Chinoiseries, Pt. 2

iTunes Review

Parisian beat-wizard Onra follows up 2007’s amazing Chinoiseries with its much-anticipated sequel, Chinoiseries, Pt. 2. In 2006 Onra visited his grandparents' Vietnamese hometown and brought back more than 30 vintage Chinese and Vietnamese records, which he sampled for both projects. (“Anthem” from the first Chinoiseries was even used in a Coca-Cola commercial for the Beijing Olympics.) “The Arrival” introduces the second chapter with a hint of scratchy psychedelic Asian vinyl, before heavy beats and turntable manipulation kick-start the funk machine while retaining the pops, hiss, and crackle of those old records. “A New Dynasty” follows, looping customary Vietnamese instrumentation over throbbing rhythms before “It’s All Memories” works in some gong, cymbals, and the beautifully weeping tones of traditional stringed instruments. The standout cut “They Got Breaks Too” makes good on its title's promise: Onra found a vintage Vietnamese breakbeat in one of these vintage records and lets it bolster his instrumental hip-hop.