PODCAST: Honolulu-based record label celebrates music both old and new

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Although Roger Bong was born in the late 80s, he has a special appreciation for vinyl and music from before his time.

In fact, Bong is so passionate about it, he has his own record label called Aloha Got Soul.

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“I was just collecting records and me and my friends were making hip-hop beats, so we were sampling vinyl, and it just so happened that we started finding local records that sounded as good as anything else out there in the world,” Bong said.

Bong started Aloha Got Soul as a blog in 2010 and later turned it into a record label in 2015. Just last year, he found a physical space on King and McCully streets and evolved it into both a record label and record store.

“We’re selling vinyl,” he said. “We sell our releases because … we have a record label where we’re reissuing local music from the past.”

Bong said they’re able to get music from groups like Kalapana back to vinyl.

“People my age, people in their 20s, even teenagers who are getting into vinyl for the first time, the pandemic really expedited people finding that format for themselves, spending so much time at home, you want something to do,” he said. “Vinyl just happened to be a medium that people are attracted to.”

Hear more from Bong about Aloha Got Soul in the latest episode of Island Beat, wherever you get your podcasts.