Stories

We are extremely pleased to tell you that for that past 12 months we've been working with London's Strut Records on a compilation entitled Aloha Got Soul: Soul, AOR & Disco in Hawai‘i 1979-1985, and it hits stores worldwide in February 2016. Compiled by Roger Bong, the aptly-titled Aloha Got Soul comprises 16 tracks of inspired funk, disco, jazz and AOR recorded in Hawai‘i. The release is the first definitive compilation representing a vibrant and varied era of recordings, and we're hoping it shines a whole new light on the Hawaiian Islands’ not-so-distant music culture of the 1970s and 1980s....

Mike Lundy's The Rhythm Of Life is finally available again in its full glory: the nine-track quintessential Hawaiian funk/soul opus that has come to represent the birth of the Aloha Got Soul record label and the rebirth of Lundy's almost forgotten masterpiece. Here's a snippet from the liner notes which expresses my feelings for this special project: "There couldn’t have been a more perfect collaboration with which to launch the Aloha Got Soul label. Working with Mike has been a blessing. Coincidence has found us time after time along our journey. We share a mutual respect for each other’s honesty...

When paired with photos from the evening, DJ Notoya's recording transports the listener to Soul Time In Hawaii. Together they recreate an authentic, nostalgic experience of what this monthly all-vinyl event in Honolulu is like. Even though the sound quality is far from perfect, it perfectly captures more than a mix ever could.

The editors behind Honolulu's Contrast Magazine have a very similar approach to what Aloha Got Soul is all about: We started with the idea that Hawai‘i is often overlooked because of its size and geographic location. We wanted (and still want) to show people abroad what Hawai‘i has to offer in terms of art, music, and culture. There are a lot of passionate people living in the Islands with great stories doing amazing things. Contrast is their platform. On the other hand, we also want to show our own community what’s going on overseas. In a way our publication is...

The premise behind every Aloha Got Soul release is to tell a story beyond the music. The story of Mike Lundy is mysterious, complex, and layered with good intentions. The story of this reissue project is marked by multiple coincidences throughout the process of rereleasing music from The Rhythm Of Life—so much so, in fact, that I've been told these aren't coincidences. This story was meant to be. A large part of the unfolding story of Mike Lundy's The Rhythm Of Life reissue project will be told in the liner notes of the LP release, due out November 28th, 2015....