Onra (France)
Colm K
Friday, 22nd June 2012, 10pm
The Pavilion
Admission: €8/€10
Friday June 22nd will see the much anticipated return of Parisian mastermind Onra to the city. His first show here in two years, Onra will be touring in support of his new release ‘L.O.V.E.’ releasing on Fools Gold Records.
Having dabbled with different genres and collaborators in the mid noughties, it was in 2006 that Onra found his niche. After his first visit to Vietnam (his ancestral home), he returned to France with over 30 Chinese and Vietnamese records from the 60′s and 70′s. From there he made a collection of 32 tracks with this unique material and named it Chinoiseries (the application of Chinese influences in art, a practice that was especially in vogue in the sphere of European art around the 17th century). Experimental in effort, it was viewed as a ground-breaking release with beat-makers worldwide for its combination of Hip-Hop and Chinese Pop Music Influences.
2010 saw the release of his most acclaimed LP Long Distance (All City Records). Notable mentions from Jay Z as well as a glorifying 8/10 review from Pitchfork only helped put Onra on the ‘one to watch’ radar. This time around the J Dilla influence was nowhere insight, instead Onra decided to hone in on the sounds of R&B eroticism, vintage funk and silky soul. The bed-enticing vocal of Reggie B on “High Hopes” coupled with the funkasaurus himself Oliver Daysoul (great name too) provied Onra wasn’t just a great beat-maker but a great songwriter too.
2011 gave birth to Chinoiseries Pt 2 combining elements of the initial 2006 release but looking further afield for influences. As well as the Chinese and Vietnamese references, Onra delved into rare records from Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. This year Onra yet again takes a step away from his ancestral roots into the world of futuristic funk with his Deep in the Night EP. The production values are his best to date – fat analog drum machines, Jan Hammer-like synths with more bottom end than ‘Precious’ and ‘The Colour Purple’ combined. It could have been the soundtrack to a coked up Miami in the early eighties.
There’s plenty to like about Onra, from Motown, R&B, Soul and Funk to Cheese, Hip-Hop, Boogie and Electronica. All lending itself to one hell of a waddle on the dance-floor.
Joining him on the night will be our very own Colm K. Colm produced studio projects for the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and released music via Brownswood. 2009 saw him sign with Brooklyn label, Bastard Jazz, and his 2010 Dancing Skulls release received much praise globally. Early 2012 saw Colm K release ‘Nuggets’, a 7”, via the Bstrd Boots label. A forthcoming release with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Fire, coming out via Choice Cuts, sees Colm K and Mr. Scruff on remixing duties. Colm K is working on an album for an autumn 2012 release.
This is a night you certainly do not want to miss!!
