Discover vintage Thailand one track at a time on Onra’s ‘Nosthaigia’
The MPC-produced record takes slices of Thai culture dug up from record shops and breathes new life into them
French producer Onra has released his latest LP, ‘Nosthaigia’; a vibrant collection of songs that traverse various genres and are infused with Thai samples and sounds, now available through All City Records.
After spending years in Thailand, Onra immersed himself in the local record shops, amassing a treasure trove of hidden gems. These discoveries became the foundation for ‘Nosthaigia’, as he meticulously sampled and crafted each track using his MPC1000.
What started as a casual exploration of unfamiliar musical landscapes evolved into a deeply personal and meaningful project for Onra.
Despite the sombre undertones, there is a quiet beauty to ‘Nosthaigia’ that is impossible to ignore.
The album’s vintage production style breathes life into every track, enhancing the record's depth and warmth. The sample work is exceptional, bursting with creativity in each song. Traditional Thai instrumentation and vocals seamlessly blend with the fresh perspectives introduced by Onra and his MPC.
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It’s definitely a project worth listening to from start to finish, just to immerse yourself in vintage Thailand.
Haunting vocals from ‘Hand in Hand’, strange yet captivating production (where the instruments are intriguingly hard to identify) on ‘Purple Flowers’, and the marching band-like percussion on "The Cost" all contribute to the album's unique charm.
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It’s hard to quantify what this album is, as it forays into so many sounds and styles from Thai culture from past decades, which left us eager to discover which slice of history Onra moulded next.
Purchase Onra’s ‘Nosthaigia’ here.
Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.
