William Onyeabor - Body and Soul [Cross River Basin Blue LP]

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: LPLBOP5035C
Barcode: 0680899503501
Release Date: 28 Mar 2025
Genre: Worl

Standard weight Cross River Basin Blue LP. Indies exclusive. 

TRACKLIST:
A1. The Way To Win Your Love 
A2. Poor Boy 
B1. Love Me Now 
B2. Fantastic Man 
B3. Try & Try

William Onyeabor in color!! 10th anniversary!! 

William Onyeabor was born outside Enugu, a small, rural town in Eastern Nigeria, he created his own genre of African electronic funk in the late 70s and early 80s, making music completely unique for his time. Today, he is reaching cult status among a growing list of admirers, including everyone from Damon Albarn and Hot Chip to Carl Craig and Madlib, with some likening him to the Kraftwerk of West Africa, or a precursor to LCD Soundsystem.

Among the crate-digging few that knew of him, he is considered a complete myth. While he has never performed live and almost never given interviews, his fantastical biography is scattered and has to this day not been verified. And he refused to speak about anything regarding the past.

According to various rumors, he left home following the Biafran War and went to study cinematography in the Soviet Union, returning in the mid-70s to start his own film company and record label, Wilfilms. He then self-released eight remarkable records from 1978-1985. He wrote and produced everything on his own, and possibly played every instrument himself. Then, at some point of his life, he became born again and denounced his earlier music, deciding it is something he would never speak about.