A long-awaited collaboration between Yannis Philippakis of Foals and the late, legendary drummer extraordinaire Tony Allen has instigated a wave of international anticipation and fascination in the Yannis & The Yaw project. After enjoying remarkably strong tastemaker support, which has included three Radio 1 Hottest Record premiere plays from Jack Saunders and three A-lists at 6 Music for its previous singles, Yannis & The Yaw today release the ‘Lagos Paris London’ EP.

On the experience of making the EP and working closely with Tony, Yannis commented to Spin Magazine:

‘’Making music with somebody, and then death happening, and being in proximity to mortality, but having this record at the end of it, it’s been an important experience for me. Understanding the power of meeting somebody and making something, those serendipitous encounters, meaningful ones where you make something are to be treasured and cherished, because, in many ways, that’s all that’s left at the end.’’

Joining the previously released ‘Walk Through Fire’, ‘Rain Can’t Reach Us’ and ‘Under The Strikes’, the EP is released alongside its brand new focus track ‘Clementine’. While the previous Yannis & The Yaw singles have often been infused with an element of tension or existential uncertainty, ‘Clementine’ has a crystalline euphoria that feels like an organic mid-way fusion synthesis between the most free-spirited moments of both Foals and Tony Allen’s back catalogues.

Yannis adds, “‘Clementine’ is a slightly lighter shade on the record. I wanted it to feel like a French film from the ‘60s, like a sun-bleached Truffaut film with lots of longing, nostalgia and romance. It’s about the ephemerality of experience, and craving something that’s just out of reach.”

The ‘Lagos Paris London’ EP is completed by another new track in the shape of ‘Night Green, Heavy Love’. The most sprawling moment of the set, ‘Night Green, Heavy Love’ finds a cohesive strand between its disparate elements – an off-kilter time signature, menacing, heavyweight riffs and Yannis’s softly enunciated vocals. Intriguingly it’s the most improvised moment of the EP, a song that was unrehearsed and recorded in just one take, with Tony’s intricate rhythms flowing naturally without the guidance of a click track.

Out now digitally, signed physical copies of the EP are available from the official Yannis & The Yaw store HERE. It’s available on limited red fire vinyl, limited black vinyl and CD. All bundles and vinyl purchases also add an exclusive postcard.

Later on this evening Yannis will get the EP release celebrations underway early with a homecoming signing session at the Truck Store in Oxford. A second signing will be held at Rough Trade East on Monday, September 2nd.

Yannis & The Yaw will then play their first show at Crammerock Festival, before a run of headline shows. Yannis has assembled a band with an intuitive ability to channel Tony Allen’s irrepressible charm. It features producers Vincent Taurelle (keys, also a previous touring member of Air) and Vincent Taeger (drums, Poni Hoax), both of whom also perform on the EP, as well as Dave Okumu (guitar, The Invisible, who also worked with Tony on the Joan As Police Woman album ‘The Solution Is Restless’) and Seye Adelekan (bass, Gorillaz). Dave Okumu and Vincent Taurelle also joined Yannis during his late night party jam sessions ‘MILK.’ in 2018.

Limited tickets remain available for the Amsterdam and Paris shows HERE. The dates are:

SEPTEMBER

7th – Stekene, Crammerock Festival

10th – Amsterdam, Paradiso

11th – Paris, La Cigale

13th – London, KOKO (SOLD OUT)