Stories

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...

In conjunction with our Japan Tour 2024, we teamed up with Japanese record label Ultra-Vybe for two special CD compilations: Sunset Drive and Seaside Vibes. Inspired by coastal driving in Hawaii, we curated one compilation for an uptempo excursion and the other for a mellow cruise. All local tracks featuring legacy artists, underground heroes, and new trail-blazers. The two CDs will be available in Japan starting September 18th.Artwork by Unko Riley (Riley Nakamura). ALOHA GOT SOUL PRESENTS SUNSET DRIVE (OTLCD5250) 1. House On The Rock / Rob Mehl (R.Mehl)2. Snake / Max High (M.Cuchet)3. Do A Lock Dance / A Change Of Pace (D.Mitchell-J.Peoples)4. Love Birds / Brother Noland...

Announcing our Japan Tour 2024: Aloha Got Soul's Roger Bong and O'Spliff return to Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima and many more for two weeks in 10 cities. Check out the full tour schedule:  Oct 3 (Thu) — Kakogawa at Room2 Coffee & Roaster Oct 4 (Fri) — Osaka at BAR Inc Oct 5 (Sat) — Hiroshima at 音楽食堂ONDOOct 6 (Sun) — Nishiwaki at Hot Spot NishiwakiOct 7 (Mon) — Okayama at DJ BAR 芽楼 -Mellow-Oct 8 (Tue) — Gifu at green yangOct 10 (Thu) — Nagoya at 24PILLARSOct 11 (Fri) — Tokyo at BLUE NOTE PLACEOct 12 (Sat) — Niigata at Bar HallelujahOct 13 (Sun) — Tokyo at...

Slack key, or kī hō’alu, is one of the most important genres of music in Hawaii’s musical history. It is a staple in our culture, and inherently Hawaiian, combining traditional chant with various musical influences from around the world. The name refers to the technique of loosening (or “slack”-ening) the strings, and predominantly plucking instead of strumming whilst playing.  The guitar as an instrument was enjoyed as far back as the days of Kalākaua in Hawaii, with it being noted that guitars were used in his coronation in 1883. A musical style developed in the 1870s, named “hula ku’i”, combined...

Hawaii can be called a “mixed plate” of people. Diverse communities from all around the world have travelled to Hawaii since the days of sugar plantations and made it their home. This is reflected in many aspects of the mixed plate culture, from the wide assortment of pidgin words originating elsewhere to the plate lunches we enjoy that could be seen as random to outsiders. It reflects in our music as well, and one of the best examples of that is the unknown “faux-Polynesian” genre of Exotica. Let us dip our toes into this wonderous world of sound…  (This post...