大象传媒

Extraordinary stories of music makers and how their lives were changed by beats and bars.

Tony Allen was known as 'Mr Afrobeat' and described as "one of the greatest drummers to ever walk this earth." He was a self-taught, trailblazing musician who created Afrobeat with Fela Kuti in Nigeria. Last week he died of a heart attack at the age of 79. In 2019, he spoke to 大象传媒 6 Music's Matt Everitt about the music that shaped his life.

Masa Ogawa is the leader of Yamato, a Japanese Taiko drumming troupe who use their entire bodies to create powerful performances. Their drumming can be so loud, the vibrations so intense, it's said they once dislodged a filling in a listener's tooth. They pound on instruments made out of sake barrels and even one hewn from a 400-year-old single tree trunk.

Isaiah Acosta was born with situs inversus, which meant all his major organs were in the wrong place, and he hadn't developed a jaw bone. Despite doctors' predictions, Isaiah survived. He uses medical machinery to get food and oxygen, but is unable to speak. Regardless, he went on to fulfil his dream of becoming a rapper, with the help of the musician Trap House.

Picture: Tony Allen
Credit: Getty Images