Kaila Hawai'i

Just when I thought Sade was enjoying a far too early retirement, drinking champagne and listening to “Paradise”, I came across the happy news in the Twittersphere that Ms. Sade Adu–yes, she does have a last name–is back with a new album. Entitled Solder of Love, the album is slated for a global release on February 8, 2010. Not one to ignore visual signs, I find it curious that we see Ms. Adu facing what appears to be the Mayan pyramids. Could this perhaps be a subtle commentary on the growing 2012 anxiety and that perhaps love will be the way out? We’ll just have to wait until 2010 to find out for sure.

In the mean time, enjoy a listen to the first single, “Solder of Love”, in its entirety.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvDaJaU5My4]

Also, don’t miss the supahfly Sade mix by DJ Spinna on the Smoking Section, featuring classic tracks like “Feel No Pain”, “No Ordinary Love”, and “Smooth Operator”.

Tags: album release, Sade, Soldier of Love

Several holiday seasons ago, at a very different time in my life, I discovered Faye Wong, the Chinese pop singer. Wong’s first claim to fame in the West had come from her luminous performance in Wong Kar Wai’s nineties cult classic Chungking Express, which featured her cover of The Cranberries’ “Dreams”.

In 2003, the year I started to listening to Wong, China had not yet exploded into the media. People still seemed to doubt that China would rise up as global player, leaving its culture still on the fringe. So, to find my first Faye Wong album, I ventured through Mott Street in New York’s Chinatown, purchasing what would become one of my favorite albums for years to come. The album was Jiang Ai, To Love, a mix of electronic sounds and breathy vocals. By far, the song that lingered in my head for months to come was “Bu Liu”, or “Not Leaving” (one of the several translations I’ve found for the title) – an ethereal ballad set against a wash of freshley chilled beats. For the many friends I’ve played it for, they are enchanted by the sound but rarely recognize that Faye is in fact singing in Mandarin. Thus,  “Bu Liu” has often been the first Chinese song they’ve ever heard,changing their preconceptions of contemporary sounds from the Middle Kingdom.

As the holidays come around again and a new decade approaches, I thought it’d be appropriate to take a listen to the elusive Ms. Wong once again. So far, Jiang Ai has been her last complete studio album to date. So here’s the clip for “Bu Liu”, elegantly simple in black and white with just an occasional flash of color, reminding us of the poetic power of a little wind blowing through the hair.

Tags: Bu Liu, China, electronica, Faye Wong, Jiang Ai, music video, To Love

Christmas is approaching, bringing with it an onslaught of overproduced holiday songs I’d rather not here. Couldn’t Western society just have stuck to madrigals, Gregorian chant, and plainsong to celebrate the season?

So, for some relief from the spirit of season, here’s one of our favorite tracks, “Hailing from the Edge” by German group electronic Apparat.  The especially sexy vocals are courtesy of Raz Ohara.

We had originally come across it when we caught a slick promo clip for Showtime, one of the few networks whose programs we watch.

Here’s the full song, though we’re not into the static, stock photo image.

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Tags: Apparat, electronica, Raz Ohara, Showtime, YouTube

One of Kaila Hawai‘i’s favorite clips on YouTube recently has been the debut video from Tikahiri, “Tapea te paari”, off their first album, Tamaki Hope’a. Firstly, the song is killer, combining acoustic rock and Tuamotu language—a totally unique sound for Tahiti and the rest of Te Ao Mā‘ohi. But stylewise, we’re digging brothers Aroma and Mano Salmon’s combination of tātau (tattos) and leather with a goth edge. (You’ll have to see the whole clip to understand.) Kudos to their stylist. When we finally get into Pape‘ete some time soon, we’re going to have to make a stop at the Salmon’s brother tattoo studio to get inked. In the meantime, we’ ll be following them on Facebook.

Tags: French Polynesia, maohi Te Ao Maohi, Mele / Music, music video, Tahiti, Tahitian, Tikahiri

I’ve been hooked to Māori spin doctor Tiki Taane since I first caught a glimpse of his mindblowing video clip “Tangaroa”, off his debut album album Past, Present, Future. For those unfamiliar with Polynesian mythology, Tangaroa is the Māori god of the sea, corresponding to the Hawaiian akua Kanaloa. The track is a shock to the system, combing traditional Māori chant with a raging dancehall-style beat. (more…)

Tags: Aotearoa/New Zealand, god of the sea, haka, Hawaiian Mythology, Hawaiian religion, Hawai‘i, Kanaloa, kinolau, Māori, Māori mythology, Mele / Music, spirituality, Tangaroa, Tiki Taane

We do love our pae‘āina and enjoy the nahenahe sounds of mele Hawai‘i, but sometimes, we miss the urban edge and have a hankering for a good beat. While we still have yet to find the perfect discothèque on island (more…)

Tags: awdio, awdio.com, Brazil, clubbing, D.Edge, electronica, house, Le Monde, Palakina, Sau Paulo

We’re enjoying the sounds of Thievery Corporation’s on their latest release, Radio Retaliation. We’ve been fans for a decade now, and the disc is a real standout. It’s one of the rare instances—at least, as we far back as we can remember—where downtempo chill has managed to successfully take on political commentary (just take a listen to “The Numbers Game” or “33^rd Degree”). But our favorite track is perhaps the least political (instrumentals aside, of course). “Sweet Tides”, with vocals courtesy of Loulou, is one of those songs that make for a perfect dreamy interlude (more…)

Tags: kauwela - summer, Mazzy Star, Thievery Corporation

Kahi (The Place): Tahiti, Te Ao Ma’ohi/French Polynesia

Think of music from Tahiti, and you’ll think of the gentle sway of the ‘aparima or the pulsing, multi-layered rhythms for an ‘ote’a. But the music of our cousins to the south goes beyond the melodies of the Heiva. Take an act like Tikahiri,fronted by brothers Aroma and Mano Salmon–who also run a tattoo shop in downtown Pape’ete. For this part of Polynesia, the band is rather unique. (We can’t  forget to mention, though, the ma’ohi rock band Manahune.) Live or on their studio album, Tamaki Hope`a, Tikahiri’s arrangements are deceptively simple (bass, guitar, drums, cello) but full of sound, emanating a complex, brooding personality one wouldn’t necessary expect from islands in the sun. (more…)

Tags: Acoustic Rock, Mele / Music, Tahiti, Te Ao Ma'ohi / French Polynesia, Tikahiri, Tuamotus

Erykah Badu  Live at Aloha Tower on May 29

Kahi (The Place): Honolulu, Kona, O’ahu-a-Lua

I remember when I got my hands on Ms. Erykah Badu’s debut album Baduizm back in the nineties. I had “On and On” on repeat, back in the day when we used to jam on the Sony Discman. She was fresh out of the group Arrested Development. (I still remember her killer vocal hooks on the track “Tennesse”). And, of course, who could forget her signature head wraps! (more…)

Tags: Erykah Badu, Mele / Music, Pāleo / Albums, Vegetarians, ʻAha Mele / Concerts