Have your discovered Hi-Tide Recordings yet?
There are very few record labels out there that I can listen to and love pretty much everything they do. The “Surf, Lounge & Exotic Sounds” of Hi-Tide Recordings is certainly at the top of my summer list.
This international record label is based in Freehold, NJ, and founders Vincent Minervino and Magdalena O’Connell are a pair of music lovers and vinyl DJs who curate their own events all over the world…..and the bands they have gathered under their label create the makings for the world’s biggest party.
Here are just five of the bands to discover from Hi-Tide, and I’m barely even scratching the surface of their tiki mug:
The Volcanics
This West Coast trio bills themselves as “San Gabriel, Ca. Surf since 2001” who love their blue sweaters and surf sounds heavily influenced by the 1960s instrumental greats. Here is their brand spanking new song, “The Ripper.”
Black Flamingos
This is Minervino’s own band, formed in 2014 in New Jersey. They combine elements of surf, spy and even spaghetti western to take you back in time for a hip, smooth and happy music experience. This is my personal favorite, “Malibu Run.” It is the perfect de-stress music remedy.
Los Tiki Phantoms
A horror surf band from Barcelona, Spain who dresses in sleek black suits with skull masks. Intrigued? Well, even without these trappings, their guitar-based dark surf sound is still incredibly epic. ¡Que suave!
Lulufin the Woo Hoo
Osaka, Japan’s premiere all-girl surf combo, and probably the biggest all female instrumental group in Japan right now. No secret why. These ladies rock, and I want to hang out with all of them. Listen to their debut single “Jellyfish”.
The Hula Girls
This California band and the self-proclaimed “Kings of Hulabilly.” They were formed in 2008 and have been a big part of the tiki revival now going strong. They bring influences from punk, rockabilly, classic surf and lounge. If you’re a cocktail connoisseur, you might already know these guys, as frontman Spike Marble hosts his own YouTube show “Spike’s Breezeway Cocktail Hour” exploring vintage cocktails from the golden age of tiki. Bottoms up!
My apologies to every other band on this record label, because all of them are more than worth a listen. I just had to stop somewhere, after all. There are enough great bands on the Hi-Tide list to keep your cocktail mixer, beach party or loung-y, sexy date night going strong for a long time.
Learn and hear more about all the Hi-Tide artists on the website at HiTideRecordings.com.