Onra ‎– Chinoiseries

There is something super addictive in listening to these 32 sketches, each clocking under two minutes long. And the story behind the album is fascinating as well. Onra is a self proclaimed vinyl junkie, who goes on vacation to his grandparents’ birthplace, Saigon. Returning to France with a treasured collection of 30 records (all in poor condition), Onra sets off to layering beats on top of forgotten samples that capture the soul of Viet Nam. Chinoiseries, is a compilation of instrumental hip-hop vignettes, each offering a quick glimpse at the music from this distant land. Although a bit repetitive, too short, and lacking progression, it is the ideas and the approach behind each track that make this a brilliant composition. Still full of crackles and hiss, the raw production will inspire any crate digger to venture further out in search of exotic material. This is an essential addition to any lover of lo-fi beats (please restrain yourself from rapping). And your purchase will also go to a good cause! "All proceeds from the sale of the [CD format of the -ed] album will be donated to ’La Goutte d’Eau’ association (la-goutte-deau dot com) to help their humanitarian operations for Vietnamese people." Recommended if you like J Dilla, MF Doom, Madlib, RZA, Flying Lotus, and The Big Payback. Favorite tracks: The Anthem, Relax In Mui Ne, Apocalypse Now, Smoking Buddha... (Ok, I’ll stop there. Otherwise I’ll end up posting entire album’s tracklist.)