David Byrne & Atomic Bomb! The music of William Onyeabor

Or maybe you have. His stock has certainly risen in recent years, but at the time of our 22nd Meltdown festival back in 2015, Onyeabor still largely remained something of an enigma. And it was that air of mystery that had drawn the attention of David Byrne, curator of that year’s Meltdown.

Comparatively Byrne needs little in the way of introduction, so instead we’ll merely stuff this paragraph with a breakdown of his many talents. Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, the founder of 1980s institution Talking Heads, and owner of a solo music back catalogue which includes collaborations with artists that span from Arcade Fire, to Morcheeba, to Paul Simon; not to mention, photographer, actor, artist and author. Meltdown is made to be curated by such a polymorphic artistic mind. As such the question was less would Byrne ever curate the festival, more why did it take until 2015?

‘It’s quite eclectic and I hope there are some new discoveries for everyone – including me – in this edition of the festival,’ said Byrne upon announcing his Meltdown line-up. ‘Quite eclectic’ was somewhat underselling a bill that included Anna Calvi, flamenco icon Estrelle Morente, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, pianist Eliza McCarthy, John Luther Adams, post-punk from Young Marble Giants, the toytronica of Psapp, late night Gamelan recitals and, crucially for this piece, Atomic Bomb! celebrating the music of William Onyeabor.

Born in 1946 outside the small rural eastern Nigerian town of Enugu, Onyeabor’s formative years remain the subject of rumours. Some claim he left home following the Biafran War and went to study cinematography in the Soviet Union; others that he funded travel to Europe to study record manufacturing, or even that he studied law at Oxford. But what is certain is that from wherever he had been, he returned to his native Nigeria in the 1970s. Once back in his homeland he became a successful businessman – 1987’s West African Industrialist of the Year no less – reportedly working on government contracts and running his own semolina flour mill.

A successful life lived, sure, but you may now be wondering why the fuss? Well in this summation of Onyeabor we’ve missed out the most remarkable element. When he returned to Nigeria he also established his own record label, Wilfilms, his own production studio and record press, and from within those walls created his own genre of African electronic funk. Between 1977 and 1985 Onyeabor self-released eight albums, not only writing and producing them, but playing every instrument himself too.

‘It’s difficult for anyone to say exactly who William Onyeabor is. It’s not easy to reach him to know what was actually the truth about him; so people just made up things to fit.’

Goddy Oku, William Onyeabor’s former producer, speaking in the Noisey documentary, ‘Fantastic Man’

So far so mesmeric, but then came the moment that catapulted Onyeabor’s music from much-loved to mythical. He found God. And upon doing so Onyeabor chose to draw an emphatic line under his futuristic, synth-heavy, electronic Afro-funk sound, making it clear that not only would he no longer record, he would disown his recordings and never speak about his musical life again.

And so with Onyeabor self-sworn to silence his music remained hidden, destined to reverberate only through legend rather than sound-systems. That is until the intervention of David Byrne’s record label, Luaka Bop. Aware of the artist through bootlegs and samples, in 2008 they set out on a mission to officially reissue Onyeabor’s music, but it took five more years before this mercurial man gave his permission. And even then it extended only to the release of a compilation of his work; he would refuse to break his own silence, not even consenting to offer sleeve notes.

With Onyeabor not wanting to perform his music, Luaka Bop set about forming a collective that would; Atomic Bomb! was born – a supergroup tasked with bringing this incredible sound to life. And in late August 2015 they took to the Southbank Centre stage to deliver one of our most memorable Meltdown moments. Joining Byrne in the bomb were Moses Sumney and Sinkane, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, Hot Chip’s drummer Sarah Jones and frontman Alexis Taylor, and on keyboards, one-time Beastie Boy, Money Mark. There were also starring roles for South African choral group Mahotella Queens led by 70-year-old Hilda Tloubatla, and the magnificent Malian duo of Amadou & Mariam.

‘For the surprise finale, the Southbank Centre’s 180-strong VoiceLab choir marched through the audience to stand behind the superband, chanting along to ‘Let’s Fall in Love’ until it became a mesmeric strain, filling up the room and exploding alongside the waves of polyrhythmic funk pulsing out from the stage.’

Emily Jupp, The Independent

We could of course wax lyrical about this gig and its merits all night; those who were present certainly do. Whisper the words ‘Atomic Bomb!’ in the right corners of the Southbank Centre’s corridors and you can watch seasoned arts and music professionals go all misty-eyed inside three syllables. But you don’t have to take our word for it, when you can watch it back for yourself. Because yes we filmed the whole thing; so clear a one hour, 40 minute gap in your schedule and make suitable room to get up on your feet. Go on, lose yourself in the world of William Onyeabor.

Written by Glen Wilson