William Onyeabor - Afro Proto Techno Nigeria LP LISTEN

	€		53
	$		59

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 is hard to come by but here is your  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 released at least one more record though. '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.


LISTEN (mp3, snippets recorded from the copy on sale):
1. listen
2. listen
3. listen

Tracklist
A1. When the going is smooth & good
A2. This kind of world
B1. Anything you sow
B2. Everyday

Grading:
Sleeve - VG (would go for VG+ as it is a very clean copy, but some mildew traces on back which you may try to remove with a cloth)
Record - VG+ (one of the cleanest Nigerian records I have had so far! and a heavy pressing. Listen to the samples)

Buyer is expected to pay through Paypal within seven days after auction is over, or I will have to post negative feedback.

Priority Shipping: Europe 7.50 euro, international 12 euro, Netherlands 6.50 Euro
If the record sells for over 100 U$ I only ship through registered mail / insured where available.

Disclaimer: the records I am selling in this batch are all from Lagos and have spent two to four decades in a humid and dusty climate. They are hardly ever in similar condition to records you'd find in Europe or the USA. If you are looking for immaculate vinyl, do not bid. Listen to the mp3's to judge whether you are happy with the state of the record, doing so will save both of us time and money.

Any questions? Send me a message!

Browse my other items and look for the other Nigerian disco/boogie albums which I am posting this week... part of a NEW batch of Naija records, some of which are really rare and sought after.

File under... Afrobeat, afro disco, breakdance, electro, electric boogie, beat, funk, soul, afrofunk, afro funk, boogie, juju, fuji, nigeria, west africa, african, lagos, music, 1980s, female, soul, r&b... Sounds like christy essien igbokwe, felix lebarty, chris mba, harry mosco, kris okotie, oby onyioha, sonny okosuns, theadora ifudu, william onyeabor and onyeka onwenu - some of these i will be selling this week!