for posterity's sake:
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/4062/21a01xu9.jpg
William Onyeabor - Anything you sow Stupid rare mid 80s Nigerian proto detroit techno funk... private pressing! Label: Wilfilms WLP033 Year: 1985/1986?
Detroit techno / electro recorded in Nigeria in the mid 1980's on analog synths? Sounding like it comes straight off the latest M.I.A. record? Yes that's what this is all about... add in some sweet female singer choruses and the moralistic lyrics of mr Onyeabor, and you got an essential record that is waiting to be rediscovered and compiled! This album NEVER shows up so here is your one chance to own it.
You may know William Onyeabor from his tracks on afro funk compilations such as the great jam 'Better change your mind' which appeared on Nigeria 70 and on 'World Psychedelic Classics 3: Love's a Real Thing'. The original album 'Atomic bomb' is a popular and expensive item on Ebay. His lp's are hard to find as he released them on his own record label, Wilfilms. Another of his records that shows up sometimes is 'Tomorrow'. Both albums are heavy afro disco boogie bombs.
William Onyeabor has released at least one more record though, and it's so obscure that I haven't found any references in google or previous Ebay sales. 'Atomic bomb' was already an experimental album on which Onyeabor plays around with his collection of synths. But on 'Anything you sow' he really goes all-out to create a musical landscape that proved to be far ahead of its time.
The album cover (which looks more like mid 70s) shows Onyeabor behind a huge collection of synths and other hardware, including the Moog which was an expensive gear at the time. On this album, the music is all produced with analog synths, even percussion.
The effect is mind blowing... 20 years down the line its clear that Onyeabor was way ahead of his time, the sounds he created here are unlike anything else I have heard coming from Africa. It's more closely related to Detroit techno or electro but in reality he may just have been influenced by Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra and the like. The slight 'out of this world' sound of the fragile synth (Moog, Elka etc) melodies are accentuated by the sweet chants of William and his background singers. This piece of vinyl is just waiting to be sampled or re-edited, it would fit nicely on a Moodymann or Theo Parrish re-edit 12 inch. Three out of four tracks are in this style, the fourth is a ballad which is less interesting. Just check out the audio samples above.
Tracklist A1. When the going is smooth & good A2. This kind of world B1. Anything you sow B2. Everyday
― sanskrit, Thursday, 3 January 2008 22:14 (sixteen years ago) link
wow. i would have bid on that. maybe not 124 dollars, though.
― elan, Thursday, 3 January 2008 23:17 (sixteen years ago) link
it would fit nicely on a Moodymann or Theo Parrish re-edit 12 inch
yeah, judging from those samples this is true.
― sanskrit, Friday, 4 January 2008 02:36 (sixteen years ago) link
-- elan, Thursday, 3 January 2008 23:17 (4 months ago) Link
lol that shit finished at like $300 actually. and the audio samples were beardo as fuck.
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 01:05 (sixteen years ago) link
this thread is like a time capsule for me
this went for $100
ace cover art, he looks almost like a one man band:
-- brokeback titty sanskrit (sanskrit), Sunday, January 22, 2006 6:55 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Link
LOL am i pretend britishes?
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 01:06 (sixteen years ago) link
ok, another has surfaced, this time with music samples:
http://cgi.ebay.com/WILLIAM-ONYEABOR-BOOGIE-FUNK-AFRO-FUNK-SOUNDCLIPS_W0QQitemZ4847179581QQcategoryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
-- gritty sanskrit (sanskrit), Sunday, March 12, 2006 3:51 PM (2 years ago) Bookmark Link
so a month ago i got a clean Atomic Bomb off a french dude on eBay. wasn't cheap but wasn't painful. the weird thing is i have listened to Better Change Your Mind so many times over the years that it was not that big a deal. Beautiful Baby is totally different than on an iPod. what was once overly long turned into a lilting ballad that is far too short.
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 01:25 (sixteen years ago) link
btw i am not a breakhead
btw this revive is courtesy of a Body and Soul Scientist remix that i missed on dmr's blog. like 2 years later it appears in my open slsk window.
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 01:26 (sixteen years ago) link
I just downloaded the Atomic Bomb LP. You can find it easily if you look. Sound quality not very good though
― Billy Pilgrim, Thursday, 8 May 2008 01:29 (sixteen years ago) link
that's what hipped me to onyeabor
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 02:05 (sixteen years ago) link
btw, does anything you sow ever pop up on slsk?
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 02:06 (sixteen years ago) link
youtube clip from "when the going is smooth and good": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HleCMcs_ybg
this deserves wider exposure
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 02:26 (sixteen years ago) link
-- sanskrit, Wednesday, May 7, 2008 9:05 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Link
oh damn dude that is the very audio clip from the auction. or the buyer shared it (yeah right). smart move someone moved it to a youtube for momentary posterity.
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 03:07 (sixteen years ago) link
it sold for like $17 on dutch ebay in march
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 03:19 (sixteen years ago) link
judging by all the youtube and forum comments about "when the going is smooth & good", it seems to have been a nigerian radio hit. the album is apparently available from street vendors (on cassette, i guess). so why can i not find it anywhere?
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 15:02 (sixteen years ago) link
are you sure it didn't go for 17 euros? because that is about $300 american.
― sanskrit, Thursday, 8 May 2008 21:11 (sixteen years ago) link
oh, you're right. 16.75 euro. that's still only $25.79 at today's exchange rate.
http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/William-Onyeabor-Afro-proto-techno-Nigeria-LP-LISTEN_W0QQitemZ160220584129QQihZ006QQcategoryZ1582QQcmdZViewItem
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 22:32 (sixteen years ago) link
if i knew dutch i might make the winner an offer....
i don't know about grading record sleeves, so if that cover isn't actually G-, i could see the price dropping. but a G- record grade would sound like that cover looks, so maybe the seller knows what's up.
― elan, Thursday, 8 May 2008 22:34 (sixteen years ago) link
he posted it for me! i didn't see it for one (1) month!
http://combandrazor.blogspot.com/2008/05/for-leo.html
― elan, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 21:11 (fifteen years ago) link
the hi-hats do something amazing in the sixth minute. this is the bomb.
― elan, Tuesday, 17 June 2008 21:18 (fifteen years ago) link
this is sick: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140278397762
my rss hasn't seen that title in four yearssick sound clip, and my snipe won't even register now / won't meet reserve anyway
― sanskrit, Wednesday, 5 November 2008 18:55 (fifteen years ago) link
every couple months i'll trawl through the blogs in hopes that more of his stuff has surfaced (beyond the Atomic Bomb lp and two or three other scratchy tracks), but still no luck. and the copies that do show up on ebay seem to go way outside my budget. i'm led to believe some of his records were hits in Nigeria, so how hard can it be to get/hear more of his stuff? guh.
― grey davies (city worker), Friday, 28 August 2009 18:27 (fourteen years ago) link
well, this is at least something http://dailyleftover.blogspot.com/2009/12/tribute-to-william-onyeabor.html
― city worker, Tuesday, 26 January 2010 16:27 (fourteen years ago) link
really enjoying this, thanks. so far i'd only been able to find the atomic bomb LP.
it seems he released at least 8 LPs (Discogs plus Crashes in Love), meaning we (I) have heard roughly 14 of 32 total tracks. which is not too bad for some Nigerian private press stuff. only 1982's Hypertension seems to be completely unrepresented.
it would be very nice to have this on vinyl in all its artifact-y goodness, but yeah those prices are crazy.
― fakeducks, Tuesday, 26 January 2010 20:11 (fourteen years ago) link
Here is a link to this William Onyeabor's "Atomic Bomb" CD.Check it Out!
http://www.myafricanbargains.com/index.cfm/fa/items.main/parentcat/23717/subcatid/0/id/464161
― MyAfricanBargains, Wednesday, 19 May 2010 01:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Just got this email:
Question: do you guys still sell many 12"? The reason I am asking is because Luaka Bop will be releasing a CD by William Onyeabor in the early part of next year. But here's the dilemma - the songs are like 12 minutes long each. We are thinking about releasing them on a group of 12" singles one release after another (collect 'em all!) and then compiling everything on a CD for a slightly later release.
― factcheckr, Friday, 13 August 2010 17:54 (thirteen years ago) link
in light of Daphni/ Caribou sampling Onyeabor's "When the Going..." i was wondering if factcheckr ever heard any more about these 12"s form Luaka Bop?
― beta blog, Saturday, 21 May 2011 00:39 (twelve years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1Kg-iBeDyg&NR=1
this is one of the sickest tunes i've ever heard.. someone reissue this fucker on vinyl!
― Night Nurse with Wound (Jack Battery-Pack), Thursday, 7 July 2011 10:43 (twelve years ago) link
this guy featured on 69's all hits radio show iirc, some slinky jams
― neo-realist shit i ever wrote (schlump), Thursday, 7 July 2011 10:58 (twelve years ago) link
B-D urc!
― 69, Monday, 11 July 2011 19:50 (twelve years ago) link
this is what I was just told re: luaka bop: "it is supposed to happen" but no date yet
― allday, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 04:44 (twelve years ago) link
Oh weird, randomly I just started getting into this. this month. "Fantastic Man" is my favorite tho
― phil-two, Tuesday, 12 July 2011 05:32 (twelve years ago) link
The B-side to Good Name is like the best song I've heard all year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp_eps4BlTQ
― Conan The Asshander (Doran), Friday, 16 September 2011 21:50 (twelve years ago) link
someone reissue this fucker on vinyl!
yeah just waiting for whatever it is that'll presumably soon come out to represent this guy. you would think only a matter of time
― and my soul said you can't go there (schlump), Friday, 16 September 2011 22:12 (twelve years ago) link
Um: http://flashstrap.blogspot.com/2011/10/fantastic-man-william-onyeabor-atomic.html
― jgolick, Friday, 24 February 2012 17:58 (twelve years ago) link
2CD compilation out in October on Luaka Bop
― Soft Opening, Saturday, 27 July 2013 00:49 (ten years ago) link
http://luakabop.com/bloggo/trust-the-situation/
― bishop desmond youtube (sanskrit), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 02:11 (ten years ago) link
oh awesome! 3xlp! & a (llliimmmiiittteedddd) good name reish!
ty
― szarkasm (schlump), Wednesday, 31 July 2013 03:48 (ten years ago) link
Pre-orders now up... http://luakabop.com/onyeabor/
― Barnaby, Hardly, Monday, 12 August 2013 15:04 (ten years ago) link
The new comp is fantastic. Shame he retired when he did because When the Going is Smooth and Good from his last album (the one that Daphni sampled) is blowing my mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOf8YJLgpew
― Deafening silence (DL), Tuesday, 17 September 2013 15:51 (ten years ago) link
This is fantastic
― there's no camera to capture that yelping moment! (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 17 October 2013 21:01 (ten years ago) link
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/oct/17/five-year-quest-reissue-william-onyeabor
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 17 October 2013 21:05 (ten years ago) link
"atomic bomb" blows my mind. i'm kinda obsessed
― Mordy , Tuesday, 22 October 2013 02:32 (ten years ago) link
Now you have me fixated on that number too. The catchy vocal melody, the groove, the almost dub regggae like feel...It's slightly more traditional than some of the other cuts
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 23 October 2013 12:59 (ten years ago) link
Fucking awesome.
― I can still taste the Taboo in my mouth when I hear those songs (Scik Mouthy), Tuesday, 29 October 2013 18:20 (ten years ago) link
So good.
― Immediate Follower (NA), Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:19 (ten years ago) link
I wonder if Rickey did have a chance to hear any more. He would have loved this.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 30 October 2013 15:24 (ten years ago) link
The only bad part about this comp is when the groove ends after ~10 minutes.
― dronestreet, Thursday, 31 October 2013 04:31 (ten years ago) link
Who can school me on William Onyeabor?
― the late great, Sunday, 23 November 2014 20:35 (nine years ago) link
Schooled.
― Chewshabadoo, Wednesday, 26 November 2014 21:50 (nine years ago) link
i can't figure out if they actually had access to master tapes or if these are just slick needledrops.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 26 November 2014 21:56 (nine years ago) link
Are you listening to the CDs? Maybe the guy in Milan had the tapes.
― Noel Emits, Thursday, 27 November 2014 00:15 (nine years ago) link
Just bought both of the box sets for my christmas present. Asked my wife to wrap them up for me but I may either need to torrent the files or open them early, the Spotify version of Who Is is too short.
― brotherlovesdub, Tuesday, 2 December 2014 18:10 (nine years ago) link
http://instagram.com/p/wJgPRqzN2N/
― groovypanda, Wednesday, 3 December 2014 15:10 (nine years ago) link
http://photos-e.ak.instagram.com/hphotos-ak-xaf1/10843909_336389243231284_2074568457_n.jpg
― groovypanda, Wednesday, 3 December 2014 15:12 (nine years ago) link
...but when does it end?!
― Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 4 December 2014 00:14 (nine years ago) link
The spines of the CDs in the box set say "remastered in NYC," for what it's worth.
― Pooja Bhatt's erotic thriller Jism 2 (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 6 December 2014 20:15 (nine years ago) link
Vinyl says the same.
― brotherlovesdub, Saturday, 6 December 2014 22:36 (nine years ago) link
http://vimeo.com/116194279
― iggwilv azaelea (sanskrit), Thursday, 8 January 2015 01:19 (nine years ago) link
Luaka Poop? What a vicious attack that really showed somebody somewhere something. Burning my boxset now.
― pelvic slang (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 8 January 2015 03:12 (nine years ago) link
tbf "luaka poop" is pretty funny
― shmup....smug....shmub....shmug.... (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 8 January 2015 05:12 (nine years ago) link
Luaka Plop
― bob seger's silver bullet gland (sic), Thursday, 8 January 2015 05:18 (nine years ago) link
Pooaka Bop
― contenderizer, Thursday, 8 January 2015 05:29 (nine years ago) link
Cloaca Bop
― pelvic slang (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 8 January 2015 05:49 (nine years ago) link
what was that vimeo link?
― akm, Friday, 23 January 2015 03:20 (nine years ago) link
i kinda neglected to fully check this guy out but "love me now" off the new one they're reissuing is one of my favourite songs at the moment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Osr2RL6U0
― flopson, Friday, 23 January 2015 03:27 (nine years ago) link
RIP.
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 10:32 (seven years ago) link
:(
RIP
― groovypanda, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 10:58 (seven years ago) link
RIP :(
― Le Bateau Ivre, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 12:09 (seven years ago) link
I know I should always be wary of the artist-focused thread revives, but I honestly thought this would be "more rare stuff reissued" or something. :(
― Michael Jones, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 13:11 (seven years ago) link
Oh man, RIP.
― kornrulez6969, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 15:47 (seven years ago) link
― Dominique, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 16:19 (seven years ago) link
rip :(
― Mordy, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 17:33 (seven years ago) link
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 17:34 (seven years ago) link
putting on atomic bomb in memory
― Mordy, Wednesday, 18 January 2017 17:34 (seven years ago) link
RIP, dude was a genius.
― szyslakial moescreancy (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Thursday, 19 January 2017 06:28 (seven years ago) link
RIP, so many great echo-dub dancefloor memories.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, 19 January 2017 07:26 (seven years ago) link
i was listening to the box set last night and thinking that it was really fortunate that he lived to see his music get a revival and get acknowledged as a musical genius. a few years earlier and he could've missed all of this & never known that he was going to be appreciated by a whole new audience of fans which would've been tragic bc he truly was an incredible talent + genius and deserved to know how much his work was loved.
― Mordy, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:05 (seven years ago) link
His relationship with his music seemed conflicted at best though, he actively avoided talking about it and I got the sense it was a source of embarrassment or shame to him in his later life.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:52 (seven years ago) link
for sure tho i thought at some pt he said he was working on new music? maybe in that bbc interview
― Mordy, Thursday, 19 January 2017 14:54 (seven years ago) link
Wow, I remember first hearing his music through ILM back in the day.
I've felt so much joy in sharing it with my friends since then.
Now I'm inspired to share his tunes with new friends.
― elan, Friday, 20 January 2017 01:12 (seven years ago) link
i guess his children or his church is getting that Feist 1,2,3,4 iTunes ad placement money.
― 4chan marshall (sanskrit), Wednesday, 24 May 2017 01:44 (six years ago) link
I can't school you on William Onyeabor, but I can advise you to listen to Itadi - Watch Your Life (Togo, 1977)
― Nabozo, Friday, 31 December 2021 21:20 (two years ago) link
Why late at night does ILM get all William OnyeaboredOr mooged out
The production is all 2D and flat but precise and perfect, and more than that it feels intentional and does not feel like a limitation, it gives all the feeling, and like a man doing all the instruments, it's genius really. Mammane Sani and Francis Bebey probably, both of which have a connection with Ghana, and mixing it with afro-funk / dance.
From the doc:He's a nice guy... butA boy sang for him and the boy claimed he wasn't paying him royalties when due, and accordingly. He went to William and claimed that William drove him off with a pistolSo he went to the police. When he came back, the police sought for the pistol. They didn't find the pistol and the guy was charged with giving false information to the police. And sentenced.
Tough !
― Nabozo, Wednesday, 26 October 2022 22:33 (one year ago) link