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New Music Monday: William Onyeabor

By Dave Sanford Aug 6, 2021 7:45 AM

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ONY_BOXITSELFSET1_FINAL.indd — Image used with permission by copyright holder

A brief disclaimer: today’s edition of New Music Monday is using a liberal definition of the word “new.” William Onyeabor first began releasing music in 1977 with his album Crashes in Love, a soundtrack to his film of the same name. He released seven further records before becoming a born-again Christian and withdrawing to his hometown of Enugu, Nigeria where he refused to speak about the music he had created.

Since his withdrawal from public life the myth surrounding Onyeabor has grown immensely. Rumors stretch from the mundane—he may own a flour mill in Enugu—to the extraordinary—he also may have gone to film school in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Aside from the release dates of his records, there were few facts available Luaka Bop began investigating the possible release of Onyeabor’s music in the United States.

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It took five years before the label was able to release any of Onyeabor’s music. Lukas Bop’s compilation, World Psychedelic Classics Volume 5: Who Is William Onyeabor?, came out in 2013. The album was a success and even spawned a brief tour featuring Onyeabor’s music performed by professional musicians who were also fans, including label owner David Byrne, Sinkane, and Money Mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SQ6NrpDxeE

Following the success of Who Is William Onyeabor?, Luaka Bop released a second collection of Onyeabor’s music late last year, simply titled Box Set. The set contains nine albums of Onyeabor’s synth-heavy funk, the eight that he released plus a second mix of his first record.

Nine albums is a lot of music to listen to, but the Onyeabor box set is worth it. The records only run about four tracks each with the songs clocking in at about 6 minutes on average. The longest, “When the Going Is Smooth & Good” is almost 13 minutes long. Giving prominence to synthesizers and drum machines, the music is very much of its era. The songs find their groove early and hold on to it. Similarly, Luaka Bop’s Box Set collection is worth picking up early and holding onto. Onyeabor’s music is Something You’ll Never Forget.

Luaka Bop’s Box Sets are available through the label’s online store and Amazon, but not via iTunes as no digital-only version is available.

Elevate your elegance: Choosing your first cigar

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Earlier this year, I was strolling the streets of New York and ended up sitting in the Carnegie Club with an Old Fashioned in one hand and a cigar in the other while My Way by Frank Sinatra played from a speaker flanking leather-bound books behind the couch I had been using as my perch. It was my first cigar, but it led to a slight obsession that recently found me on the back deck of a lodge in Kenya, staring at Mount Kilimanjaro and smoking a stick while giraffes meandered by. Admittedly, there has been no intention in my budding hobby; I am aimlessly choosing the cigars that look good (the ones that look like those smoked by Arnold or Stallone in the movies, obviously). But I have decided to approach these in a new way, with a little help from my friends over at La Aurora, who graciously decided to navigate my ignorance with some info compiled by Brand Manager John Gaglio, with input from Master Blender Manuel Ynoa, CEO Ed McKenna, and Brand Manager Elvis Batista.

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FIFA’s Gianni Infantino Is Uglifying the Beautiful Game With $20 Billion Plot — But the Global Soccer Community’s Punching Back

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For the better part of two decades, perhaps even more, corruption has allegedly run rampant within FIFA. Sepp Blatter, in particular, became the face of alleged extortion schemes, and he operated with impunity while at the helm of the organization for 17 years, from 1998 until his forced resignation in 2015 amid an FBI corruption probe. He’s banned for life from all football-related FIFA activities. If you’re new to the organization’s alleged deep connection to corruption, Netflix offers a brilliant 2022 documentary, FIFA Uncovered. In that documentary, Gianni Infantino appears in his previous capacity as Secretary General of UEFA (2009-2016) and later as the newly elected FIFA president, who vowed to root out corruption and hand the beautiful game back to the people where it belongs.

That, as it turns out, was all wishful thinking.

Escobar Cigars, Co-Owned by Nas, Drops Four-Profile Robusto House Blend Collection

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Imagine that, Nas is getting closer to ruling the cigar world. The legendary rapper’s Escobar Cigars, which he co-owns, is making waves with the launch of a new four-profile House Blend collection. The launch is in partnership with Cigar Chief, one of North America’s largest premium cigar retailers.

The Manual has not yet had the chance to do a taste review (a pack is on the way), but Escobar Cigars says the four-profile House Blend collection (Maduro, Premium Blend Connecticut, Habano, and Connecticut Robusto) “has its own distinct wrapper, filler, and strength profile,” and that “all four are rolled in 5 x 52 Robusto format using classic Cubano entubado construction.”