Stories — Releases

Things have been moving rapidly in our world today, with uncertainty. Every day, new updates alert us to stay safe, stay healthy, and for many of us: stay indoors. Except that so many of us want to be outdoors at a time like this, breathing in fresh air, walking unguided through forests, solitarily striding along ocean shores... So to aide such desires, we're releasing a multi-part series of field recordings captured in Hawaii. It's called Aloha ʻĀina. In other words: Aloha Got Soul is bringing you the sounds of Hawaii, literally. In the five years of the label's existence, I...

As with most artists whose careers spanned more than a decade, Liz Damon's Orient Express left behind a handful of unexpected obscurities in their catalog — most notably, "Woota" or "Feelin Good", a bright yellow-labeled 45 of original funk on Doncey Records, penned by the band's bassist Dennis Osurman and drummer/arranger Randy Isaki. For those unfamiliar, Liz Damon’s Orient Express was the de riguer pop music group in Hawaii, from 1969 to the mid-1980s. Visitors to Hawaii in the early 1970s fell in love with Liz Damon’s Orient Express for its enchanting renditions and captivating stage presence — and, of...

The story of how Nick Kurosawa's debut EP came to fruition starts with our friendship growing around the same time Mori by Art+Flea organized their first big Tokyo-based market. In 2017, Nick and I first connected on the recommendation from Lei that we link up to do some gigs and collaborations together. She had showed me a YouTube video of Nick singing in a UH auditorium and instantly I was a fan. Soon we started gigging together at the Surfjack hotel regularly. Those Sunday brunch gigs were always pleasant, a little silly, and full of soulful, wonderful music whether coming...

Hawaii is one of the last places on Earth to ring in the new year (which means we get to watch the world's fireworks and celebrations online before enjoying our own). And while we really wanted to get this out to the world before 2019 was pau, we figured it'd be best to save it for the new year and start 2020 off with a bang. FRNT BZNZZ's new release is a surefire winner for radio and dance floors in 2020. Have a listen: Entitlement Issues by FRNTBZNZZ Not just another tender modern-boogie duet, “Was It Love” on the A-side...

Tender Leaf is another crazy rare, ridiculously expensive album from Hawaii's recent past. Record in the 1980s, the eponymous album is a breezy, sometimes psychedelic collection of songs about life, love, and the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands. To this day, the Tender Leaf LP remains one of the most coveted albums of recorded music from Hawaii. Tender Leaf formed in the 1980s when Murray Compoc and Darryl Valdez met while working as drivers of the city bus (TheBus). The two shared a love of music and soon started jamming together, eventually forming a band. Both Compoc and Valdez...