soul of saigon

In Chinoiseries, French-Vietnamese DJ Onra channels J-Dilla with his own particular twist, sampling vintage pop records collected from flea markets in Vietnam. The crackle and hiss of the old vinyl weaves together the sparkling warbles of resurrected melodies with solid snare and bass beats creating a sound at once nostalgic and original. I am so tempted to make a Donuts - Phonuts pun, but due to the uncooperative phonetics of the delicious Vietnamese staple, I will instead leave you with this anecdote regarding the first of the songs below.



Onra - The Anthem

Onra - Smoking Buddha

Onra - Live from Hue

Onra - One Day

wonder when

Alright, and now to balance out the optimism of the last post, here is my favorite song by The Wipers. Probably known best for Kurt Cobain talking them up as well as covering them, this band still remains relatively obscure; likely due to the difficulty in categorizing their sound and their Fugazi-like adherence to creative control. Ostensibly a punk band, The Wipers sprawled into heavily rhythmic, sometimes psychedelic sounds, yet always maintained a melodic core. Their ability to cultivate songs simultaneously ominous and catchy in just the right doses is precisely demonstrated in this song.

The Wipers - When it's Over