French beat-maker and globetrotting producer Onra is about to return to Australia for the first time since his live debut Down Under in 2011.
Live, Onra’s show combines his many musical interests with an impressive technical mastery, wrangling hardware and gear towards an ear-tickling mix of surprises, eschewing the trend of heads-down and very much performance-less laptops for a more engaging show that lives up to its ‘live’ reputation.
We caught up with Onra for a quick chat ahead of his return to Australia.
You toured Australia for the first time in 2011. Do you remember much from the last time you were here?
Yes of course I remember a lot of things and a lot of people. It was my first time in the country so I was trying to be as curious as possible, asking a lot of questions about everything, just trying to get an impression of the culture and the lifestyle. I have a very positive opinion about Australia, I see it like a well-kept secret.
How do you think your music has changed since the last time you were Down Under?
It hasn’t really changed that much actually. I’ve been on tour a lot and I haven’t been that prolific, even though I released two albums (Chinoiseries Pt.2 and Yatha Bhuta Jazz Combo with Buddy Sativa) and an EP (Deep In The Night), but my music hasn’t really evolved to something new. I think it might sound better though.
When you’re here in late July what can punters expect from an Onra show that they may not have experienced the last time you were here?
Well, my show is pretty “straight-to-the-point”, it’s just a dude on stage pushing buttons on vintage machines. I don’t have a laptop, it’s only hardware equipment, such as my trusty Akai MPC1000’s, which is the instrument I use to produce as well, so that’s definetely not your regular laptop show. I’m trying to make it as entertaining as I can, but I’m not acting a fool on stage, I don’t have crazy visuals nor do I crowd surf in huge plastic balls.
Throw Em’ Up 2, a collaboration album you did with Lexis on Mid 90s R’n’B songs, was just made available online.
Lexis and I always have ideas about things we should do, he’s always creative on his site (musicismysanctuary.com) and we both love concepts. So we just decided to make a mid-90’s R’n’B mixtape, because that’s the kind of music we grew up to, and we wanted to share our knowledge with the younger generation basically. It was a particular era that lasted from 1993 till 1996/7, where R’n’B and Golden Age Hip-Hop fusioned and that’s what we love about it. We called it Throw’Em Up, cause there’s no specific name to that genre, it’s post-New Jack Swing, and it’s not just R’n’B (cause the term is so wide). So we decided to call this that way, in reference to how people used to dance in videos, hands in the air and just vibing to the music. It’s a move that totally disappeared cause the tempo of music changed, all the songs in this mix are around 90 BPM, nowadays, most of the song are around 70 BPM.
What is it about mid090s R’n’B that you love so much?
I grew up on it… This and Hip-Hop, only. I’ve never listened to anything else in my youth, no electro, nothing. So I can’t really tell you what I love so much about it, it’s just part of me. Those two genres, during the 90’s, gave me the passion I have for music today, that’s how it started.
From Tribute To Chinoiseries your work is fairly diverse. Should we expect your future releases to focus on different genres?
I really can’t predict what’s next. For example, I never knew I was gonna make a Spiritual Jazz album… Even three years ago, it was something that would have sounded crazy and impossible. So, I’m not sure where I’m going, what I’m gonna do. I have a couple projects that I started a long time ago, in totally different genres and I want to try some new things too… I’m just gonna keep it spontaneous and see where it takes me.
You’ve been fairly prolific since 2006 releasing new material almost every year since. Have you been working on new music while you’ve been on tour?
I’ve never made a beat while being on tour and I’m on tour a lot. I don’t know how other people do… Well, I don’t make music on a computer, so it’s not like I could plug my MPC in the plane or during those boring moments. As soon as you land somewhere for a show, you’re constantly working according to a schedule which leaves you only a couple hours rest here and there, and I’d rather just rest, than trying to make music in an impersonal hotel room.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod at the moment?
90’s Hip-Hop & R’n’B, Jazz, Reggae, Soul, Funk, Dub, Boogie, Psych Rock, Garage, Prog Rock, some old french Pop and some Electro. It’s a Shuffle, so, there’s no rotation. The whole thing is on heavy rotation.
If you could collaborate with any living Australian artist who would it be?
I don’t know much about Australian artists unfortunately, but I’m gonna say Ta-Ku! We were at the Red Bull Music Academy together back in 2008 and he’s a good friend of mine.
What are your plans for the rest of 2013?
I have no plans really, I just go with the flow. I know I have a few shows here and there, and I know I want slow down on shows too, I just want to stay home and make music for a while but I think I might have a nice tour in Asia coming up soon, that’s something I’m looking forward to.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
My releases are available on vinyl in every good record stores. And you can buy stuff on Itunes, classic.
Onra 2013 Australian Tour Dates
18th July – Howler – Melbourne / Tickets: h-w-l-r.com
19th July – Oxford Art Factory – Sydney / Tickets: moshtix.com.au
20th July – The Bakery – Perth / Tickets: nowbaking.com.au
24th July – Mixed Tape at Sugar – Adelaide / Tickets: sugaradelaide.com
25th July – Coniston Lane – Brisbane / Tickets: moshtix.com.au
Listen To Second Chance here:
