Nigerian funk pioneer William Onyeabor has passed away
His celebrated synth-funk work was reissued in 2013
Musician William Onyeabor has died at the age of 70.
Luaka Bop, a label the Nigerian artist had close ties to in recent years, wrote a letter on his Facebook page to announce his death and pay tribute.
The label revealed he was at home in Enugu, Nigeria and passed away during his sleep on January 16 following a "brief illness".
His early synth-focused works included albums 'Crashes In Love' and 'Atomic Bomb' on Wilfilms Records, the latter being described as a "unique slice of stripped down spacey, lo-fi funk which is unlike any other Nigerian music being made at the time."
Luaka Bop released the 'Who Is William Onyeabor?' compilation in 2013, followed by 'What?!' in 2014. The latter included covers by Hot Chip, Daphni and JD Twitch of Optimo.
Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter
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