Interview with Onra
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A Parisian beatmaker and self-proclaimed “vinyl junky,” Onra (birth name: Arnaud Bernard) left France to venture out into Vietnam.   The trip was more than just a casual rediscovery of his grandparents’ homeland; he happened to be on a quest for foreign records from a bygone era.  Riding on the back of a motorbike through the narrow, hectic streets of Saigon, Onra tried to describe (in broken English) what he was looking for — clearly not an easy task.   Finally, after navigating a circuitous path through the city and meeting frustrating dead-ends, a taxicab driver led him to an inconspicuous spot where he got his fingers dusty at last. Before returning to Paris, he scored over 30 obscure records native to Vietnam.

Thus Onra embarked upon a personal musical odyssey that would largely define his musical aesthetic and build his clout as a DJ.  He began to fuse his hip-hop and electronic beats with old strains of traditional and popular music from China and Vietnam that were nearly extinct.  From out of this unique brand of beatmaking, he created Chinoiseries, his first solo album released in late 2007 (on Bun Bo Records.)   The underground success of his debut even led to Coca-Cola’s hand-selecting of one of his tracks for the 2008 Chinese Olympic campaign.  Onra donated a portion of his profits from Chinoiseries to a Vietnamese orphanage that he’d visited while traveling abroad.  Evil Monito had a chance to sit down with the DJ before he took off on a 3-month tour through Japan and Europe.

What part of Vietnam is your family from? How many times have you been to Vietnam? When was your first solo mission to the country?

My family is originally from Saigon, also known as Ho Chi Minh City. They went to France in 1956, but my grandfather was already working for the French army over there, so we already had French nationality.

I’ve been to Viet Nam twice.  The first time was with my ex-girlfriend. We got backpacks and traveled all over the country to discover its many different sides. That’s also when I got the chance to find the vinyl I used for Chinoiseries. Then I returned to Vietnam last summer to play my music in a few cities.

Chinoiseries – “Naughty Hottie”

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From my personal travels in Vietnam, I noticed that there is a street music scene. Most of the street musicians were physically challenged; whether blind, maimed, or mentally ill, this seemed to be the norm for the musical street performers. Did you encounter any similar street musicians and record, purchase or sample any of their music?

I know what you’re talking about. I remember this blind guitarist who was playing with someone else carrying an amplifier and a speaker so the whole street could hear it. He was playing and singing some Vietnamese folk songs.  There was so much emotion in the sounds he was creating. I’ve never heard a guitar sound like that. I got a small video clip of it, and thought about sampling it, but the quality was really lo-fi.

What is your musical background? Do you play any instruments? What does an average day consist of for Onra?

I don’t play any instruments and I’ve never learnt any. I’m currently playing some synthesizers, and trying to “auto-learn”, and find some logical methods, but it’s pretty hard and it takes a lot of time. My typical day is waking up around 2pm, listening to some music, replying to emails, doing basic stuff I gotta do… and then making music, until, maybe 5 or 6 in the morning. Of course, I also spend a lot of time on the Internet, so I’m not making beats 24/7…

Chinoiseries – “The Anthem”

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Can you describe what makes being in Vietnam different from your life in Paris?  What are some of your favorite cities in Vietnam and why? How is the sociopolitical atmosphere there?

Well, when I’m in Viet Nam, I’m on vacation, so everything is different. I’m in a different country, I don’t speak the language, and the weather is not the same either, so everything is pretty much completely different. My favorite cities are Saigon and Nha Trang. Saigon is the liveliest city in Viet Nam, and I love the atmosphere over there.  I’ve met some great people in this city and it seems like everything is possible [there]. I like the sensation of being free and being able to do whatever I want to in an instant.

Nha Trang has the most beautiful beaches in Viet Nam.  Life is much more easy-going there. Because of this, there are too many tourists … which kills the authenticity.  But still, if you like beautiful landscapes, Nha Trang is the place.  When I visited Nha Trang I rode my bike up this long hill to a museum.  Inside there were rows of shelves like a library, however instead of books, there were large jars full of strange life forms soaking in formaldehyde.  If you like to smoke green things you can go out on a boat to the local islands and puff away all day long.  I forget the ladies name…something like, Mamasan.  Just don’t go sticking your hand in the reef; for there are lots of deadly sea snakes.

As far as the sociopolitical atmosphere, I can say that you can still feel the communism atmosphere just a little bit. Saigon has become one of those Southeast Asian big cities, booming with new businesses. Everybody wants to make money, so there’s a lot of energy. I think the government has become softer in the last 10 years.  It’s different from China, where they seem to be really tough and strict about censorship.

Do they still blare propaganda over the loudspeakers on the streets at the crack of dawn? Is the internet still censored? I was there in 1998 so I’m curious to hear how things may have progressed….

There is no propaganda in the streets anymore; that is something old now and something [the Vietnamese citizens] want to forget about.  And oh the internet!  Lol, there are cybershops everywhere, everybody is playing online games or whatever, so there is nothing [that seems to be] censored.

Chinoiseries – “I Wanna Go Back”

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Hunting for vinyl in Vietnam must have been an interesting process.  Where did you find the albums? Can you tell me how all that went down? Did you have an idea that you were going to make this record before the trip, or did it take shape afterwards?

I can’t tell you where I found the vinyls, I keep this secret. But I’m sure everybody can find some if they spend some time looking for them. I asked numerous people in the streets about it, until I was able to explain what I was looking for, because how do you explain “vinyl” to somebody who barely speaks English? So I had to give them examples like “You know CD’s right? Before there were tapes. Before tapes, vinyls, you know, those big black discs”. The thing is that, most of these vinyls are colored! So [some people simply] couldn’t picture what a “big black disc” was!

I didn’t know that I was going to be able to make something interesting with this material.  I just randomly picked several albums, without being able to listen to them first. I just bought by the covers, and didn’t even pay attention to the condition, because when I actually found some, I was so happy that I was just like “Whatever…I need as many as possible!”

I heard you met a man during your travels named M. Hoa who helps people who are less fortunate. You have gotten involved doing charity work with a Vietnamese orphanage. Can you explain how this came about?

While traveling throughout the country, we stopped by an orphanage near Hue [a smaller city in central Viet Nam].  The guide we had was helping a French associate raise funds for that orphanage.  He kindly took us there to meet the kids. While there, I was feeling like it could have been me in that orphanage.  I wanted to do something to try and help them a little bit. At that time, I didn’t know it was gonna be with Chinoiseries, but when I came back, everything made sense when I listened to the old records I had purchased.

I already organized a concert in 2003 for a charity association which helped out [destitute or abandoned] children, so I had the choice between organizing another concert (i.e. [cultivating] of my networks in Vietnam) and making an album (i.e. [cultivating] the best of what I can create by myself).  Why not do both?  And that is what I sought to do with the release of Chinoiseries.

The French influence in Vietnam is clear in the cuisine — the baguettes — and the Romanized language. How about the music?

There is no French influence in music. Viet Nam has its own musical identity, and of course they’re inspired by everything that comes from the United States, just like the whole world.

Chinoiseries – “The Ritual”

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Travel can lead to personal growth and self-discovery, especially in a land that you are unfamiliar with. Did you have any epiphanies while abroad?

I can’t really remember one particular thing from my travels, but I can tell you that when I went back last summer to play my Chinoiseries album in front of the Vietnamese people, especially when I played “Last Tango In Saigon”, right in the city of Saigon, it was seriously something else! A feeling that I couldn’t really describe, but I just felt that I achieved something that was truly bigger than me in my lifetime.

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http://www.myspace.com/onra