William Onyeobar: Nigeria’s Psychedelic Funk Legend
William Onyeabor (Own-ye-bar) is from Nigeria, we know that much. The details, and even the big picture, of his life and career are harder to come by. He was born in 1946 and passed away in 2017, after gracing the world with eight albums released in as many years, not counting the five or so compilation albums released recently. Each of the albums contained around five songs and was pressed within the Wilfilms recording studio and pressing plant, owned by Onyeabor himself. The label released albums by only five other artists, all Nigerian, in addition to Onyeabor’s personal discography.
Wilfilms studio was in Enugu, Nigeria, Onyeabor’s hometown, and pressed vinyl using an LS76 Lathe, designed by Larry Scully in the 70s. Only about ten of these lathes ever made it from production into the world, but Onyeabor got his hands on one, along with Moog synthesizers, Yamaha mixers, and other recording and pressing equipment that he may have gotten from studying film in Russia, record manufacturing in Europe, or from doing something else entirely in an unknown location.
1985 saw his last album release and the beginning of the end of his investment in his music career. He would never play a live show and refused all interviews and public appearances save one, with BBC’s Lauren Laverne, and a few shots in a short documentary from Noisey that centers on Luaka Bop’s efforts to track Onyeabor down and gain licensing permissions for their 2013 compilation album Who is William Onyeabor?
He remained a local celebrity and global legend, but let whatever stories people told about him hang in the air, not caring to discount the rumors or to discuss his music. He became a Christian later in life and repeatedly told interested parties that he didn’t wish to discuss anything other than Jesus, that the previous chapters of his life were closed and would remain so. The closing scene of Noisey’s documentary contains the words he felt were most important to share with the world: his advice on living a good life, and the recommendation of a passage in the Bible to read.
While it is clear Onyeabor put immense ingenuity and creativity into his albums, his recognition, especially in recent years, has been almost entirely without his doing. His music received attention within Nigeria in the 70s and 80s, but was far ahead of the world in both lyrical content and in production. The extended format and frequent instrumental solos are reminiscent of jazz, but feel much less improvised, as layers build and descend slowly into cycles of choruses, hooks, and verses. These short, minimalist verses center on political, religious, or personal things, like pieces of advice Onyeabor needed to share with the world: “A good name is better than silver and gold, and no money can buy a good name” (from “Good Name”), and “Why go to war, when you know there should peace?” (from “Why Go To War?”).
The albums were like a time capsule set to release in the early 2000s, when stars, moon, and a growing taste for retro-futuristic electronic music all aligned. Some of Onyeabor’s music was released in compilations like World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love’s a Real Thing — The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa from Luaka Bop and Pitchfork’s Africa 100, both from 2005, and Nigeria 70 (the Definitive Story of 1970s Funky Lagos), from Strut in 2001. Who is William Onyeabor? was listed on Time’s top 100 albums of the year in 2013 (at number four).
Many articles have pieced together incredibly similar biographies that proliferate the feelings of “man, myth, legend” around one of the few who may truly fit that title. While Onyeabor’s story is compelling, even if only because it’s a nagging mystery you won’t solve, his music deserves more of our attention. From the image of his personality constructed in these profiles, it seems like he would have preferred that — if he cared about the international critical reception of his music at all, that is.
Ahmed Gallab, who performs under the name Sinkane, is the leader of the Atomic Bomb! Band, which plays Onyeabor’s music, from greatest hits to lesser known gems. He is also one of the few people to have a clear impression of Onyeabor and to have spoken with him in recent years about his music and the ideas behind some of his tracks, which Gallab shared in an article for Thump. According to Sinkane, the five essential Onyeabor tracks are: “Heaven and Hell,” “Poor Boy,” “Tell Me What You Want,” “Hypertension,” and “When the Going is Smooth and Good.”
My Recommendations:
Fantastic Man, Something You Will You Never Forget, Atomic Bomb, When the Going is Smooth and Good.
Originally published at www.theintersection.co.
