and side-projects, so he is able to adapt to a wide variety of musical styles and projects. This marks the closest he ever came to indie.
Reportedly, the original 2016 sessions, which form the backbone of this release, were left unfinished, meaning that a lot of production work, rewriting, and reworking has gone into Lagos Paris London. Obviously, not much could be done to combat this, given that Allen has since passed away. However, his percussion work on the album is far too often buried under multiple layers of sound. While that might be a relief for die-hard fans of Philippakis, it is bound to be somewhat disappointing for fans of Allen. Especially since this EP likely forms the last opportunity to hear new material recorded by the Nigerian percussion master.
Production issues aside, Lagos Paris London is certainly an enjoyable listening experience. Particularly on tracks like ‘Under The Skies’, when the contributions of Allen are more prevalent, the EP is able to capture an organic, improvisational quality. At points, it feels as if you, the listener, is right there in a Paris recording studio alongside both Phillippakis and Allen. That Parisian studio was, apparently, filled to the brim with vintage recording equipment, which explains the retro styling of much of the EP – although, again, a degree of this feeling was clearly lost in the extensive post-production process. (source is www.faroutmagazine.co.uk)
