Onra (born Arnaud Bernard) is a French hip-hop producer who’s roots are quite deep. Drawing influences from everything from funk to soul, and from jazz to prog-rock, Onra has been able to elevate himself into a key figure in the budding future soul sound. Whether it’s touching on his Vietnamese roots, or his love of Detroit hip-hop, his music is immersed in his own history, experiences, and passion.

Onra has long been family to The Loop Detroit, dating back as a regular reader in the early days of the former Renaissance Soul Detroit site launched over 10 years ago. It wasn’t until recently that Onra has been able to finally get to Detroit, albeit short stays on tour. “I love it for what it means to me,” says Onra about Detroit. “I just love the vibe from the people there. I got a lot of support from Detroit so it’s been a pleasure finally meeting all those people that I’ve been in touch with for so many years.”

This week Onra released Chinoiseries Pt 2, the second album of instrumental music made solely from Chinese and Vietnamese records bought from a few trips to South Asia to dig. The album is grimy in its production, with a transcendence of years of old records from his own heritage and giving it all a modern, fresh vibe. The Loop Detroit was able to catch Onra via Skype for the newest Loopcast on for chat about music and life while he was on tour in Japan.

LISTEN: Loopcast #007 – Onra


Onra’s new album Chinoiseries Pt 2 is available now via All City Records on digital (iTunes) and CD (Rush Hour). For a little treat, RCRD LBL has the track “A New Dynasty” for new download, and check out the video trailer below.