David Byrne’s Luaka Bop Announce 25th Anniversary Events, William Onyeabor Discography Box Set

David Byrne‘s label Luaka Bop are celebrating their 25th anniversary with a series of events in New York. Between October 1-3, Mmuseumm will host various performances, leading up to October 4 in Central Park, when the Modern Sky Festival will host “Atomic Bomb! Who Is William Onyeabor?”.

Mmuseumm is an unusual space. As a press release describes, it’s “a modern natural history museum built into an abandoned freight elevator and accessible only through an alleyway in TriBeCa.” For the Luaka Bop celebration, a 1989 Chrysler LeBaron convertible (“that may or may not have belong to Jon Voight!”) has been parked in the alleyway in front of the museum. Free performances from the likes of Javelin, Delicate Steve, Kings Go Forth, and Janka Nabay will take place in the backseat of the car. Find details here and a flyer for the events below.

“Atomic Bomb!” is a tribute to the music of William Onyeabor, the mysterious Nigerian synth-funk artist who was the subject of a reissue on Luaka Bop last year. It features Jamie Lidell, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, Peaking Lights, Dead Prez, Money Mark, Sinkane, Pharoah Sanders, and Mahotella Queens. 

In addition to the “Atomic Bomb!” shows, Luaka Bop will continue celebrating Onyeabor with a two-part box set that reissues his entire catalog. It’s out November 18 and features the eight albums he made between 1978 and 1985. It also features bonus remixes: Peaking Lights‘ rework of “Body and Soul” (above) and Man Tear’s “Love Me Now” remix. 

The collection will be available both as a 9xCD box set and as two vinyl boxes featuring nine LPs and two 7″ singles. That’s the artwork for the first vinyl box above. Find the art for volume two below.

Here’s a documentary on Onyeabor:

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