Stories — Recap

Bookended by gigs with Lord Echo in Tokyo and Osaka, our recent travels to Japan found us gigging in Kyoto, Nagoya, and Fukui.

I started writing this post while Hideki Yamamoto was recording his show for Central Pacific Time, an online radio station that me and Lei started earlier this year. Hideki provided a vibe, as usual (I miss DJing with him and Oliver every month at Soul Time In Hawaii — in March, we decided to scale back the Soul Time parties from monthly to a few times per year) as I typed furiously at the keyboard. We didn't say much throughout that hour. He was focused on selection and mixing, I was focused on recounting our experiences in Japan in April...

The last time I went to New York was roughly 2005, it was for a family vacation with my grandparents and older brother. We stayed in Manhattan, saw a show on Broadway, drank some Manhattans in the hotel lobby bar. We spent all of our time together, with the exception of one afternoon when my family wanted to see David Letterman live, so I decided to go check out FatBeats. I was actively collecting records and making my own beats back then. This was a time before smartphones were everywhere. Asking the front desk for directions to the FatBeats store...

Records stores, chance meetings, last minute errands, longtime friends, free beer, and the first train in the morning. A recap of Soul Time in Tokyo 2017.

The year has come and gone quickly, but not without bringing some incredible opportunities to the table. As the end of 2016 draws closer, I'm sending this note to express my gratitude for the supporters, collaborators and believers who have helped Aloha Got Soul grow organically and steadily throughout the year.