William Onyeabor: Fantastic Man
The brilliant William Onyeabor, the Nigerian electronic funk musician who found fame some 30 years after leaving the music business, sadly passed away on 16 January. The groundbreaking artist composed, recorded, pressed and printed nine albums from 1977 to 1985 only to be “discovered” by the world thanks to the 2013 best of record Who Is William Onyeabor? (released by David Byrne’s label, Luaka Bop) and the documentary “Fantastic Man”—named for one of his songs—the following year. Onyeabor’s “Fantastic Man” track encompasses everything fans (old and new) adore about him: it’s super-groovy, fuzzy funk—approached in what was an incredibly futuristic way. His gentle, unmistakable vocals accompanied by female back-up singers occasionally punctuating the delightfully squelchy, rhythmic sound.
