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Chief William Ezechukwu Onyeabor was a pioneering Nigerian musician, composer, and industrialist who revolutionized West African electronic music. Based in Enugu, Nigeria, he established his own record label and studio, Wilfilms, after studying cinematography in Europe during the 1970s.
Between 1977 and 1985, Onyeabor self-released eight studio albums, crafting an innovative electro-funk sound that blended traditional African rhythms, highlife, and disco with futuristic Moog synthesizers and drum machines. Songs like "Fantastic Man" and "Atomic Bomb" featured hypnotic grooves and anti-war messages.
Despite his popularity, he never performed live and abruptly retired from music in the mid-1980s to become a born-again Christian and successful flour mill industrialist. A 2013 reissue compilation by Luaka Bop brought his work international acclaim, cementing his legacy as an electronic music visionary before his death in 2017.
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Record Label associated with William Onyeabor - past and current.