Open Mic with Mahalo!

DjWhtDaHek:
Hey, guys. What’s up? It’s DjWhtDaHek here, and I got another addition of Open Mic. And today, my guest is Mahalo. Thanks for coming on the show, man.

Mahalo:
You bet, bro. Thanks for having me.

DjWhtDaHek:
What’s going on where you’re at right now?

Mahalo:
Just hanging in there, man. It’s another sunny day in Santa Monica, California, and probably going to get some lunch after this.

DjWhtDaHek:
Nice. What’s your go-to lunch place around there?

Mahalo:
Italian food, man. Italian food. Yeah. My family’s Italian, so I’m all about pasta’s. That’s the jam. I got some pasta that I am about to prepare after this interview.

DjWhtDaHek:
I am a huge fan of Italian food and I love me some pasta. What would be your favorite pasta dish?

Mahalo:
That’s a good question, man. I do you like a good bolognese.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yes.

Mahalo:
Just keeping it standard. But I’ve been getting big on the pesto tip lately, man, throwing some pesto in there, and it’s good. It’s good.

DjWhtDaHek:
I’ve tried pesto many a time and it’s like, okay, pesto sauce over pasta. I think I’m going to like it. But then it’s just, I don’t know, something just doesn’t quite do it for me.

Mahalo:
Yeah. Some people, it’s really hit or miss. Some people hate it. Some people love it. For me, I think there was a time when I was kind of iffy on it, but it’s grown on me, man. It’s grown on me.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah. Well, if you ever come to Raleigh and do a show, I’ll have to start researching some seriously good pasta joints to hit up.

Mahalo:
I’m going to hold you to you that, bro.

DjWhtDaHek:
All right. Okay. I’ll work on it, then. Well, you’re based in LA, but you grew up in Hawaii, which is very interesting. What was it like growing up in Hawaii?

Mahalo:
Hawaii’s great, man. It’s a cool place. It’s very different there in terms of living there versus the standard vacation and stuff like that. Living on an island comes with certain benefits and certain ways of life that as I got a little bit older, with music and stuff like that, I had to transition out of there. And first thing that came to mind was coming to music school and LA, that LA is the epicenter, I feel like, of the music world. I came here for college and went to music school and have never left.

DjWhtDaHek:
Nice. So you must really enjoy LA.

Mahalo:
I do. I do. 11 years now, man. So-

DjWhtDaHek:
Nice.

Mahalo:
… it’s my home.

DjWhtDaHek:
Well, let’s see, you grew up in Hawaii. And if you had to recommend one thing to do there, what would it be?

Mahalo:
Ooh, that’s a good question, man. Depends on what you’re into, but you got to go and try some of the local food. For me, some of the local food there is still my favorite, next to Italian, of course.

DjWhtDaHek:
Right, right.

Mahalo:
Yeah, man, you know a loco moco? Got to get down with one of those or some musubi. That’s the vibe out there, dude.

DjWhtDaHek:
I like the sound of that. Maybe you do one day a Mahalo bar out there and you open up your own joint.

Mahalo:
That could be cool, dude. A luau every day.

DjWhtDaHek:
Exactly.

Mahalo:
Get some hula dancers.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah, exactly. And maybe a little pinch of Italian food as well.

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah, as a rotating dish. You know what I mean?

DjWhtDaHek:
Exactly. Exactly. That’d be solid. Well, you mentioned that the epicenter of this EDM side of things, you think LA and you think maybe New York as well, maybe not so much Hawaii. What got you into the EDM [inaudible 00:04:08]?

Mahalo:
My dad, actually. My dad and my uncle were involved in some promotion stuff and radio things on the dance side when I was a kid, so I grew up listening to a lot of mix tapes and albums and stuff from people like Christopher Lawrence and DJ Dan, Groove Armada, a lot of the electronica stuff and trance and all sorts of different vibes like that, that I just loved it when I was a kid, man. It really grabbed my attention.
It wasn’t until I went to my first event that I was like, “Damn. All right. That’s really what I want to do.” But I dabbled with it before that, even. I remember when I was a little kid, not a little kid but like a 13 year old kid, I bought Sony Acid, which I think it might still be around, but it’s a DAW. And I was making little edits and stuff like that well before I knew anything about production or music theory or anything. So it’s been something that I’ve been interested in for a very, very long time. And, yeah, I’d say my dad and my uncle really deserve the credit for getting me into it.

DjWhtDaHek:
Was there a time where you might have thought of doing a different genre of music or meddled in a different genre of music?

Mahalo:
Yeah. Well, funny enough, when I first started DJing… I started DJing when I was 16 and I didn’t really do too much production at the time. And I DJed hardstyle music. I was a little raver, man.

DjWhtDaHek:
Nice. Big Showtek fan, maybe?

Mahalo:
Yeah, dude. Actually, I traveled to Showtek’s first American show ever-

DjWhtDaHek:
Awesome.

Mahalo:
… here in California. It was in San Bernardino. This must have been 2009 or something like that. And, yeah, I went to their first American show ever. I loved hardstyle, dude. But as I got a little bit older, I got a club residency. And in a club, you don’t really drop hardstyle.

DjWhtDaHek:
Right.

Mahalo:
It’s not really the vibe. So I had to build up a collection of house music and stuff like that, and that was when I really started getting into that. House music really started to grab my attention once I got that club residency. And I just got bit by the bug and love it, loved it ever since.

DjWhtDaHek:
That’s good. House music, hardstyle, I’m trying to think, maybe even some trap in there as well, that’s a vibe. (singing) Let’s talk about some of your tracks now. I think a good stuff starting point would be your track So Cold, which was Dance Radio number one in 2019. Just tell me, how did that track come about?

Mahalo:
That track came about, so DLMT and I met at Miami Music Week, I think in 2019. No, maybe it was 2018. It was 2018. We met at Miami Music Week and we’re like, “Yo, let’s work on a track together.” And at the time, my managers were in the UK and they put us in touch with this girl, Lily Denning, and that track came together real quick. And so it was a collaboration between all three of us and it really took off. It was really cool to see what happened with that song. It really sparked a bunch of stuff for the Mahalo Project, which, it’s still going, man. That track, I still get people talking about it and asking me about it. And we’re talking about it right now and multiple years later. So it’s been a really monumental track for the Mahalo Project and we love to see it.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah. One of our favorites here on the station as well. So we love it. We love it. (singing) Another one that’s been a big one was Not Watching Anymore, which was number two on Dance Radio in April. And actually, well, you’re spoiled. We do a year-end countdown every year on our stage, and if the year ended right now, it’s sitting number one on our charts. So maybe it’ll be there. It’s got to hold for another three months. And the way I play it on my shift, it might just be there. But-

Mahalo:
Well, that’s awesome to hear, man. It’s got number one somewhere.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yes, it’s got to be somewhere. But just tell me about making that track.

Mahalo:
That one was cool. The vocalist’s name is Sissy Smith and she’s fantastic. That track is more of like a breakup song and is a high energy song that I wanted to do something a little different, which was a lot of the music that I make is a little more edgy and deeper. That one’s very high energy. And wanted to do something in that lane, and that was the result. Really happy with how it turned out, and it was amazing to see what it did. Number two is still nothing to bat an eye at. So I was happy to see that and still love that track.

DjWhtDaHek:
I think-

Mahalo:
Just listening to it a minute ago, actually.

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah, we were. I think the cool thing, I saw this, it was in one of your Instagram posts, you were standing in some car dealership and you were just standing there. And then all of a sudden that track comes on and you’re like, “Oh, I need to buy from these guys now.”

Mahalo:
Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember that, man. That was really cool. I didn’t buy a car there, though.

DjWhtDaHek:
Aw.

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah. It was a tough call. I’m playing the track. I’d say that’s a good way to get me to buy a car, but it didn’t work.

DjWhtDaHek:
What’s that feeling like when you hear some of your tracks on all these different places, or just on radio?

Mahalo:
It’s really cool to hear it when it’s totally unexpected. Do you know what I mean?

DjWhtDaHek:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Mahalo:
Like, you’re doing some day-to-day monotonous task and suddenly your song comes on the speakers overhead and you’re just… It’s a good feeling, man. It’s a good feeling. It sort of makes you feel as if all the hard work is definitely worth it. You know what I mean? Like, if it’s making its way into day-to-day life like that, and not just on your own Spotify playlist or your friends’ and stuff like that. So it’s great, man. It’s a great feeling.

DjWhtDaHek:
Well, maybe before too long, this next one’s really going to start being heard everywhere, because I’m loving it. Your latest track, Nothing Matters. Tell me about making this one, then. (singing)

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah. So that one, collaboration with these guys BLOODLINE, who are fantastic vocalists. They’ve got a really moody sound on that vocal there. And it’s a track about, that the addiction of a person and the feeling that you have for somebody outweighs everything else. So, that was a special sort of memento that we wanted to capture in the song, and I think it’s encapsulated pretty well through the vibe of the song and the vocals. I’m really excited about the release of that one and how it’s doing.

DjWhtDaHek:
We love it as well. And I’d be willing to bet that all these tracks we just discussed, So Cold, Nothing Matters and Not Watching Anymore, you could catch on The Mahalo Show.

Mahalo:
You can. You can. Each and every one has been aired on there at least once and probably will continue to be over the years. But, yeah, The Mahalo Show is something that we, or I, I guess, with the help of my team, started earlier this year. We launched it with Insomniac, and it’s my monthly radio show. And that’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a really long time. I didn’t really know how or where to begin previously, but after a lot of hard work, we got it done. And I’m loving doing it every month, man. It’s a real great way to spend your time and showcase tracks that you’re loving and just get the vibes out there. You know what I mean?

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah, yeah. Where can people go to listen to this?

Mahalo:
You can find it on pretty much everywhere. We air it on Insomniac, this is on Insomniac Radio, and then it’s uploaded into Apple Podcasts and SoundCloud and Spotify too. But from what I remember, Spotify takes it down every week. So you got to re-upload it. We learned this from another artist about how to get… Because they don’t want music podcasts on Spotify, for whatever reason. So they take it down. So you got to re-upload it every week. But you can find it there too, if you’re quick.

DjWhtDaHek:
Gotcha. Gotcha. Well, let’s talk about some of your upcoming shows. It’s actually hard to believe it’s going to be October in less than a week or a week and change now.

Mahalo:
I know, man.

DjWhtDaHek:
It’s crazy.

Mahalo:
This year has flown by, huh?

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah. I guess making up for last year dragging.

Mahalo:
Yeah.

DjWhtDaHek:
Well, you’re going to be in Chicago October 2nd at the Spring Awakening Festival.

Mahalo:
Yes, sir.

DjWhtDaHek:
And then also this Freaky Deaky Festival, what a name, October 30th in Houston.

Mahalo:
I am.

DjWhtDaHek:
Just kind of curious on, do you have a pre-show routine you do?

Mahalo:
Eat pasta.

DjWhtDaHek:
Eat pasta. I love it.

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah. You got to get those carbs in, man. But it depends in terms of the pre-show routines. I try to do a little bit of mindfulness and stuff at the hotel or in the green room sometimes before I go on. But for the most part, just wing it, dude. Because most of the time we’re coming in hot and it’s like you’re getting there and into the city and then checking into the hotel and then going right to the venue. So a lot of the time it’s just minimizing all the stress of the traveling and stuff like that and just trying to get in the right head space to go up there and perform. But it’s what I signed up for and I love it.

DjWhtDaHek:
Right. How do you know when the crowd is really into what you’re up there doing?

Mahalo:
In layman’s terms, man, when they start going, “Whoop, whoop.” That’s when you know you got them. But, yeah, I try to read the crowd and see what everyone’s feeling. And that definitely helps in terms of like knowing which tracks work and which ones are maybe not the best live. But it’s the best feeling in the world when you’re testing out a new record that you haven’t dropped yet that maybe you’re even still working on and the crowd reacts great. That’s a fantastic feeling.

DjWhtDaHek:
Right. Right. Well, you got those shows coming up. And other than those shows, for all the Mahalo fans out there, is there anything else maybe in the works going on, or is the main focus on those shows for right now?

Mahalo:
There’s a couple more shows. Got another show in Indianapolis coming up October 9th or 8th. Sorry, I should know the date, but it’s the Friday after Chicago. I think it’s the 8th. And that’s with Steve Aoki.

DjWhtDaHek:
Nice.

Mahalo:
And then I’m in Gainesville, Florida on Halloween. So, that should be cool. I always love a good Florida show. They know how to get wild.

DjWhtDaHek:
Right.

Mahalo:
Yeah.

DjWhtDaHek:
When you’re with Steve, try maybe not to get pied or something. He’s known for that.

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, the cake?

DjWhtDaHek:
Yeah.

Mahalo:
Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. We’ll see, man. I’m not too big on getting caked. So might have to sit that one out and let the fans take the hit for me.

DjWhtDaHek:
But now if he gets up there with a bowl of pasta, now that’s a different story.

Mahalo:
Dude, I’ll get pasta-ed any day, man. Any day.

DjWhtDaHek:
I love it. I love it. Well, Mahalo, this was awesome, man. And again, thanks for doing this. This was great.

Mahalo:
Yeah, dude. Thank you for having me. And then once again, thanks for all the support on WolfBytes. Love the station and I’ll keep listening.

DjWhtDaHek:
Awesome. I love it. Well, thanks for doing this. This is DJWhtDaHek once again for another edition of Open Mic, and I’ll see you guys next time.