Pulse Picks: Music, art and more

‘Thre3style’ a battle for supremacy

Honolulu’s top DJs will party-rock the house Friday, Feb. 10, for the “Red Bull Thre3style Battle” at SoHo Mixed Media Bar — guaranteed, because it’s a requirement of this contest sponsored by the popular energy drink.

The invited DJs — Technique, SSSolution, Mike D, Shift, Jami, Bozu, Sho and Compose — will each perform a 15-minute set that must contain at least three different musical genres. Guest judges, DJs Jimmy Taco and G Spot and Nextdoor owner Chris Kahunahana, will rank the DJs on track selection, creativity, mixing skills, stage presence and crowd reaction.

DEKOsound opens the night’s festivities, and DJs Evil One and D-JR will spin a special closing set after the battle is pau.

This week’s battle at SoHo is a pre-qualifying event; the winner moves on to a Los Angeles regional qualifier on March 15. The national finals go down this summer in Orlando, Florida, and the world finals take place later in Chicago.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m. at SoHo, 80 S. Pauahi St. Admission is $5 for this 21-and-over event (free if you RSVP by texting “3STYLEHI” to 72855).

— Gary Chun, gchun@staradvertiser.com

Estria puts on a ‘Paint Jam’

In anticipation of next week’s return of the Pow Wow Hawaii street art celebration in Kakaako, one of the main lights, Estria Miyashiro, is putting together a last-minute event Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Contemporary Museum in Makiki Heights.

Estria Miyashiro. (Courtesy photo)

The “Paint Jam” is a daylong session with Miyashiro and fellow Pow Wow participants Prime, Katch 1 and Angry Woebots. Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, they’ll be re-envisioning the eight-foot-tall, 60-foot-wide wall of the Spalding House tennis court. Visitors can drop by starting at noon to see how the work is proceeding, with finishing time at 4 p.m.

On Sunday, Jan. 12, from 2 to 4 p.m., there will be a panel discussion and slide show on the artists’ previous work in the museum’s Spalding House classroom.

The event is free with $5 admission (reduced admission on these days, because galleries are currently closed, and free for members), at the museum, 2411 Makiki Heights Drive.

Now based out of Oakland, Miyashiro was here last year as part of his foundation’s Water Writes worldwide campaign, collaborating with Prime (aka 808 Urban director John Hina) to pay tribute to Queen Liliuokalani with a 5,500 square-foot mural in Kalihi that’s reportedly the largest aerosol-painted mural in Hawaii.

— G.C.

Primo DJs arrive in town

Connoisseurs of tasty dance music and electronica have a tough call on Saturday, Feb. 11, and might find themselves wishing they could be in two places at once, as thirtyninehotel’s monthly “Artilect” party spotlights DJs of the highest calling with Berlin’s DJ T, while Nextdoor hosts Japan’s DJ Krush.

DJ T. (Courtesy photo)

Underground dance club Asylum hosted T previously, and club DJ and promoter Willis Haltom said “he smashed it” last time around.

DJ T, aka Thomas Koch, confesses to an early love of ’70s disco, and it’s an unmistakable force in his music, making it joyous and danceable. Hip-hop and electro-funk are the other roots. He’s been a label owner, producer, club operator and music writer, bringing sympathy for all of those roles to the table.

He made his mark in hometown Frankfurt, Germany, with several residencies, and was founder of the German-language music mag Groove (still publishing, though T’s moved out of the editor’s role), and was co-founder of the Get Physical label as well as a dance-oriented spinoff, Kindisch, for which T developed what he calls a “minimal booty house” sound.

He’s produced several musical releases and remixes over the past decade, earning praise from the Berlin press for his “euphoria soaked” music and “party bliss.” In the past year or two, he’s been working with production partner Stefan Eichinger aka Lopazz, who appeared at thirtyninehotel for Artilect in December.

“He is coming to take a nice holiday from Berlin in Hawaii for a month and a half,” Haltom related, “after releasing “a lot of amazing music in the last year and touring extensively to all the coolest clubs around. I’m happy to have him play at thirtyninehotel and then at Asylum a couple weeks later. … He loves Hawaii and our parties.”

“Artilect” opens its doors at 8 p.m. at thirtyninehotel, 39 N. Hotel St. It’s $10 at the door, with discounted admission before 11 p.m. if you email names to info@asylumafterhours.com.

DJ Krush. (Courtesy photo)

DJ KRUSH comes to Honolulu presented by SkyHI Productions, which is bringing the Japan-born DJ here along with Krush collaborator and Boston emcee Mr. Lif, who is known for his hip-hop group the Perceptionists and work with Murs, Aesop Rock, and Thievery Corporation.

While Krush has deep roots in hip-hop, having worked with Gangstarr’s Guru, the Roots’ Black Thought and many others, his recent work has explored “peace and calm,” as his most recent album “Jaku,” can be translated.

“Jaku” includes a role call of respected emcees, from Mr. Lif to Aesop Rock, along with the sounds of piano, shakuhachi, dodo drum and saxophone. It’s a showcase for Krush’s talent as a producer, and his ability to lay down a variety of moods.

He’ll appear at Nextdoor with DJ Packo, DJ Vince, Monarx and Meiso, bringing plenty of hip-hop into the mix.

The show goes down at Nextdoor, 43 N. Hotel St., beginning at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25 presale from dj-krush.eventbrite.com.

— Elizabeth Kieszkowski, ekieszkowski@staradvertiser.com

Fight violence with ‘V-Day’ events

“V-Day Honolulu”, part of a global campaign to raise awareness and funds to end violence against women and girls in Honolulu, will be recognized this week with a “drag” race, a performance of “The Vagina Monologues and “Burlesque Bingo” — all with a slightly edgy and feminist twist.

Things kick off Sunday with “Hell on Heels,” which is being billed as a “drag race fundraiser.” It’s a scavenger hunt/relay race that will send contestants scrambling through Chinatown. If you want to dress flamboyantly, all the better.

Registration starts at 4 p.m. on Chaplain Lane, with the race planned from 4:30 to 7 p.m. An awards ceremony/afterparty will be held at Mercury Bar, 1154 Fort St. Mall. It’s $15 to join in; participants must be 21 or older.

On Tuesday evening, “V-Day” supporters can go bonkers for bingo at “Vulva Las Vegas: an evening of Burlesque Bingo” at the Arts at Marks Garage. Emcees are Shain Miller of Ong King Gallery and Ding.Ding?Ding! of Pacific Roller Derby. Burlesque performers include Miss Catwings, Madame X and Lola Love.

Entry is $10 and includes 10 bingo cards. Additional cards are $2. The event begins at 8 p.m. The Arts at Marks Garage is at 1159 Nuuanu Ave.

It all leads up to the performances of award-winning play “The Vagina Monologues,” Feb. 17 and 18 at the ARTS at Marks Garage.

Eve Ensler’s play involves a series of discourses that relate somehow to the vagina, using it as a takeoff for discussion on sex, rape, love, menstruation, female genital mutilation and several other mature topics encompassing women’s experiences. Local directors of the production are Lola Love, Katharine Rita, Michelle Jericho Poppler, Michelle Umipeg, Terri Madden and Tony Pisculli.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17, and at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 18. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door and are available online at brownpapertickets.com. Proceeds benefit the Domestic Violence Action Center.

“V-Day” aims to end violence against women and girls by promoting creative events to “increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations.” Organizers say violence affects one in three women in the U.S and around the world.

— Steven Mark, smark@staradvertiser.com

“Where did our love go?”

Singers Kena Sage, left, and Kahnma K will be part of the Motown tribute. (Courtesy photo)

Soul music is — or should be — a part of everyone’s Valentine’s Day, and the Rebel Underground, Nextdoor, and college radio KTUH-FM are bringing it with their own live tribute to the sound of Motown. They’re calling it “A Valentine’s Day Live Tribute to Motown.”

A new generation in Hawaii has rediscovered the magic groove of the ’60s and ’70s Motor City sound, and will cover the classic songs of Diana Ross and the Supremes, the Four Tops, the pre-MJ Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

That sound will be replicated with a nine-piece “super band,” complete with backup singers and a horn section.

A lineup of Honolulu’s own soul vocalists will include Paula Fuga, Yoza, Kasi Nunes (from Kings of Spade), Big Mox, Simple Souls, Kaleo Del Sol, Kena Sage, Kahnma K, and Antonia Alvarez.

Kings of Spade and the Bentos will also perform their own separate, groove-filled sets.

Tickets are $15 presale and $20 at the door ($10 if you’re on the Kings’ email list), and are available at Nextdoor (43 N. Hotel St.), the University of Hawaii-Manoa Campus Center and at motownvalentines.eventbrite.com.

Doors open at 9 p.m. Tuesday for those 21 and older.

— G.C.