Exclusive Interview with Onra

Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Onra, shortly before his performance at Mongkol RCA Studio on 15th March.

Your music is a fusion of ‘80s R&B, ‘90s Hip Hop, influences of Funk, Jazz and Soul, witch a touch of electronic. How would you describe your music to someone who’s never heard it before?

Well, I think you just described it pretty well. It has Hip-Hop roots and it’s influenced by almost any kind of music.

Besides being in high demand as a DJ, it’s your sensational MPC Live Set’s that gained you respect all over the world. How would describe your live performances to someone that has never seen on before and also does not know what an MPC is?

To someone that doesn’t know anything about this kind of music, I’m just saying I’m playing a concert where I only play my own music, with my electronic instrument that looks like a calculator, and every time I touch it, a sound is coming out of it. Just like any other instrument basically.
To someone that’s familiar with this scene, I’m just saying I’m banging my beats off my two MPC’s!

You are signed on Fool’s Gold – the record label of A-Trak, which became the youngest ever DMC World Champion (in 1997, at the age of 15) and the former Tour DJ of Kanye West. How did that come about?

A-Trak heard about me when I released my album “Long Distance” in 2010, and he became a fan of my style. When I was on tour in the US, he contacted my agent in New York and we finally got to meet and talk about a possible release on Fool’s Gold.

Your remixes of “One of Those Nights” (Juiy J feat. The Weeknd) and “F For You” (Disclosure) and the just recently released original track “Gonna Make You Mine” were highly successful. What other tracks - out of all tracks you have made - would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?

I recommend “The Anthem”, which I believe is my most popular track, “High Hopes”, which is a great song I’ve made with singer Reggie B, and “L.O.V.E”, which is probably the most danceable track I’ve made.

You live in Paris, but were born in Germany. Your parents are French, but your father has Vietnamese ancestry. Besides being adapted to the western culture, are there aspects of your personality do you ascribe to the Vietnamese/Asian origin?

It’s funny but I don’t really have a Vietnamese or an Asian influence in my education. I really look Asian but my culture is definitely more european or even more african because my mother lives in Ivory Coast since 1986, than vietnamese. I can't speak vietnamese, I can only cook! I think I'm very lucky to have a mix of many different cultures, I think it's part of the reason I'm here today doing what I do.

In 2007 and 2011 you released two albums called the “Chinoiseries” – all tracks made from scratch with samples found while traveling Asia. What can you tell us about the sample-gathering and creation process of those albums and what about Asia inspired you?

The best part of this creative process is to find the records, and then finding the good samples in those records, which is truly challenging because Chinese music is not that easy to sample and to transform it into something Hip-Hop. Sometimes I have to listen to 5 albums only to find a 5 second loop. It can get very painful for my ears! (laughs)

What are you currently working and focusing on? What’s on your agenda for the near future?

I have a few things that’s in the very early process of creation, so I’m not sure which project will come out first. But now that I live in Bangkok, I’ll probably start working on a third and final volume of Chinoiseries, that’s probably gonna come out next year. Before this, there will be one or two EP’s on different labels… Maybe an album on a independent american label, but I can’t tell now because it’s not confirmed yet!

What was the best and the worst gig you ever played and what was the funniest thing ever occurred during any of your performances?

Worst gig was actually my first international gig, and that was in Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2008. I was so scared, it was my first time traveling to play live, my set was still being worked on, so I didn’t really know what to do, or what I was doing at the time! It happened in a house, just outside the city, with bunch of foreigners, it was packed, but basically, the only vietnamese people there were only the technicians and bartenders… It was the worst cause people thought I was DJing, so I got some "Bros" asking me to play dubstep (...). Then the electricity cut three times during my set, and because I’m not playing off a computer, I had to restart everything, and it takes time, so there has been long silences in between trying to sort things out. Plus the police came complaining about the volume and we had to turn it down… It was just a nightmare.

You travel a lot. What are the essential things you need to have with you at all times and what are the things you miss when you are on tour?

The essential things I need to have at all times are my phone, my MP3 player, contacts, glasses… Some cash… Really basic survival things, I don’t need much. I’ve learnt to travel light because my equipment is so heavy that I can’t take many other things. And when I’m on tour, the only things I miss is just being home alone listening to my records. Sometimes it gets really hectic, I have to go to the airport everyday and sleep in another bed every night… I also have to make sure to be friendly and socialize with anyone that’s gonna approach me… So sometimes, I just miss being by myself, away from all the action, just chilling.

You are currently touring Asia, including Manila, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Hanoi, Shanghai, Seoul, Jakarta and last nut not least Bangkok, where you have performed 3 times already between January and February – one Live Set at Grease (your first Live Set ever in Thailand) and two DJ Sets at Moose and Flow House. How was your Bangkok experience so far? Were your visits limited to performing only or did you have time to explore and get to know Bangkok?

Well first, I don’t really call my DJ sets as performances, I’ve really only played once in Bangkok, and Grease was so packed that half the crowd couldn’t even get in, so I’m really happy to playing in a proper space at Mongkol Studio, so people can really experience my music the way I want to be.

The Asia tour is going very well, I’ve been headlining sold-out shows basically everywhere, so It’s great to have so much supports from cities I’ve never even been to. I think many of those cities have been waiting for my show for a few years now, so there has been a lot of hype around it.

And now, I live in Bangkok, I consider that I live in Paris and Bangkok. I feel good here in Thailand, I like the people that I’ve met here, I like the city and its different neighborhoods, it has everything I need.

On 15th March you will perform live at Mongkol Studio RCA – alongside Waajeed (Detroit, USA) and local talent such as Yaak Lab, Tul, Gene Kasidit, MC Sinnamon, DJ Boogie G & DJ Pichy. What can Bangkok expect of your Live Set?

They can expect some Hip-Hop, some Nu-Disco, some R’n’B, some 80’s Funk, a bit of electronic… All coming out off my MPC’s and with a full sound system! I’m really excited to be playing with all my friends that you just mentioned, Waajeed is an amazing DJ, such as Pichy and Boogie G. I think this one is going to be memorable!