Afrobeat · hard · 110 BPM
Afrobeat Drum Beat
Tony Allen's Afrobeat engine that powered Fela Kuti's band, built on a syncopated kick that avoids the obvious downbeats and a backbeat snare on 2 and 4. Loose rim accents and a rolling, slightly broken hi-hat pattern create the hypnotic, polyrhythmic swing. Everything interlocks like a machine while still breathing.
Press play to hear it, then open the full machine to edit, loop, and play along with your own kit.
What this teaches
Teaches four-limb polyrhythmic independence with syncopated kick placement and a broken, ghosted hi-hat groove.
Heard in
- Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy
- Fela Kuti - Zombie
- Tony Allen - Black Voices