Whip My Hair
Not all forms of creativity are created equal. The über talented Lopazz wears many hats–from multimedia artist to engineer to music producer.
DJs
Work It DJs
Individually, they’ve made setting the bar a habit, thanks to an untouchable credibility that all DJs and parties should strive for. That said, it’s practically unfair when the turn-it-out talents of DJs Anit, Compose and Eskae combine.
H’z Up!
Fifteen years of hip-hop radio is only half the story of Jimmy Taco’s longstanding contributions to Hawaii boom bap culture. While the crystal anniversary of the historic Mind Tactics Show ([jimmytaco.com]) is unprecedented, the creative output he fashioned is enough to highlight his resume–the Na Hoku nominated producer is respected a hundred times over because his passion and purpose can be summed up in four one-syllable words.
Getting Jacked
With every ounce of sound that pours through the speakers at gigs around the world, Afrojack represents the now generation of electronic dance music. The #7 ranking in this year’s DJ Mag’s Top 100 should further prove that the Dutch Grammy-winning producer phenom doesn’t take the recognition nor the responsibility lightly.
Barcelona’s Calming Center
The upper echelon of world dance music producers frequent the island more than people realize, or care to realize, making Hawaii both ahead and behind the times depending on perception. Italian DJ producer Luca Bachetti is on his way.
The Consumable Boom
Outspoken, out of the box and bluntly honest. Living life without a filter helps Christian the Lion, aka Glitchdick, rage like no other.
Bozu Battles
DJ Bozu would be the first to admit that his grasp of the English language needs a little work. After coming out victorious at the Dave and Buster’s DJ Battle last week, it’s apparent that his DJ skills are also on the come-up.
Electro House Crunk? Yeahhhh!
Electro house crunk. Does the sound even exist?
Positive Dope Riddims
After debuting his exclusive recordings with Shinehead at Indigo’s this past First Friday, Vince of Positive Regime has proved once again that music from the heart always wins. Ever since his days rocking KTUH airwaves in 1993, the anti Top 40 activist has stood by his beliefs and kept his creativity and soul for dope riddims intact.
Catching Tons of Wreck
A dynamic duo of dance-thumping proportions is about to take the island hostage. For one night only, Chinatown will give way to Faust and Shortee, collectively known as Urban Assault.
Making the Ibiza of the Pacific
For DJ Russoul, scene before self has been applauded by his peers and has been the formula for many of his DJ successes. As he continues to groove forward and mix in the steady streams of support, the Hawaii Kai native has proved time and time again that music does in fact fuel his soul.
Everyday We Shuffling
Aim for your brain to trigger your on-beat (hopefully) body rev mechanism because everyday we shuffling, Headhunterz style, Thursday night at Soho. Prepare for an overdose in hardstyle juice as the #1 hard dance DJ on the planet (#36 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 of 2010) and the hordes of representatives of Oahu’s shuffle (Trend) nation celebrate one of the surefire highlights of Hawaii EDM 2011.
Chee-hoo Reveling
This weekend’s signature Island music massive will experience an eclectic electronic music twist courtesy of DJ Tide. Tide’s remarkable house and breakbeat devotion has run deep ever since he was inspired by the legendary Kakaako Carl Cox New Year’s Eve bash of 2000.
Definitely Dilated
Once upon a time, DJ Babu was raising funds working at a gas station to fly his way out to the DMC Finals in New York City. Friday night, the Jedi master of head-nodding beats, won’t have to trip about a plane ticket and will be headlining a celebration event with King DMC of legendary RUN DMC.
We Lava the Visual Yum
To resurrect and legitimize the rock missing from 808 “party rock” is the singular purpose of DJ Lava’s music mission. With the addition of his video mixing addiction that was developed in the Islands and refined in Las Vegas, Lava’s full-throttle, throw-down, turntable tactics has proved to be a special commodity in Hawaii nightlife circles.
And Shoes Too…
New Jersey, New York, Las Vegas, Colorado and Hawaii, this is just this week’s itinerary and a small sample size of the life and times of being a DJ on top of the world. Introduced to the club scene by the late DJ AM, DJ Vice has become synonymous with Vegas A-list nightlife.
DJs
Cracking the Dance Code
DJs / Wild styles and party beats galore is what should be in store as Japan’s DJ Masterkey intends to crack the Z-bar dance code and test the threshold of Waikiki clubheads by taking them all to the brink. Credit the icon for spreading the boom-bap flavor of nightlife all over Shibuya.
Hop on That Kinky Sound Cloud
Fact: Just about every superstar “shejay” is one part hottie and one part deckwrecker. Lisa Lashes is that, times 100.
Press Refresh for Strength Training
Just about everyday, whether we care to admit it or not, our minds are contaminated with crapola disguised as music. A long overdue aural detox is in order courtesy of international phenom John Tejada.
Guaranz Bo Baranz Frazzle
Matt Ratt brings the crowdplay disguised as foreplay simply because it’s the only way. “With an empty dance floor all the time, you might as well be a bedroom DJ,” says one of the 808’s best-kept secrets.
Does Diplo Plank?
The Love Festival, Hawaii’s premiere music festival, got an extremely huge boost back in February when Diplo was announced as this year’s headliner. His def-defying work with Hollertronix (DJ Low Budget) brought underground relevance; 2008’s pop hit “Paper Planes” let the world know of his production swagger, his Mad Decent label and Major Lazer’s offerings further solidified his place among the who’s who of talented music minds of this generation.
Chocolatey Swag & Skill
DJ White Chocolate / By Hawaii standards, DJ White Chocolate could murk a lot of today’s DJs by knowledge alone. From Afghanistan and Nevada, meet a big time advocate of establishments and club crowds who let the DJ wild out, and who encourages creativeness above all else.
Never Skipping a Beat
DJ Rayne / Hawaii’s electronic music family has benefited from the passion that pours out of DJ Rayne. His 15 plus years of owning his craft and impacting the scene makes his take on Hawaii-style electronica spot-on accurate and inspiring.
Are You Worthy?
Worthy / It’s true, dirty birds of an electronic music feather flock together and in the case of Worthy, yes he destroyed Oahu in May, but he missed Hawaii’s underground faithful so much that he just had to fly back for an encore. His tech house sav meets Bay Area swag will surely incite dance utopias as Indigo and the party people behind Revive opens their doors to the 18 and over set for the very first time.
Through- the-Roof Ambience
DJ Edit / Not many DJs are capable of talking about music and perpetuating the perception of Hawaii DJs non-stop, all-day long without caffeine enhancement. But if he wanted to, nightlife mainstay DJ Edit could.
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.
