Island Beats: A Look at the Hawaiian Dance Music Scene

Just a disclaimer: For those who do not know me outside of Jeremy on DAD, I DJ and produce under the name of Sinistarr. Whenever I get the opportunity to travel to cities I’m not familiar with, I try to spend some time there and see what makes up the scene – the people, the culture, the food, and most importantly the music.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Just a disclaimer: For those who do not know me outside of Jeremy on DAD, I DJ and produce under the name of Sinistarr. Whenever I get the opportunity to travel to cities I’m not familiar with, I try to spend some time there and see what makes up the scene – the people, the culture, the food, and most importantly the music.

In 2012, I got booked to play a show in Honolulu and in March of 2013 I returned to for an eight-day trip. After I returned home from the latter trip, I decided (as the curious explorer that I am) to dig in a little deeper and see what really lies beneath Hawaii outside of those age-old perceptions of grass skirts, mai tais, and surfboards.

Think of this as a directory of sorts when you decide to make a trip out to Hawaii – these are the promoters, DJs, and producers who spent countless hours in front of and behind the scenes to get some very massive names out to the aina and most of all, represent for the Aloha State.

Asylum Afterhours, Honolulu

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Your name/promoter name: 

Willis Haltom and Darren Zane

Years running:

Five years, every Friday and Saturday night.

Genre of music you regularly book:

House and techno

Resident DJs:

Higher Concept, Loic Tambay, Bernies_diction, Fathom, Russoul, Cryptik

What is your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far?

We've had a ton of amazing bookings. Everyone from Juan Atkins and Lee Foss to Claude VonStroke and Danny Howells.

Danny Howells on our four-year anniversary definitely stands out as a night that was one to never forget. He played for over five hours and the vibe was intense.

Where are you from, and if you aren't from Hawaii, what brought you to the state?

I’m not from Hawaii. I was born in VA and went to High school in Colorado. I've been living in Hawaii for almost 10 years and the reason I moved here is because I've always had something drawing me to the nice weather and beaches. It’s a very special place.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

The Hawaii scene has put me and my friends on the map internationally and helped us bring quality dance music to the islands. Luckily we have amazing weather year round so outdoor parties happen all the time... and we have some amazing after afterparties right on the water.

Asylum Afterhours | Facebook

Pacific Jungle/Subphonix, Honolulu

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Your Name/promoter name:

Gin Carter (DJ Saya)

Years running:

Eight years as of October 2013.

Genre of music you regularly book:

Drum & Bass.

Your Resident DJs on the night, if apply:

BillyZane, THD, Sejika, and myself.

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

We’ve done some bigger shows over the years at different clubs, Ed Rush & Optical probably being the biggest booking (twice), along with John B and Evol Intent, but my favorite bookings I have had have been when we've had bigger DJs play at Subphonix. The club is a bit smaller and the crowd is usually reflective of that, but always beyond stoked for whoever we bring. Dylan and Robyn Chaos were our first big booking and still one of my favorite shows ever.  The first time Shimon came out was one of my favorites also. Or the first time Whizard came out or the first time Circuit came…It’s really hard to pick. We have had so much luck with bringing out awesome DJs who turn out to be awesome people as well and many have become really good friends.

Are you from Hawaii? If no, where are you from originally? Why did you choose Hawaii?

Not from Hawaii. I’m from Virginia originally, Southwest Virginia in the middle of nowhere. I moved to Hawaii a little over eight years ago for a job, which I still currently have, doing coral reef conservation.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

Hawaii itself is a magical place that attracts wonderful people. I feel like our scene is reflective of that. As far as the true dance music scene goes here, most times everyone who is out is there to enjoy the music and have a good time… a lot of good vibes and friendly, happy people. I love that it is such a great place to bring DJs to because it is always so welcoming, and I feel like everyone who comes out to play always has such a great time, and that’s thanks to our scene and the people in it.

PacificJungle.com

Spells, Honolulu

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Sub.mission Hawaii, Maui

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Your name and promoter name:

My name is Corey Blecha and I run the Sub.mission Hawaii branch of Sub.mission Dubstep.

Club night:

We do a Sub.mission Hawaii monthly on the westside of Maui where we feature locals that are producing and DJing in the bass scene around the island. We always feature a resident, as well as a guest DJ. Our last event included Maui transplants, Incyde and Pandai’a, doing a B2B set, and it went really well!

It’s at a small downstairs bar called Mello’s that is near some of the resorts, so we try to pull from both the tourist and the local crowds to bring out a variety of people and introduce the sounds to as many new ears as possible!

Years running:

We are still in our first year as Sub.mission Hawaii, been out here for about 10 months now!

Genre of music you regularly book:

We mainly focus on the deeper and darker sounds of dubstep, although the Sub.mission Hawaii brand definitely has no boundaries. I have always been a fan of all sorts of different music, and my intent is to bring great musicians and performers to Hawaii, regardless of genre.There is such a void here for quality shows, especially in the dance music scene!

Our goal is to bring a variety of music styles, all obviously tying into the bass music realm in some way, but the sky is the limit! I would even love to get some bands out here, electronic-based acts like EOTO, Emancipator, Bonobo Live, those guys would absolutely go OFF!

Your resident DJs on the night, if apply:

We have an awesome drum & bass DJ named DJ Lovelace that represents for us, and I do sets under my Wasabi Jackson alias at most of our shows as well!

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

The best one for me was definitely night two of Joe Nice! Ill-esha was in town so we added her to the line-up as a last minute addition, as well as Incyde, who I had just met through Joe that week. To have all three of them together on one line-up was pretty special! Joe has always been a hero of mine, ill-esha is Denver fam from back home, and Incyde is a straight up badman recognized throughout the scene as an OG, so it resulted in one of the best line-ups we've had to date down here! The show was at a late-night spot in the warehouse district of the city, so we got to go all night and the vibe was just on point! It was one of my favorite Joe Nice sets, and it had been a big goal of mine since I came here to bring him, so as it all came to fruition I was super stoked and began to see the potential of the scene down here!

Are you from Hawaii? If not, where are you from originally, and when/why did you move to Hawaii?

I am originally from Colorado, born and raised there, and I had been living in Denver for the past five or six years before moving out here in September.

I actually moved here to get away from the scene a bit, travel, and see new parts of the world, and just chill out in general in one of the most beautiful places I knew of. Little did I know, the urge to put on shows and attend them would become too strong, and I eventually missed the scene so much that I decided I would try to bring some artists down here, if nothing else but for my own entertainment in such a quiet place!

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

The scene down here is definitely a little smaller, and stuff naturally takes a bit longer to catch on in such an isolated place. It is a very pure scene however, with passionate fans that are eager to learn about both the old and new sounds of dubstep, free from all the mainstream BS and drama that big cities in the mainland seem to inevitably have. It’s all about family with Sub.mission, and we have been working hard to build the ”ohana” down here as we spread the sound of the underground!

Sub.Mission Hawaii

Destination>Jungle, Maui

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Your names/promoter names:

Jamie Lovelace & Martijn Mollet aka Lovelace & DJ Matos…MATOS<3LACEd

Years running:

We have just launched Destination>Jungle as a platform for dnb here on Maui. We are five months in and our goal is to showcase dnb talent monthly from the island, the mainland, and worldwide.

Genre of music you regularly book:

DnB/jungle first and foremost along with other Bass genres, but dnb is always the focus of our monthly night and has been getting an amazing response.

Your resident DJs on the night, if apply:

Currently we are the residents, DJ Matos & Lovelace; in October 2013 we added a new resident, Bass Nymph. She's a Maui-born DJ that comes correct with every set, with her unique blend of juke/footwork/dubstep/dnb.

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

Our most notable event to date was Calculon!!! We brought him out to Maui to launch Destination>Jungle and it was a tremendous success! He is incredibly talented and we knew his sound would be perfect for the bass hungry scene here on Maui. We kicked off the night with Bass Nymph and she held it down proper… it was the perfect warmup for the night. Matos and I then brought our signature sound of deep dnb & jungle leading in to Calculon. All I can say is WOW! He threw down an epic set of fresh tunes and kept the dance floor packed all night!! And the party didn't stop there... Calculon rocked an epic second set at the after party with the Maui fam….setting the tone for what's yet to come for future Destination>Jungle shows.

Are you from Hawaii? If yes, whereabouts in Hawaii? If no, where are you from originally, and when did you move to Hawaii? This is optional, but why did you move to Hawaii?

For me, Lovelace, I am from Northern California.  I most recently lived in the San Francisco Bay area for the past eight years and have now been living here on Maui for a year and a half. Matos grew up in New Jersey near NYC. He most recently moved from the SF Bay area as well and has now been living on Maui for six months.

MATOS<3LACEd was born three years ago in San Francisco; we joined forces out of our mutual love for dnb/jungle with an ultimate goal to produce music together and spread the sound.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

Upon moving to Maui in 2012, I quickly learned that people have a deep love for Bass music on this island. The scene here consists of locals and transplants from all over the world, living in a remote paradise with a deep love for music, creativity, and a desire for BASS! What I didn't hear was dnb, so I pushed the sound exclusively with every gig I played for the past year and a half to build a following for the sound and give it the exposure it deserved in this bass heavy scene. In 2012 I met Corey Blecha and was welcomed as an original resident of Sub.mission Hawaii, through which he brought some amazing talent to the island including Joe Nice and Grenier. With Matos' move to Maui in 2013 we felt the need to create a platform to spread the jungle vibes with the island, hence Destination>Jungle!  Our goal is to bring dnb talent from all over the world, with a continued dedication to the incredible talent living right here on Maui. Too many to name, but we have some amazing DJs/producers and FANS of all genres holding down the underground scene here in paradise.

Destination>Jungle | Facebook

Soulgasm, Honolulu

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Your name and promoter name:

Lyanne Brooks / Housing Project 360

Years running:

Six years in November 2013

Genre of music you regularly book:

House, funk, soul... basically house with the perspective that all dance music -- whether organic or electronic, whether it be disco, world, afrobeat, broken beat, UK bass, nu-jazz, techno, etc. -- can and does indeed fit under this umbrella. For us, we bring it together under this type of house groove and soul without having to name all it’s derivatives unless we are doing a specific theme for a particular night.

Your resident DJs on the night, if apply:

Matt Kee, Yuji, Hugh B, Min One

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

Oh my, there’s been so many, we’ve had so many amazing DJs come through and our events are consistently great and has it’s own story to tell. I suppose I can tell you about one of the first notable ones  that happened which was when we featured the Grammy award nominated Nadirah Shakoor for a live concert showcasing her songs. She had asked me to choreograph the whole routine and be part of the dancing so I featured the only local house dance group from my dance school and studio Housing Project 360 to perform with her. A highlight was a song that was about the tragedies of war and I ran off the stage as a refugee and cleared the front of the floor while dodging the bombs and the other dancer flipped off the stage and we had the crowd completely into the song and on the edge. We also ended with Nadirah and the dancers coming off the stage and out into the crowd on the last song dancing among the people with one of the little ones singing a part on her song, it was sweet. The concert event also featured local musicians for an all live set which meant that the House songs were done with live instruments, so that was really cool, it may have been the first time for that and there was definitely magic in the air.

Our most recent featuring the fifth annual House Dance Hawaii contest was awesome too. There was so much love in the place.  The sound shut off at one point, and the crowd starting chanting and clapping a beat to keep that groove going and people kept dancing for a solid five minutes before the sound came back up. What was also very cool was that we had special guest performers and the house dance Hawaii contest and the crowd stayed glued to it for a full hour and a half, completely immersed into the show, sitting and standing and completely still with genuine heartfelt smiles on their faces.

Are you from Hawaii? If no, where are you from originally, and when/why did you move to Hawaii? 

Yes, I am from Hawaii. I grew up in Kalihi and now reside in East Honolulu.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

The Hawaii dance music scene means intimacy for the ongoing established events. It also means a taste of the mainland US or international with events who bring in guests from all over the world, and also with the raves that feature a lot of guest DJs coming here and their vibe. I think what stands out about Hawaii is that Hawaii has it’s own native language, it’s own culture and has a way for some of the events to mix the local culture and vibe with all the flavors of the US mainland and the world in one. And for some of the other events they are able to also introduce and bring some of the outside flavors here and present it in a way that the people here will embrace something different by taking a trip outside of Hawaii while still being here and absolutely love it. I think Hawaii’s dance music scene shows a lot of love for guests and welcomes all the other vibes on the globe.

Soulgasm Hawaii | Facebook

Incyde, Maui

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Who are you?

Hi, I’m Alex. My productions as Incyde has been released on Hotflush Recordings and Steadfast Records, and I also work on some other unreleased side projects.

Are you a native of Hawaii?

No, I moved here to Maui nearly three years ago with my fiancé. I love it.

How long have you been producing?

I started teaching myself production in 2008. I’ve grown a lot, but still have much more to learn. It’s a complex and intricate craft that has many levels of knowledge and understanding carried within it. In that way, there is always more to learn.

Do you DJ or do a live set?

I DJ, and throw my own tracks into the mix. I find that’s the best way to present new material while keeping up the live entertainment aspect of playing out.

If you do play out, give me your most memorable shows:

I don’t really play out in Hawaii much. If I do it’ll be for a small event or house party. I didn’t really come here for the DJ scene. I saw it as a chance to separate myself from the many distractions of a city scene and be able to focus on developing my own workflow and creative output.

Favorite program to use when you produce:

I use Logic Studio 9. I love its ability to customize the workflow to meet your preferences and production needs. To me it’s unparalleled in that aspect, plus it’s built for the studio so you know it doesn’t compromise sound quality, and you can load in virtually any third party plug in into it, or re-wire Ableton for its flexible sampling capabilities.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

I guess I don’t know enough about it to say. Here on Maui the dance music scene is rather small, recurring parties pop up for a while and then dissipate, mostly because of the population size compared to Oahu and the amount of full time residents to visitors.

DJ Pandai'a, Maui

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Your real name/DJ name:

Josephine Tempongko, but I DJ as Pandai’a

Club nights, if you are a resident anywhere:

I am one of the founding members of BASSIC in Boston, which is a bass music club night at the Goodlife in Boston, currently in its seventh year. I come back to DJ there once a year, but I am not currently promoting here on Maui.

Years you have been DJing:

A little over six years. I started DJing around the same time BASSIC was founded.

Genre(s) of music you regularly play:

I started out primarily as a dubstep DJ – mostly inspired by Kode 9, Skream, Pinch, and a lot of the Hotflush artists, but have branched out in recent years and been very focused on defining my taste and style across all genres.

Are you from Hawaii? If no, where are you from originally, and when/why did you move to Hawaii? 

I was born in Los Angeles, raised in Texas, and spent several years living in Boston. I spent a good part of 2006 on Maui watching local DJs like E.L.F., Zelis, the Kid, and Plush - this is what first inspired my interest in DJing.

I moved to Boston after that and eight months later, co-founded BASSIC with the dear friends that taught me how to DJ. In 2008 Dave Q from Dub War NYC booked Alex Incyde and myself as a tag team to open for Caspa and Matty G at Club Love and after that Alex and I were DJing quite a lot as dubstep became more and more popular. In 2011 Dub War NYC kind of came to its end and neither of us were very inspired by much of the music we were hearing, so we decided to take it easy on Maui for a while, and I guess we preferred being here because we’re still here!

There are a lot of reasons why we moved to Maui, and most of them are obvious. Maui is amazing! Most importantly, it comes with a really nice sense of clarity that makes being creative come really easily. You’re able to devote a lot of time and energy directly into what you love, which is SUPER hard to do when you live in a city with a very active scene. We both spend time DJing and making music daily, so being here is kind of like incubating. Of course the music scene on Maui is very small, but it is always changing and the people you meet are always very interesting.

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

I played in this space in the industrial district above a head shop called Earth Runnins, these really young local boys had put together this awesome party space and it was such a great underground spot, the music was solid and the crowd was so diverse and interesting. I didn't expect to see something like this in a place this isolated, but these kids are very passionate about what they have heard and they had an idea of what they wanted to create and did it, and that is super admirable!

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

I think there is a lot of potential for Hawaiians to put their own spin on electronic music in a way that is both unique and broadly appealing. We have a Hawaiian-born president, Hawaiian-born pop stars, and I don’t think it’s too far fetched to think that some amazing electronic music could come from here. I am excited about what might come from Hawaii, and it’s been a long time since I've been excited in that way!

DJ Pandai'a | Bassic

DJ CoonDog, Honolulu

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Your Real Name/DJ name:

Shaun Coon / CoonDog

Club Nights if you are a resident anywhere:

Slow & Low @ NextDoor - 2nd Saturdays

Insomnia Afterhours @ Club 939 - Random, monthly

SubMana @ Asylum Afterhours - 4th Fridays

Big Trouble in Little Chinatown @ The Dragon Upstairs - 1st Fridays

Catty Womp @ The Dragon Usptairs - 1st Saturdays

Years you have been DJing:

On and off for over 13 years.  I started purchasing drum & bass plates in the late '90s but didn’t get any decks until Valentines Day of 2000, which my wife-to-be wasn’t too fond of me spending the entire evening with on that day.  I had come up on a pair of really old belt drive Technics from a friend. They were a pain to use but ultimately a load of fun despite the pitch floating all over the place.

Genre(s) of music you regularly play:

Moombahton, trap, twerk, electro house/breaks, tech house, dubstep, drum & bass, tropical bass, zouk bass… Pretty much anything that has a solid bass line and feel good grooves. I tend to rip up and down the BPM scale and fortunately I get to play many different vibes on Oahu, so I can play a bunch of different stuff.

Are you from Hawaii? If no, where are you from originally, and when/why did you move to Hawaii? 

I was and born and raised in Southern California, and moved to Oahu in 1999.  I left for NY in 2002, and Washington State in 2003, before coming back for good in 2007.

Tell me about your most notable event or your favorite booking that you've had so far:

There are quite a few that I’ve had awesome experiences at.  I had a great time when I was booked alongside five friends of mine who are all each very talented DJs, Technique, NightMarcher, Packo, Sam Lamb, Dee Wizzard. and I were booked to do a six-man tag-set at The Republik for the good folks over at Electric Palms.  Out set was very impromptu but each of us were... how would you say “drinking what your pourin'” while playing alongside each other that night.  I do feel honored to be able to regularly play at Asylum Afterhours and at Chinatown’s best live performance venue NextDoor.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

The scene here in Hawaii really means a lot to me. I had only been to a handful of events while growing up in California before first moving out here 14 years ago, but since then I have also attended some of the best venues around the world.  Hawaii is where I really learned about the electronic music scene, how to DJ, and where I essentially grew up musically. The scene is definitely more intimate due to our smaller size, but I don’t think too many places can beat Hawaii’s beauty and landscape out here.

DJ CoonDog | Mixcloud

DJ Sejika, Honolulu

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SoundSex, Honolulu

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Who are you?

Miko Franconi aka SoundSex

Are you a native of Hawaii?

Although I wasn't born in Hawaii, I consider myself a native. My family moved to Maui when I was only six-months-old, then to Oahu when I was 4, so it’s all I really know.

How long have you been producing?

I started experimenting with FL Studio when I was in college in 2002, only as a hobby. I got serious with producing in 2009 and the studio became a regular part of life. My amazing parents started me with classical piano lessons when I was four, so music has always been there for me.

Do you DJ or do a live set?

I’m currently working on a live project with my manager Decoding Jesus (Lets Beat Milo Records). It's still in the experimental stage, but I'm pretty excited about it. I do DJ professionally as well. I started as an opening act for my brother back in '99 called Kibbles N Beats. I do it everyday, mostly for meditation. I really dig sharing other peoples music too, there are way too many unheard "gems" out there.

What are some of your most memorable shows?

I vividly remember my two-hour opening set for Dash Berlin at the Aloha Tower in Honolulu on October 20th, 2012. I actually still run into people (just recently in Las Vegas) that rocked out with me that night. Lots of respect to the Livewire/Pure Coalition Crew and AROH for organizing such an amazing night. Outdoor, waterfront, thousands of music lovers, and the crisp taste of aloha everywhere. Perfect night.

I also find myself reminiscing of Love Festival Hawaii 2012. That night holds a special place in my heart and gave me a glimpse of what the future of dance music will one day be for Hawaii. Kakaako Waterfront (one of Honolulu’s largest parks) was surging with aloha and dance fanatics (over 10k),topped off with Hawaii’s most talented DJs and producers. My set is pretty surreal to me; I still get goosebumps thinking about it.

What is your favorite program to use when you produce (or piece of hardware)?

As far as software goes, I’ve been bouncing around between Abelton and Logic lately. And when it comes to equipment, my M-Audio Pro 88 has been doing the trick, but I have a MiniBrut on my Christmas list.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you, and what makes this scene stand apart from the US mainland, as well as the rest of the world?

I feel really blessed [that] I've been a part of Hawaii’s electronic scene since about 1996. Hawaii radiates with such positive energies and a powerful music history, it’s almost as though the air breathes inspiration. I can already foresee Hawaii’s nightlife becoming a mecca of the global circuit’s market of cutting edge music, labels, producers, and DJs alike. I am proud to say that the underground is leading the pack in Hawaii for electronic genres. In 2012 I was honored to receive the Honolulu Weekly's "Spin Zone DJ of the Year Award," that only makes it more important to me to really make my ohana proud. It's absolutely amazing to have such a passionate and supportive foundation like the 808, I wouldn't change it for anything.

Mahalo nui loa! -mf

SoundSex | Soundcloud

Jacuzzi, Honolulu

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Your Name/Producer name:

Ryan York / Jacuzzi

Are you a native of Hawaii?

Yes, but I am not of the Hawaiian ethnicity.

How long have you been producing?

Six to seven years.

Do you DJ or do a live set?

Live DJ set. I use Ableton Live to trigger songs and loops through a mixer and incorporate effects to make for an exciting live show.

Favorite program to use when you produce (or piece of hardware):

Ableton, love the way it allows me to manipulate audio.

Who is on your radar that's about to blow up in Hawaii and beyond?

Mr. Carmack is a homie and one of the only dudes out here absolutely killing it. Love the dude.

Sandwich Island Bass, Maui

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Who are you?

Sandwich Island Bass (Darren Quinsaat, Joti Mangat, Rudy Castorina)

Are you a native of Hawaii?

One of us is -- Darren, born and raised on the north shore of Maui (Paia)… a cute building bears his family name in the town. Joti is from North London and comes to Hawaii via Los Angeles and a marriage to a local girl, and Rudy is from the suburbs of Paris and came to Maui 12 years ago as a professional windsurfer (now soul surfer).

How long have you been producing?

In total we have more than 10 years production experience between us, touching electronic music --  house, techno, moombahton, trap, future bass, electro, as well as trip hop, rock, pop etc.

Do you DJ or do a live set? 

So far SIB performances have been DJ-based, but with three guys and a bunch of controllers it always has a live feel.

If you do play out, give me your most memorable shows:

1. SIB Block Party, Paia (summer 2012) with DJ Sabo headlining seven hours of moombahton and tropical bass which started with an all ages block party with about 400 people, and then continued on at Charleys legendary saloon in Paia till 2AM - Sabo killed it!

2. Asylum Afterhours HNL (winter 2012) we went on at 4AM in the main room in the afterhours underground techno club, which is regarded as one of the best clubs in the world, with amazing sound, including the DJ booth! We were all pretty lean from our earlier show with Jack Beats at Aloha Tower, then a bottle-service spot for a few shots. We started out at 124BPM tech house for the local crowd and gradually took them slower on a journey from house, to moombah, to trap and back up. Local artists never get to play the main room at Asylum, and we kept the floor packed for two solid hours with a new sound. We were STOKED.

3. Batofar, Paris (Spring 2013) our first international booking! With our French connection, SIB hooked with the Patamix crew that hosts the HellYeah! party on a boat on the Seine in the city of a thousand lights. On the strength of debut releases, we were booked to open for Dismantle. It was a 2AM opening set, the crowd reacted strongly to our Cut Killer bootleg that we had made especially for the night,  and a Polynesian moombahton jam we had made for Sol Selectas (Sabo's label).

Biggest accomplishment as a producer:

We could say that our debut EP enter the Beatport House 100, but its really to have our music played by the guys we look up to around the world and respected by those we respect. Also when you make a bunch of people dance to your tracks, that works, too.

Favorite program to use when you produce (or piece of hardware):

Logic, Abelton, Coconuts, Mickey’s Ice.

What does the Hawaii dance music scene mean to you:

The Hawaii lifestyle is unique and a source of creative inspiration. On Maui, the scene is super underground and takes place at full moon parties, house parties and the occasional club night with international DJ. For us, music is about making music, and that means the studio with the crew. We also like to do Ustreams with the local boys, too. On Oahu, the scene is bigger and more mainstream, with agency package deal promoters doing regular shows. It’s more about pushing yourself on the mainland, in Europe and around the world. We sometimes bring other artists from our scene to us like Munchi, Pickster, Sabo, DJ Vadim, etc. to collaborate and perform together. That's the SIB dance music scene.

Sandwich Island Bass | Facebook

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