Announcing: Mix Plate, a compilation of new music from Hawaii

Releases

Aloha Got Soul presents Mix Plate, a compilation of new music from emerging artists who call Hawai‘i home. These are the sounds of Hawai‘i today.

Releasing November 29, 2024 on limited black vinyl and digital.

Pre-orders begin on November 1st.

Mix Plate grew from a desire to support emerging artists and young musicians from Hawai’i.

Since its formation, Aloha Got Soul has existed primarily as a reissue label with a particular focus on the 1970s and 1980s; but those decades are becoming ever distant from our present day. So, while it’s been important for us as a label to shine a light on overlooked recordings from yesteryear, we’ve come to recognize the need to give the same kind of support to artists in the now.

Lately, Hawai’i has been experiencing a proliferation of new music from upcoming artists. The ever-erupting output across every genre comes from every corner of these islands. Worldwide, we’re living in an era where the amount of music released (especially on digital music platforms) far exceeds any individual’s ability to keep pace. From my curatorial seat as a radio host, I’ve observed this flow of fresh sounds with enthusiasm: in recent months, my shows on NTS, Hawaii Public Radio, and Hawaiian Airlines have frequently consisted almost entirely of new recordings instead of songs dug up from decades past. I’ve saved more than a thousand songs to a “radio research” playlist that I maintain (and there are dozens, if not hundreds more songs that I’ve missed), and I make every effort to include the latest gems during my limited airtime on each program.

This is how the idea for Mix Plate took shape. Sharing these songs through a mostly ephemeral medium like radio means listeners might enjoy a tune once, but often fail to revisit it. (The same might be said for tracks heard in playlists on streaming services.) A record changes this: it is a more permanent form, one that can be housed in a tangible collection and shared with others in an active way. Pressed to vinyl, music is guaranteed a lifetime longer than what any digital platform can promise.

(I should note that Mix Plate was also inspired by Home Grown, the contest-driven compilation series produced by KKUA in the 1970s featuring emerging talent from Hawai’i. The series provides us with a snapshot of what Hawai’i sounded like then; we’d like to do the same.)

Every artist on this compilation calls Hawai’i home. Some have moved elsewhere to pursue their music careers; some have, but then decided to return. Some are committed to staying here no matter what. What connects each artist on Mix Plate is their dedication to actively shaping the sounds of Hawai’i: by expressing who they are, where they come from, and what they know.

Respecting our past and the artists who’ve come before us is important and necessary, but it’s also critical that we carve our own identities now: to say what we mean; do what we feel needs to be done; claim for ourselves who we are; and, ultimately, create the music of Hawai’i today.

Releasing November 29, 2024 on limited black vinyl and digital.

Pre-orders begin on November 1st.


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