KALEO:

"Saves The World"  With Killer New CD and Video

by HuiMusic

As the Hawaiian Music Awards came to a close,a flurry of new artists from the Hawaiian bloodline raised up and grab a few awards.  One such artist is Kaleo who won an HMA for the Hip Hop artist of 2005.

At the same time, Program Director Fred Rico from HOT 93.9 (KIKI) contacted my partner about this cool package that came past his desk and stressed that we needed to get our hands on this.  Funny enough, it was Kaleo’s press kit.  (Don’t let it be said that PD’s out here don’t listen!) 

As far as press kits are concerned, it looked real cool.  Cool eye candy, logo design presentation and of course a CD.  Then behind the CD there was a DVD of his single “Save the World” (Save The World is featured on this months Lava Lounge)

I popped in the DVD and was blown away by the concept and song.  No crap talking, women trashing, gang slamming, bling slinging nonsense was anywhere to be heard on the track.  Very tight choice of words and a catchy hook made all in my joint bounce their heads.  Some of the younger echo generation kids that I showed the DVD too, got on with the vibe and Kaleo’s performance style and look. 

So my partner stirred the pot and I got in touch with Kaleo.  After talking to Kaleo, I got a real sense of things to come for the future of Hip Hop.  In the song Save the World, Kaleo is calling out the real power of people to make a difference, but not in a cheesy way.  His attitude is not self serving and his direction is driven by his passion to bring new vibe to Hip Hop that’s not so vain and self centered.   

I listened to the rest of his CD (which is soon to be released) and was stoked to hear a real consistent, well arranged and produced project.  Big phat vocals with multi hooked tracks are the trademark of Kaleo and his production crew. 

Another obvious is the quality of the recording.  Kaleo and team didn’t spare anything on their sonic quality as well as their approach on the video.  Can't help but say this, but it’s hands down the best sounding Hip Hop recording of a Hawaiian artist I have heard.  To boot the video is insane. 

I met with Kutmaster Spaz last week and showed him the video and he and associate producer Jake Akuna flew out of their seats and grab it up and is programming it for DIS-N-DAT TV (OC16) during the week of May 24, all week long! 

Another eye opener is how cool his logo and website looks.  Real strong branding and imaging possibilities with a logo like that. Once again they spared nothing in getting a solid start out of the gate.  Your going to have to check it out for yourself; www.iamkaleo.com  

Kaleo is an excellent example of the time and creative energy it takes to launch a CD correctly if you want to stand a chance in this industry.  Fully represented by System 3 Entertainment’s Russell Tate, strong songwriting, production and video, Kaleo has already placed himself in a serious position to blow up.  Kaleo is already being courted by UMG for a break-out in Europe this summer. 

In true HuiMusic fashion, I sent some questions to Kaleo and by reading through his answers; you can get a real vibe about him.  Hip Hop is in dire need of new energy that isn’t riddled with the same messages of the last 10 years.  New artists like Kaleo are what I belive to be the next level up for the Hip Hop sound and direction……….

How old were you when you started taking music seriously? 

When I started luggin' around my big ol' baritone tuba in 4th grade. For a 9 year old...that was SERIOUS! :) But, seriously, I've been into music all of my life. Whether in school bands and orchestras to Hip-Hop groups, I've always been serious but kept in lighthearted.

What is your connection to Hawaii?

My roots are Hawaii. The people, the islands, the culture is my connection, not to mention that my daddy is Mr. Hawaii, lifeguard, local sports hero...and luau entertainer.:)

How long has your family live in Hawaii? 

How old are the islands again? Nah. My Tutu was 100% Hawaiian and our roots stretch back to King Kamehaha. We da kine...Ali'i. My peeps were rowin' and cookin' ahi on the original Hokuleia. :)

How often do you make it to Hawaii?

I try to make it every summer but, sometimes my music schedule doesn't allow for it.

How old were you when you started writing music?

 I wrote my first rap when I was 9 years old. It was about the Easter Bunny...and it was platinum. :) Cute for a young buck though.

What year did you do your first demo recording?  

I did a lot of recording prior to my first demo but I would say that it was probably about 6 yrs ago that I recorded my first solo demo. It was HOT! I thought that I was in the game for sure but, sometimes things have to marinate in order to get that real tasty flavor. Such is Kaleo Futuristo.

Who are your current influences? 

I love Lauren Hill, Bob Marley, Andre 3000, Luda, Em, Missy, James Brown, and a bunch more. They're all crazy talented and inspire me to be a better writer and artist.

Is your music Rap or Hip Hop? 

I generally don't like to classify or pigeon hole my music or my being as this or that. My music encompasses many styles as does Hip-Hop music. Rap is one phase of the culture that is Hip-Hop. I am to a certain extent Hip-Hop because of my art, because of my dress, my speech, my way. I am rappin' in most of my songs but, if you ask me what I do...I do Hip-Hop music. But that is not completely accurate because I am also influenced by many other genres, like R&B, pop, rock, reggae and you can hear those influences in my music. Basically, I am an artist, musician, entertainer who is not one thing or another but, rather many things in one.

What’s the vibe of your current project?  

Free, Positive, Hot, Energetic, Crackin'...shall i go on? It's just a cornucopia of musical, lyrical and melodic goodies for your ear drums and for ya soul. It's a look into the mind of Kaleo Futuristo and a glimpse at how we can take this whole thing to the next level. Ya feel me?

Who was the producer?  

Me and my boy Nyalle Lameh, who is an extremely talented musician/producer, have a production team called Platinum Blue Productions and we produced most of the album but, we also did some production with grammy nominated producer Marvin Davis. He's also a crazy musician, melody, singer/songwriter cat, who really took the whole project to the next level. We were shootin' for platinums but now we're shootin' for Grammy's. Dream Big, Live Big.

Engineer?  

We do some of the engineering ourselves but for the final mix of the album we are lookin' at several options. Talented cats with major album credits and stuff. We just want our project, our release, our baby to be top notch, hands down, crack-a-lackin'! So, we gotta get the best.

What recording studio(s) did you record in?  

I record some of the pre-production stuff at my house. I have a nice home studio that's called, Creation Station #9, that's perfect for my needs but, most of the recordings were done at Lightwise Studio's in Duarte California. It's Nyalle's Studio and it's got all the bells and whistles to produce clean, radio ready tracks.

Do you play any instrument?  

I play a little guitar, a little keys, some drums, percussion. I'm more of a producer kind of cat rather than a crazy musician but, when it all comes together it's magic.

Did you do all the writing?  

I wrote the whole album. I love writing. I love the process. I love connecting through the words and producing emotions in people. Happy, sad, joyful, contemplative, that's what music is all about. Energy & Emotion. I just love music.
Are you getting courted by any of the majors? We are finalizing a deal with a major out in Europe which is exactly what and where we wanted to be. We are setting up for a perfect scenario and are ready to hit the world with Kaleo Futuristo in a major way, so tune in for the big mele.

Is there a new project on the way? 

Once we solidify everything with the major we're going to set out release dates and begin organizing the promotion but, it definitely looks like a summer release. BE checkin' for KALEO FUTURISTO and the tentative title is "RIGHT NOW!", one of the title songs from the album.

How were you received in Hawaii? 

Oh, it was straight Aloha. I can't say enough about how we were treated. We were received so well that I don't think that it could have gone any better. We were featured on the top island radio station, Hot i-94, Big shots out to Rory, Greg and Shawnee. They all just loved the track, the look, and the vibes. Played our single TWICE IN A ROW and gave us major props. There was a lot of aloha at that station. We also visited KTUH radio station and met a extremely bright and helpful D.J. named Justin Wiley who gave us 45 min. on air, played a few tracks and got some great call-in compliments. Also, got on the top morning T.V. show, KHON's Morning Show. Very well received and they even played our video while we were being interviewed. And, also, the reason that we went out to Hawaii, which was to receive the Hawaii Music Award for Hip-Hop Artist of the Year. We accepted the award and gave an energetic performance. People loved it and hit us with some major Aloha Spirit. Much thanks to Johnny Kai for organizing the whole People's Choice event. Not to mention the things that are still occurring, such as this interview with the one and only George del Barrio of Hui Music. So the Aloha Spirit and blessings are continuing.

Any props for any Hawaiian DJ’s, radio stations or promoters you want me to give on your behalf?  

Yeah, once again, I want to give Major Mahalo and Aloha out to Rory Wild, Greg Hammer and Shawnee, at HOT 93.9 (KIKI), Justin Wiley at KTUH College Radio, Wally Zimmerman, Tannya Joaquin and the whole KHON Morning Show crew, Johnny Kai of the Hawaii Music Awards, my brother Wailele Sallas, who made a lot of stuff happen while we were in the islands, and all D.J.'s radio stations and promoters in Hawaii that I have yet to meet. Aloha is comin' and we're about to put it on the world!

Did you get a chance to perform in Hawaii during your trip?

Yeah. I was performing in my car, at the parks, at my brothers party, on the corners. I'm always performing. :), but, we didn't really get an opportunity to set anything up this time around but We're looking forward to rockin' the stages of the islands real soon. This was more of just a promotional trip.

Who did your video? (producer, director and editor)  

The video was directed and edited by a great up and coming talent named John Logsdon, and it was produced by his wife and partner Kirsten Logsdon. John has done a lot of stuff for MTV and you can see the quality of his work in the video. He called in the special FX artists who worked on Van Helsing and Spiderman 2, and again, you can see the quality of the video. It speaks for itself. We were blessed to get such a talented staff to work on this project and I give all the credit to John Logsdon. He is just an amazing talent who I will certainly work with again in the future.

Is anybody giving your video airplay?  

We are strictly using it for promotional purposes right now but it is going to be in steady rotation in Europe, the MTV's and video stations, once we finalize the deal.
What are you working on right now (tour, promotions etc)? We are just promoting the album or rather the artist Kaleo Futuristo. We are letting people get a glimpse of the image, and a taste of the music and visuals but, once it's time to go, it's gonna be full go, straight ahead, non-stop, high energy explosion on the world market for the globe to see. It's gonna be a lot of work but, It's gonna be a lot of fun.

When are you coming back to Hawaii? 

Whenever the Aloha Spirit allows. You know I want to be there right now but, sometimes you've got to sacrifice certain things in order to achieve what you feel is going to manifest the bigger picture. I'll be back to Hawaii as soon as possible but, I want to come back as a champion of the Aloha Spirit. Someone who has taken the core values of Hawaiian people and spread that Fun-Loving, Caring, Strong and Compassionate vibration to the world. I want to be someone who all Hawaiians are proud of and that the whole world appreciates. I WILL ACHIEVE THESE GOALS but, no one can build this on their own. I've got a great staff of people. Russell Tate, manager and CEO of System 3 Entertainment, who I am blessed to work with and who is working hard to see this come to fruition. My creative partners Nyalle and Marvin, who I've mentioned, all other artists I work with and all of the fans, D.J., promoters, magazines and television people. Everyone plays a role but, it starts with a vision, with a dream, and I won't stop creating until my work is done and our dream achieved. "And that's Aloha Spirit, and that's Aloha Lyrics and I'm gonna spit it in my music till the whole world hears it!", And that's what's up...Mahalo & Aloha. KALEO FUTURISTO ...OUT!!!