"I found that special find".
Look closely, and you'll see those words inscribed in the dead wax on the flip side of
AGS-7002, the second release from the Aloha Got Soul blog-turned-label (but still a blog!).
The idea came to me in January after picking up a copy of RVNG Intl's
anthology music by Ariel Kalma. RVNG's attention to packaging quality is consistently superb, all the way down to the dead wax. The Kalma release featured different phrases etched on each side.
Inspired, I wanted to do the same for AGS-7002. So I texted Mike Lundy to make sure I had the right lyrics for his tune "Round And Around", the B-side to "Nothing Like Dat Funky Funky Music".
This was January 27, 2015—four days before the release of AGS-7001.
Today is June 24, 2015—two days after the official release of 7002. When you
pick up your copy of 7002 at record stores worldwide (or online
here), tilt the record at just the right angle and you'll clearly see the etching: "I found that special find."
A small detail, but the meaning is two-fold: to preserve a part of Lundy's lyrics in a physical medium; and to speak to those who in 40 years' time will pick up a copy of this 7-inch and feel as if they themselves have found something special.
That's how I felt when I first heard Mike's music some 30+ years after its original release in 1980. That's why I embarked on this journey to reissue his music with his blessing.
Now here we stand, the second single featuring tracks from Mike's 1980
The Rhythm Of Life LP—which, by the way, is schedule to be reissued in full by the end of this year.
AGS-7002
So admittedly this post comes a day late. June 21st marked the summer solstice. June 22nd marked the official release date for 7002, accompanied by
a repress of the in-demand 7001. And today is, well... it's 7 minutes past midnight on June 24th. So this post comes
two days late.
The good news is: it's not too late to get your copy of both releases, available now
in the shop.
AGS-7002 is a special release because everything feels as if it has come full circle. Let me explain:
In 2010, inspired by DJ Muro's
Hawaiian Breaks mixtape, I launched Aloha Got Soul as a blog dedicated to documenting forgotten funk, soul and jazz music from Hawaii. The first two songs on that mixtape were Mike Lundy's "Nothin Like Dat Funky Funky Music" and "The Rhythm Of Life".
As of two days ago, both of those songs are made available on 7-inch and digital formats. It's almost as if it was destined to be, this collaboration between Mike and I.
But get this: Mike and I share the same birthday, November 28.
My goal, then, is to release the full LP reissue of
The Rhythm Of Life on November 28, 2015. Don't hold me to that, however, because we all know about the crazy delays at pressing plants nowadays thanks to Record Store Day (November 27 is Black Friday, RSD's second biggest annual event).
I'll do my best with the help of those around me to get the LP release out to you on time. As for this blog post, well... stay on
Hawaiian Time.
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