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
More grooves
GrooveSteps practice notes · Updated 2026-10-18 · How these examples are made
Listen for this
Focus on the spaces left by the kick and the way upper voices continue through them. Practice two rows at a time before combining the arrangement. The title points to an influence; the loop is an original programmed exercise, not Tony Allen's recording or an exact transcription.
Practice the arrangement
- Start with the sparsest row. Count every subdivision, including the silent positions.
- Add one voice at a time on your kit, or listen to the full loop and clap just one part. Keep the main pulse unchanged.
- Play four loops at a comfortable tempo. Change one note, then compare the variation with the displayed pattern before adding another.
Read the final example without sound
This loop has 16 steps, with 4 steps per main beat. Count each beat as number, e, and, a. The table lists the occupied positions; every unlisted position is a rest. Start at 110 BPM or lower the control until you can follow each part.
| Voice | Count positions |
|---|---|
| kick | 1 · 2 & · 3 & |
| snare | 2 · 4 |
| rimshot | 1 & · 3 · 4 & |
| hihat | 1 · 1 & · 1 a · 2 · 2 & · 2 a · 3 · 3 & · 3 a · 4 · 4 & · 4 a |
These positions describe the programmed example, not an artist recording. Playback uses synthesized sounds. A real performance also involves touch, dynamics and phrasing.
Keep practicing
Build a practice routine · Read drum notation · Browse the lesson path
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