Onra
Encyclopedia
Arnaud Bernard, better known by his stage name Onra is a French
hip hop
beatmaker based in Paris
.
and Benji B and covered on Okayplayer.com.
At the same time, he began to collaborate with American keyboard player Byron the Aquarius and released an album under the name The Big Payback in 2007 on Japanese label Circulations. This project draws from various influences such as futuristic hip hop and spaced-out and jazzy broken beats. They also appeared on highly praised compilations such as Beat Dimensions and New Worlds.
In 2006 Onra went to Vietnam, where his grandparents are from, and brought back some 30 old Chinese and Vietnamese vinyl records. He then made a full album with this material, Chinoiseries, his most critically acclaimed album. Album cut "The Anthem" was chosen for a Coca-Cola
commercial for the Beijing Olympics.
In 2008, he was selected to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona
. He is also part of the 7x7 series by Irish label All City. His "1.0.8," project was inspired by Bollywood
music and has been elected as album of the week by many record shops across Europe. In 2010, Onra released his latest LP Long Distance on All City. The album features tracks with Oliver DaySoul, fellow French beatmaker Walter Mecca, and T3 from Slum Village
.
Onra has performed in Canada, Japan, China, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, England,Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Vietnam, Switzerland, Netherlands, France and Quebec, Russia, Thailand, and throughout the United States, including New York and Los Angeles.
Other Links
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
beatmaker based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
Biography
Onra released his first album with producer and friend Quetzal (Al Quetz) in 2006, A Hip-Hop Tribute to Soul Music, which was played several times by Gilles PetersonGilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson , is a DJ, record collector and record label owner from London, UK. Through his labels Acid Jazz, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu, Roni Size and Jamiroquai...
and Benji B and covered on Okayplayer.com.
At the same time, he began to collaborate with American keyboard player Byron the Aquarius and released an album under the name The Big Payback in 2007 on Japanese label Circulations. This project draws from various influences such as futuristic hip hop and spaced-out and jazzy broken beats. They also appeared on highly praised compilations such as Beat Dimensions and New Worlds.
In 2006 Onra went to Vietnam, where his grandparents are from, and brought back some 30 old Chinese and Vietnamese vinyl records. He then made a full album with this material, Chinoiseries, his most critically acclaimed album. Album cut "The Anthem" was chosen for a Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
commercial for the Beijing Olympics.
In 2008, he was selected to attend the Red Bull Music Academy in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. He is also part of the 7x7 series by Irish label All City. His "1.0.8," project was inspired by Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
music and has been elected as album of the week by many record shops across Europe. In 2010, Onra released his latest LP Long Distance on All City. The album features tracks with Oliver DaySoul, fellow French beatmaker Walter Mecca, and T3 from Slum Village
Slum Village
Slum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records...
.
Onra has performed in Canada, Japan, China, Spain, Scotland, Ireland, Lithuania, Poland, England,Germany, Austria, New Zealand, Vietnam, Switzerland, Netherlands, France and Quebec, Russia, Thailand, and throughout the United States, including New York and Los Angeles.
Studio Albums
- Present Tribute Bo Bun Records (2006)
- Chinoiseries (2xLP) Favorite Recordings (2007)
- Chinoiseries (CD) Label Rouge Prod (2007); Bo Bun Records (2008)
- 1.0.8 (LP, CD) Favorite Recordings, Bo Bun Records 2009
- Long Distance (LP CD) All City Records (2010)
- Chinoiseries Pt.2 (2011)
Singles & EPs
- The Big Payback (12") Just Like Vibes (2007)
- Tribute EP (7", EP, White or Pink vinyl) Bo Bun Records (2007)
- My Comet / Shhhhhhh (7", Ltd) All City Records (2008)
- Tribute EP II (7") Favorite Recordings (2008)
- Chinoiseries (7", Ltd) Favorite Recordings (2009)
See also
- Oxaï RouraOxaï RouraOxaï Roura is a composer, a multi-instrumentalist, a singer, a film maker, and a researcher in the field of ethnomusicology... Fascinated by the ancient African polyrhythms and chants, Roura received instruction from traditional artists...
- William BessonWilliam BessonWilliam Besson is a Parisian singer-songwriter. Born in France he writes and sings in English.Besson refers to his sound as Electri-pop – a mixture of electro, trip-hop and pop. He spent a stint in London, where he developed his music and live performances....
- DJ CamDJ CamDJ Cam is a French DJ. His tunes are almost entirely a hybrid of both hip-hop and jazz music, and is presented in an abstract manner. His first LP was Underground Vibes in 1994, and was revolutionary for its time, featuring familiar jazz samples and many vibe samples and heavy hip-hop influences...
- Willy DenzeyWilly DenzeyWilliam Thongrasamy, known under the pseudonym Willy Denzey is a Contemporary R&B and soul French-born singer with Laotian origins.-Biography:...
- Sidney DuteilSidney DuteilSidney Duteil , better known as Sidney, is a French musician, rapper, DJ, television and radio host, and occasional actor. He is well known in France for his connection with the beginnings of the French hip hop scene. In 1984, he was the host of the popular weekly French Rap television show...
- Abd al Malik (rapper)Abd al Malik (rapper)Abd al Malik, born Régis Fayette-Mikano is a French rapper and spoken word artist of Congolese origin. He took part in the group NAP . In 1999, he converted to Islam. He is married to French Moroccan singer Wallen with whom he has a child...
External links
Professional Reviews- Keeping It Long Distance - An Interview With Onra - From Synconation
- Onra - L.O.V.E. - Song of the Day on Synconation
Other Links