Hawaiian music isn’t all ukuleles and whatever Elvis dreamed up during one of his many visits to the islands. From Maui to the Big Island, a variety of influences, trends, cultures, and sounds permeate Hawaii.
There’s no better example of this eclecticism than DJ Compose. His genre-spanning mixes — ranging from hip-hop to electronic music — are designed to get the dance floor shaking. But here’s the thing: he’s not a fly-by-night imposter who picked up a pair of headphones, some easy-to-use software program like Serato, and started calling himself a “DJ.”
Rather, Compose (real name: Jay Alban) came up in the crate-carrying culture of turntablists – one where DJs still spun, you know, actual records. This may seem like a trivial thing to the laymen, but it’s the difference between somebody playing air guitar and someone playing a Stratocaster.
Which doesn’t mean Compose hasn’t adjusted to the times and the wonders of technology. As he told Flux Hawaii magazine, “There’s no way I could’ve lasted this long just on records. Just the cost of it – I used to spend $20 just on one song, where now iTunes you’d get 20 songs. And I mean physically, we used to bring like four or five crates of records for one show.”
And, as a member of the Nocturnal Sound Krew, he plays a lot of shows. Along the way, Compose has picked up numerous accolades, including being crowned ITF World Champ (two times) and named Hawaii RedBull Thre3style Champ in 2012 and 2013. Currently, you can find him at Honolulu’s Addiction Nightclub and Beachclub inside the Modern Honolulu Hotel (1775 Ala Moana Blvd.)
Visit Compose’s site at DJCompose.com.
