Rediscovering William Onyeabor’s Unique Sound
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Let’s start this history from the end…When William Onyeabor’s career starts to be recognised massively. International recognition came in 2013, when a compilation of his work titled “Who Is William Onyeabor?” was released by David Byrne’s label, Luaka Bop records, sparking renewed interest in his music and earning him an international following.
Despite this attention, Onyeabor remained reclusive until he passed away in Enugu on January 16, 2017, but his music continues to inspire and captivate listeners worldwide. His innovative sound and enigmatic persona cemented his place as a pioneer of Nigerian funk and electronic music.
Before that boom, his life was a great mysterious.
Supposedly, coming from the Nigerian high class. He was born in 1946, and I said supposedly, because of his unknown habits, officially there’s no real proof of that.
These are the facts:
- He studied college abroad.
- It’s known that William was a collector of expensive synthesizers and drum machines to create music by himself.
- He wasn’t interested in following the trends of popular music in Nigeria at that time.
- He built a Vinyl pressing plant and had his own studio at home, which suggests that the investment was high and he was fully dedicated about creating his music.
On the other hand, he didn’t wanted to be famous and refused to be interviewed, or recognised by the press or the music industry.
Between the rumours around his life, it’s said that he studied film-making in Russia and that he was a lawyer. Onyeabor became an evangelical pastor later in life and stopped making music.
His innovative use of synthesizers and unique blend of genres helped pave the way for future generations of African electronic music artists. Though his life remains somewhat of an enigma, his music speaks volumes, showcasing his creativity, talent, and passion and talking about Nigerian social issues. He released eight albums between 1977 and 1985. In the sprawling landscape of global music, few figures are as captivating as William Onyeabor.
He crafted a unique sound that blended pulsating rhythms, space-age synthesizers, and lyrics that challenged the political status quo. Onyeabor’s music, often epic in scope and heavily synthesized, was unlike anything else coming out of Nigeria at the time. While his contemporaries were mainly exploring Afrobeat, Onyeabor was conjuring a sound that was both futuristic and deeply rooted in his cultural experiences. His voice, combined with that of female backing singers, soared over these sonic landscapes, often delivering stark warnings against the horrors of war and the need for changes in that time’s society.
As mentioned, despite his relative obscurity during his active years, Onyeabor’s music has experienced a remarkable resurgence since the 2010’s. His most recognized track, “Better Change Your Mind,” a funky, synth-driven anthem with a powerful message of transformation, has become a hymn, and a must on compilations celebrating African music, psychedelic sounds, and the vibrant music scene of 1970’s in Lagos, Nigeria.
The inclusion of his themes in albums like “Africa 100,” “World Psychedelic Classics 3,” and “Nigeria 70” introduced Onyeabor’s singular sound to a new generation of listeners looking for something different. And William’s work, actually it’s a singularity that comes to emphasise the richness of the black creativity from Africa.
Musicians like Damon Albarn (Gorillaz, Blur) and David Byrne (Talking Heads) have passionately re-vindicated his talent and work, especially putting the accent in his unique methods of production in the home-studio. Probably we could say without failing that he was one of the first musicians that used this production method, so common these days. And perhaps, this isolation influenced his original sound, giving his music this personality and uniqueness.
Undoubtedly, his legacy is captivating and one of the most personal musical careers in pop culture history. I love his sound and his freshness… What about you? How do you like him?
Would you like to know more about Wiliam Onyeabor?
Don’t hesitate to leave a comment and I will give you more information about him.
This article was originally published on Differ, but as part of the “Pop Culture UFO’s” series, I have decided to rewrite it for this magazine in order to complete the 3 articles that conforms these collection until now.
Soon the chapter 4, who will be chosen? I will see… The future is unwritten.
Suggestions are accepted in the comment section.
Pop Culture UFO’s series
- Pop Culture UFO’s 1: Celebrating William Onyeabor, a pioneer of Nigerian Funk and Electronica.
- Pop Culture UFO’s 2: Alan Vega, The Revolutionary Force Behind Suicide.
- Pop Culture UFOs 3: Piero Umiliani, The Godfather of the Cocktail Generation.
- Pob Culture UFO’s 4: Coming soon…
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