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Aloha Got Soul

Aloha Got Soul HHV Records 14 Items

Name: Kalapana - Kalapana II Blue Vinyl Edition
Brand: Aloha Got Soul
SKU: 919841v1
Price: 17.99 EUR
Availability: InStock

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Aloha Got Soul

Kalapana

Kalapana II Blue Vinyl Edition

LP | 1976 | US | Reissue (Aloha Got Soul)

17,99 €*

Incl. VAT plus Shipping Costs

Release: 1976 / US – Reissue

Genre: Rock & Indie

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Following the massive success of their debut album in 1975, Kalapana returned to the studio in 1976, this time at Audiotronics in West Covina, California, this time taking the lead in producing the record. Barry Fasman, the Los Angeles-based producer whom the band credited with making their first record shine, joined them in the studio for string arrangements and to conduct certain tracks. However, on Kalapana II, the band felt fully prepared to produce the album themselves. And they did so, marvelously.

Little did they know, this would be the last time all four original band members would record an album together.

Second in a trio of eponymous albums from 1975 to 1977, Kalapana II expanded upon Kalapana I’s now-classic sound while leaning into styles not previously heard on their debut: lead vocalist Malani Bilyeu weaved a love-lorn country ballad into the new LP with “Wandering Stranger”, and keyboardist Kirk Thompson forever left his mark on the group’s legacy with the latin jazz-funk instrumental, “Black Sand”. (The tune became a staple for the band’s live performances: they’ve opened practically every concert ever since with the composition).

Considering the mastery and timelessness of Kalapana I, a sophomore LP could have easily fallen short of the high standard they had set. Yet they did it, cutting a second LP with back-to-back, timeless hits that continue to resonate today. As a quartet — supported by the propulsion of drummer Alvin Fejarang and saxophonist Michael Paulo’s prowess — Mackey Feary, Malani Bilyeu, D.J. Pratt, and Kirk Thompson solidified their legacy as one of Hawaii’s greatest groups of all-time with this recording.

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Kainani Kahaunaele

He Lei Aloha No Mi Nei

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

11,99 €*

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Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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A Sade-inspired take on Hawaiian music, Kainani Kahaunaele’s “He Lei Aloha No Mī Nei” melds the beauty of the Hawaiian language with a heavenly R&B groove.

Reminiscent of Nohelani Cypriano’s “Lihue” — the 1979 cult classic that expanded the sound of Hawai‘i with its unexpectedly funky, tropical flavor — “He Lei Aloha No Mī Nei” charges forward into the 21st century with the same spirit. Kainani’s gentle voice and lyrics float across shimmering vocal arrangements and soft touches of piano, accompanied by tasteful drum programming, acoustic guitars swaying like palms against the calming warmth of the bass line.

Known throughout Hawai‘i as one of the archipelago’s greatest advocates of the native Hawaiian language, 'Ōlelo Hawai’i, the singer, songwriter and educator finds music is one of her best methods for perpetuating the language. “I have to be the example that Hawaiian is a living language that you can apply in all facets of your life,” she told the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo in a 2021 interview.

As the closing track on her award-winning album, Waipunalei, “He Lei Aloha No Mī Nei” stands out from the rest of the album with its modern R&B style. Instead of composing in a familiar “cha-lang-a-lang” style, Kainani and her collaborators deliberately placed the song, or mele, outside the box of what might typically considered “Hawaiian music”. For Kainani, mele is rooted in the lyrics, which come from a Hawaiian worldview. “To me, that’s the most important part. And when that part is set, there really is no limit to what kind of music you can put around it to support the mele.”With “He Lei Aloha No Mī Nei”, she achieves that with a shining example for generations past and present to carry the Hawaiian language into the future.

Pressed to 7-inch vinyl and housed in a full color jacket with full color labels. The B-side of this release offers the instrumental version as a mahalo, or thank you, to the talents and strengths of Kainani’s collaborators, Shawn Kekoa Pimental, Michael Grande, and Kale Chang.

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Nicadrio Lee

Palette Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

16,99 €*

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Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Rock & Indie

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A bedroom city pop, math rock album of original songs recorded and performed entirely by the 19-year-old guitarist * New territory for Aloha Got Soul, expanding its catalog to represent new music from Gen Z.

Now in its sixth year as a fully-fledged record label, Aloha Got Soul enters new territory with teenage guitarist Nicadrio Lee and his self-produced Palette, a bedroom city pop, math-rock album of original songs recorded and performed entirely by the 19-year-old guitarist. Palette is inspired by Nicadrio Lee's musical journey, which began in Honolulu, Hawaii, and has brought him to study in New York City.

Nicadrio's own encounters in music and interactions with people prompted a question: 'What makes a song sound and feel good?' He discovered that a song is not labeled 'good' simply because of who is playing the music or because of how well an instrument is being played, but because an artist is able to inspire emotion through vibration, mood through sound, and life through music.

Palette tells a complete story of Nicadrio Lee's experiences to date. It marks the beginnings of the journey in music that awaits this young musician.

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Nicadrio Lee

Palette Purple Vinyl Edition

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

16,99 €*

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Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Rock & Indie

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Kalapana

Aloha Got Soul Selects Kalapana

5x7" | 2023 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

60,79 €* 63,99 € -5%

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Release: 2023 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Kalapana’s catalog is vast. For us (and many others), Kalapana is the crème de la crème of local music. Their catalog, whilst expansive across decades, feels most potent in its earliest days with its back-to-back triage of eponymous albums, starting with 1975’s Kalapana I and capping with 1977’s Kalapana III. By then, Mackey had left the group and keyboardist Kirk Thompson would soon carve his own path with Lemuria, Babadu, and other soulful projects. Even the most casual listener can discern a stylistic shift with III, which opens with Malani’s “Girl” and closes with D.J. Pratt’s “Alisa Lovely”. Following Aloha Got Soul’s vinyl reissue of Kalapana’s first and second albums, we asked ourselves what we’d want to see in Kalapana’s catalog.

Spanning 10 songs across five records, the Aloha Got Soul selects Kalapana 7-inch box set compiles all our favorite tunes that we love to play loud and proud, the songs that get people dancing, singing, laughing and loving.

Compiled from the band’s first three albums, each track is a certified jam. From Kalapana I, we selected the all-time classic grooves “The Hurt”, “What Do I Do”, “When The Morning Comes”, “All I Want”, and “Everything Is Love”. From their sophomore release, we chose the delightfully funky “Love Em”, and the uptempo jazz-rock tunes “Freedom” and “Black Sand”. From their third LP, we pulled our go-to tracks: the instrumental latin jazz-burner “Mana” and the ultra-catchy bop “Up To You”.

These are the Kalapana jams constantly on repeat for us. (We excluded ballads from our selection because we wanted this box set to be bangers from start to finish.)

Each box set is foil-stamped and numbered as part of a limited edition.

It contains five 7-inch records with custom Kalapana paper sleeves, and sealed with custom Kalapana tape. Each vinyl has a song lyric etched into the vinyl’s deadwax (the blank area in between the grooves and the label).

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Kalapana

Kalapana II Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 1976 | US | Reissue (Aloha Got Soul)

17,09 €* 17,99 € -5%

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Release: 1976 / US – Reissue

Genre: Rock & Indie

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Teresa Bright

Blue Skies Blue Vinyl Edition

LP | 2022 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

37,99 €*

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Release: 2022 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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In 2005, acclaimed Hawaiian singer Teresa Bright —whose recording debut, Catching A Wave, was reissued by Aloha Got Soul in 2020 — recorded a jazz-tinted album with pianist/engineer Kit Ebersbach. The project brought to to life Bright's favorite standard songs alongside tunes that feel expressly written for her sultry voice. The singer's original composition, “Sp-r-ing”, fits right at home in the collection. These recordings patiently sat on Ebersbach’s hard drive for 15 years until 2020, when Aloha Got Soul released the album digitally. The vinyl is scheduled for release on February 25, 2022.

In December 2020, Bright received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawai’i Academy of Recording Arts. The award came following a lifelong career spanning more than a dozen albums, numbers Na Hoku Hanohano awards, countless songwriting, arranging, and producing credits, domestic and international concert performances, plus a long list of Hawaiian language translations for peers near and far. In anticipation of the awards ceremony, Ebersbach approach Aloha Got Soul with the suggestion to finally release Blue Skies, the 2005 jazz record they'd cut with studio veterans Dean Taba, Noel Okimoto, Rocky Holmes, Casey Olsen, and Sam Ahia, Jr. Together with the help of Bright's partner, Derrick C.M. Llanos, we released 'Blue Skies' digitally in December 2020.

“Iʻm so glad we waited,' said Ebersbach of the digital release in 2020. 'There can be no better moment to do this than on this very day, commemorating her lifetime of making beautiful music.”

Ags-057 is a wonderful addition to the catalog of beautiful sounds that Bright has been singing since the beginning of her career, from Catching A Wave through today.

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Don Tiki

Hot Like Lava Red & Black Swirl Vinyl Edition

LP | 2021 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

35,99 €*

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Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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First-ever vinyl pressing of Don Tiki’s music. * LP Includes custom Don Tiki 3D glasses * Tracklist selected by the group’s co-leader, Fluid Floyd * Artwork designed by Mexico City-based illustrator Dr. Alderete

The leaders of exotica’s turn-of-the-21st-century revival make their vinyl debut with Aloha Got Soul in 2021. Hot Like Lava collects the group’s top instrumentals for an exhilarating, paradisiacal ride through the world of tiki subculture. Don Tiki debuted from Honolulu in 1997 with the album, The Forbidden Sounds of Don Tiki, featuring the legendary Martin Denny in what would become one of his final recordings before his passing. Deepening Don Tiki’s roots is the band’s percussionist and bird caller, Lopaka Colon, son of exotica’s founding member, Augie Colon.

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Mackey Feary Band

Mackey Feary Band Black Vinyl Edition

LP | 1978 | US | Reissue (Aloha Got Soul)

31,99 €*

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Release: 1978 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Must have rare groove classic from Hawaii * Original tracklisting includes full version of 'Powerslide' * Meticulously restored and remastered by Jessica Thompson * First official reissue outside of Japan

Highly coveted Hawaiian jazz/soul album. The debut album from Mackey Feary’s solo band after departing seminal contemporary Hawaiian group, Kalapana. This LP reads like a who’s who in the local 70s music scene: Nohelani Cypriano (of “Lihue” cult fame), Azure McCall (of Lemuria), Jimmy Funai (who produced Hal Bradbury’s debut), and Gaylord Holomalia (who now runs the island studio where stars record, incl. Kanye West, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey). Unlike other reissues, this Aloha Got Soul pressing includes the full version of “Powerslide” in all its 7-minute glory. An all-time classic must-have record from the Hawaiian Islands.

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Maryanne Ito

Live At The Atherton Clear Vinyl Edition

LP | 2019 | US | Reissue (Aloha Got Soul)

32,99 €*

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Release: 2019 / US – Reissue

Genre: Rock & Indie

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Second pressing of Maryanne Ito's live album, featuring a new addition on vinyl: the backing band's locomotive charge through tough-as-nails Herbie Hancock tune, 'Actual Proof'.

Recorded during the same live session as the rest of the album, and previously only available as a digital bonus on Bandcamp, this seven-minute rapid-fire rendition opens the B-side to provide further evidence that these players — guitarist Gilbert Batangan, bassist Alika Lyman, and drummer Dae Han — were dialed into something extraordinary that evening.

The LP — already an enchanting snapshot of an evening with singer Maryanne Ito and her original music — feels even more complete the second time around.

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Seprock / Marvin Franklin

Kona Windz / Kona Winds

7" | 2021 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

16,99 €*

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Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Hip Hop

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Marvin Franklin's 'Kona Winds' gets elevated on this release by two trusted producers and friends of the label. Originally from Wahiawa and now residing in New Orleans, Seprock takes the blissful track to uncharted waters with a nu-disco gem inspired by the original. From Seattle, beatmaker Ear Dr.Umz flips Franklin's carefree classic with a fresh rendition that turns the mellowed out surfer anthem to a head-nodding hip hop expedition. Available on black vinyl.

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Mike Kahikina

Hawaii Is Beautiful Black Vinyl Edition

7" | 2021 | US | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

15,99 €*

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Release: 2021 / US – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Phase 7

Playtime Green Vinyl Edition

LP | 1980 | US | Reissue (Aloha Got Soul)

30,99 €*

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Release: 1980 / US – Reissue

Genre: Organic Grooves

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Formed by a bond stronger than blood — friendship — the seven members of Phase 7 made their mark on Hawaii’s nightlife in the 1970s with their high caliber musicianship and on-stage antics, captured in their highly coveted 1980 debut LP, Playtime.

Phase 7 clinched an unprecedented residency at the Infinity nightclub in the Sheraton Waikiki — the hotel had only ever hired mainland acts, including the Burgundy Express and the Lewis & Clark Expedition, before bringing in Phase 7 to fire up the dancefloor.

Their musical talents paired with their penchant for mischief often raised the bar while raising eyebrows.

Tracks like “Playtime” and “Dance The Night Away” show off their love for stone cold grooves. “So Good To Be In Love” takes us on a trip to a dancefloor filled with funk, disco, and tropical rare grooves. Tunes like “Slip Away” and “You And Me” prove the band can pen not just dancefloor hits but top notch slow jams.

“In the studio, every one of these guys spent as much time in the control room as on the other side of the glass, adding their talents to every phase of the production,” reads the LP’s original liner notes.

“But although they’re superb studio musicians, vocalists, and writers, Phase 7 is foremost a performing group. To capture their true essence you really have to see them live.” Encouraged by Infinity’s resident DJ, Travis Davis, Phase 7 entered Broad Studios to cut Playtime.

Playtime is a testament to the band’s musicianship, vocal talents, songwriting skills, and aptitude for tomfoolery, in the studio and on stage.

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Nova

Can We Do It Good

7" | 2018 | EU | Original (Aloha Got Soul)

9,99 €*

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Release: 2018 / EU – Original

Genre: Organic Grooves

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"In 1978, Nova performed for Obama. Well, kind of: Nova was the band for the Punahou School prom in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a young student named Barack (known then as “Barry”) was in attendance.

Backtrack to 1976, and Nova was the opening band for Donald Byrd at the nearby Blaisdell Arena. The day was Sunday, June 27. The following day, Isaac Hayes would perform on island for the admission price of $1.

Nova, led by singer Checo Tohomaso, was one of several go-to party bands during the golden era of Hawaii funk and soul music in the mid-1970s through early 1980s.

The band’s infectious gospel-funk-disco can be heard on their sole release, a self-titled 1980 LP that feels like one big party recorded live in the studio. (Check out the Marvin Gaye-inspired “I Feel Like Getting Down” on the 2016 ‘Aloha Got Soul’ compilation on Strut Records).

The story is all too familiar, however: funk band releases LP, the music goes dormant in years to follow, and today original copies sell for hundreds online.

Not long after the album’s 1980 release, Checo met Marvin Gaye, who was living on Maui (where George Benson also resided). Shortly after, Marvin invited Checo and his counterparts to join his multi-city tour across Europe. Videos of Checo rocking keyboards, percussion and singing background vocals for Marvin Gaye’s last European tour can be found online.

Checo, born in Florida yet raised in lush Manoa Valley as well as Okinawa, Japan, now resides in Vancouver, Canada, where he leads the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir and continues to deliver his signature sound: high energy, positive, “sweet soul” music.

AGS-7010 features two non-stop groovers with a 7” edit by Roger Bong on the A-side. LP reissue in the works!"

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