We will always be grateful to Bukky Leo and the Jazz Cafe because every year since 2018, they organise in London one of the most fitting tributes to the memory of one of Nigeria and Africa’s most inventive and puzzling musicians, William Onyeabor.
On the 10th of January, just a week before the 7th anniversary of Onyeabor’s passing, Bukky and his band, Black Egypt (who released a live rendition of the event in 2021), will once again grace the stage at the Camden venue to pay their funky homage to the visionary and revolutionary talent from Enugu.
William Onyeabor was a man of many labels: a trailblazer, a pioneer, a maverick, and a wizard of music. His concoction of afro-disco-psych-funk fused with electronic in the 1970s and 1980s was nothing short of a sonic revolution. His music danced across the boundaries of traditional rhythms and futuristic synthesizer beats, creating a style that was both uniquely Nigerian and universally avant-garde.
Despite the cult following and critical acclaim his music garnered, Onyeabor remained an elusive figure, often distancing himself from the glare of publicity and the complexities of the music industry. Even as his music enjoyed a renaissance in his later years, Onyeabor himself stayed an enigma. This blend of musical genius and personal mystique renders him a fascinating, yet elusive, icon in modern music’s narrative.
So, let us invite you to one of the first and hottest shows of 2024. Not only have we prepared an extensive playlist that delves into the far-reaching and Onyeabor-inspired world of West African psychedelic funk from the late 1970s onwards, but we also have two tickets up for grabs for this event.
To get your chance to win the tickets, please send us an email at info[at]rhythmpassport.com The winner will be contacted on the 27th of December
But wait, there’s more! Before you immerse yourself in our curated playlist, let’s turn the spotlight on ọ̀bẹ́dun (Sweet Soup), Bukky Leo’s soon-to-drop single, releasing on January 19th enjoying remixes by no less than Gilles Peterson, Orlando Voorn, Leslie Lawrence and Dennis Bovell – More info HERE