Boom Shaka Laka
Music connoisseur, avid vinyl collector, journalist, skater and DJ Roger Bong, aka Aloha Got Soul, is a man of many hats. Perpetuating the lost and forgotten aspects of local music culture is a direct testament to his passion.
DJs
Night Shift
Bitten by the EDM bug way before it became a trend, DJ Shift’s sense of purpose is derived from an understanding that settling for synthetic dance tunes can only take a nightclub experience so far. Shift believes that further exploration can lead to greater rewards.
The Funk Kid
His friends call him Fu. Add the letters “n” and “k,” and you begin to understand the mantra that gives DJ Fumanchu his mana.
Kick Fix
As sneaker-heads from around the island search for rare gems for the sole at DunkXchange, Jack Da Ripper will bring his brand of beat brilliance to rouse up the inner soul. The celebrated East Coast party-starter is the official DJ for DXC, the planet’s premier kick-culture tradeshow, which returns to Hawaii for the second year in a row.
Dance Like An Egyptian
Oftentimes, the collaborative efforts of Aly Amr Fathalah and Fadi Wassef Naguib–better known as esteemed trance duo Aly and Fila–seem larger than life. Together, they are the cream of the crop and in high demand, also thanks to their producing and remixing for the likes of Gareth Emery, Any Mohr and the incomparable Ferry Corsten.
Pearson-ified
The musical depth of U.K.-bred, Berlin-based DJ/producer Ewan Pearson includes all things disco, clubby or rave. His signature sonic touch is what sets him apart from the rest–call it a special case of EDM ingenuity at its best.
Get Trashed
Filthy electro house of the infectious, feel-good variety infiltrates The Republik this Friday night, specially delivered by the eclectic rising star known as Tommy Trash. The mojo behind the moniker comes from a perfectly blended crossbreed of electro and tribal house that has become his signature sound.
Hi Ho, Silva
Dutch producer Sandro Silva will appear at the third annual Digital Wonderland, continuing the successful string of talent at this growing spring break massive. The 23-year-old is considered a prodigy for his quick rise to relevance in only three years.
Moor Better
Trancemaster Andy Moor, the Grammy-nominated music stalwart, will cannonball into the spring-break themed Livewire Beach Party 2013 spotlight this weekend. Despite the many trends and subgenres of EDM, Moor has helped it forge ahead.
Midori Sweet
Just two years into the game and DJ Midori is closing in on the apex of her career. Last month, the spinstress floored spectators at Mai Tai Bar’s Hot Island DJ Spin-Off by placing third amongst members of a talented, eager field.
Stott On
With all the quick-tempo thumps and neon laser lights associated with electronic music today, Andy Stott steps on the breaks with a down-tempo blend of quirk and rhythm. Lauded for his slowed down, organic dub and techno offerings, Stott has quickly established himself among electronica contemporaries by putting out a polished, futuristic sound folks can dance to as well as appreciate standing still.
Dirty Dancing
Justin Martin, whose parents reside on the Valley Isle, will come back to Honolulu for what has become an annual aggressive dance floor awakening. Representing his native Bay Area roots to the fullest, Martin’s Feather Fight EP, put out by Hypercolour, has hit solidly on Beatport since its release last month.
Feelin’ the Love
“I don’t get stressed. I focus on my music and what I like, but I always try to please everybody,” says Lopazz, the German genius who will release his latest EP this Friday night at Sunset Room.
Vinyl Tap
“The vibe hasn’t changed for me through the years,” says hip-hop vet and wax loyalist Oliver Twist. “I’m always excited to see what flows through me.
The Sound of Color
Four Color Zack, Red Bull’s 2012 Thre3Style World Champion, will return to the Islands for one crazy night at M Nightclub’s weekly party, The Manor. Though currently touring the country as a judge for this year’s Thre3Style battles, Zack will take a break to throw down for the Aloha State faithful this Friday.
A Riff on Raf
In the cutthroat, uber competitive community of Hawaii DJs trying to accumulate gigs and fans, DJ Raf has raised the pulses of hard dance loyalists by staying true to the aggressive hard bass genre. Raf, an under-the-radar talent, patiently waits for scenesters to pick up on his flecks of originality amidst all the carbon-copy sounds and cookie-cutter styles, and insists there is still a lot of work to be done.
World Premier
Christopher Edward Martin–aka DJ Premier–has made an undeniable impact on hip-hop lore. With master emcee Guru rapping and Premier providing the beats, Gang Starr became one of the most unstoppable hip-hop duos in the ‘90s.
In Glaude We Trust
The underground masses around the world never fully recover when Donald Glaude–the creator, the producer, the ultimate party fuse–is at the helm of the party ship. Glaude’s emphatic fist pumps and facial expressions during his performances are an equal mix of joy and intensity.
DJs
Boogie Bullets
DJs / Young, fresh and soaked in swag: DJ Lean Rock is a multi-talented DJ also known as an ad and fashion model and b-boy crewmember. As part of the world-renowned Floorlords b-boy crew, Lean Rock has subsequently traveled dance floors abroad with his devotion in pursuit of originality, but don’t think for a second that just because he can dance he’s a wannabe DJ.
2012 DJ of the Year: DJ Soundsex
The music, the mojo and the unwavering desire to take the scene beyond even the most optimistic expectations made DJ Soundsex the optimal choice for Honolulu Weekly Spin Zone DJ of the Year. Soundsex is wickedly good at pushing even the most frenzied crowd into overdrive.
DJs
All Aboard the Borgore Bus
DJs / His real name is Asaf Borgeer, but you can call him the Rated R superstar of dubstep, or simply by his DJ-producer alter-super ego: Borgore. Addicted to bass-heavy bangers, touring and worldly women, the Israeli wild child and his escapades have been closely documented, thanks to social media.
Don’t Panic!
Get ready to dance your life away with a wide array of music offerings at Chinatown’s End of the World Block Party (see Web Exclusive[dead-or-alive]), specifically progressive house and techno marvel Alex Zelenka. As the head honcho of the Invisibles record label, Zelenka has a roster of more than 20 DJs and producers under his wings who have aided him in his quest to infect the world with thump music.
Technological Elitism
According to DJ Elite, technology doesn’t make the DJ. The veteran believes the name of the game is always dedication before fame.
Turntable Tech
Avid clubgoers, dance-happy ravers and local hip-hop heads are all familiar with the ill tendencies of DJ Technique. The nightlife is his comfort zone, surrounded by quick-tempo electro sounds and boom bap beats.
Good Life, Great Music
It’s easy to understand why the turntable skills of Jason Takahashi–aka DJ Jaytee–might be overlooked. He’s one of the most accomplished young entrepreneurs of style and promotions as the point man for the popular street fashion brand Good Life, but it’s his focus on progress that makes him a force to be reckoned with in the DJ world as well.
This week
Derelict Downtown
For as long as we can remember, Chinatown has been notorious for drugs, homelessness and filthy streets. Some claim nothing has changed–and that it never will.
Sweet Ride
Bicyclists have long been overlooked by four-wheel riders on Honolulu’s congested streets. In the gleaming, armored pecking order of the road, cyclists are too often dismissed as lane hogs, hand-signaling nuisances and unfortunates who can’t afford cars.
Hoopili miss
The fate of some 1,525 acres of land at Hoopili in ‘Ewa may have been decided last Wednesday in Hawaii’s First Circuit Court. The decision might have gone differently, but the appellant attorneys’ strategy seemed to collapse as Judge Rhonda Nishimura picked it apart based on technical errors.
Housing First $
Last Thursday, May 9, the Caldwell administration revealed its action plan for solving Honolulu’s homeless problem. But at the City Council’s budget meeting the same day, Budget chair Ann Kobayashi wanted to know where the money for “Housing First” (see Cover Story, pg.
Do it Wright
The Mayor Wright Housing project has been slated for major redevelopment by the Hawaii State Housing Authority (HSHA); requests for qualifications will be going out to developers in three to six months. Nonprofit group Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE) wants to make sure the project’s tenants have a say in the redevelopment process, which could include major renovations or a total rebuild.
Street Disconnect
The Honolulu City Council held a special Committee on Transportation meeting on Tuesday, May 7, to go over its Complete Streets initiative with input from the department directors of Design and Construction (DDC), Planning and Permitting (DPP) and Transportation Services (DTS). At prior meetings, including the Moiliili workshop, community members pressed the idea of combining Complete Streets with Caldwell’s repaving projects, which Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute and some councilmembers have said makes sense.
Stopping Growth
Not much to agree with my friend Doc Berry (“Limits of Growth,” April 17). None of the scenarios he posits will ever materialize.
Get it together
In your Diary of May 8 (“End of the 27th)” you reported on SB 1214, passed by the Legislature. In their nimble way, the Legislature tacked the wheel boot prohibition on a bill that was intended to abolish the Commission on Transportation.
Look both ways
On Friday, May 3, at 3:45 p.m., I was driving town bound through the Wilson tunnel on the Likelike. I was parallel to another car, and there were several other cars following closely behind me.
Thank you!
Congratulations Honolulu Weekly on the recent Pai award for investigative reporting (“Boss GMO,” Jan. 4, 2012).
Truth be told
When the biofuel guys say that costs are “confidential” (“Big-foot Biofuel,” May 8), I reply that since I am the one who is going to end up paying the cost, I have a right to know. Frankly, when everybody tries to hide the costs, I smell rat …
Nature’s beauty
The Foster Botanical Garden never ceases to inspire for an urban setting it is like a step back in time (“See the Flora,” May 8). If Koko Crater Botanical Garden contains the world’s largest plumeria collection as suggested, it may be thanks in part to the Prussian born Dr.
