Michael's Cut

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Three rounds of interviewing and multiple text messages finally brought this article alive. Last August, we met outside Paris Baguette where we coped on pastries, strawberry smoothies, and a large cup of water after the Cuffing Season party less than 12 hours ago. My fever jumped to 112ºF. A pang knocked on my forehead, pores trickled down sweat like a facet leak. On the Uber drive home, I realized the audio footage covered the wind rather than our conversation (first journalistic blunder). Weeks later, we met at for pad thai at SingSing Thai Restaurant and a walk through Smith Beretania Park on a snug Sunday afternoon for about two hours, only for the recorder to drop the entire log (second blunder). Months passed and continued to drown my sense of motivation underneath the ocean surface. I almost surrendered out of shame until he offered to reschedule one more meeting. On a calm Tuesday, we meet at Manifest post-corporate hours ceased by traffic and for 90 minutes of our time. Rehashed conversations far easier than upcycling a polyester garment – at this point, I feel like we’ve done nightlife together. I charge my recorder and pull my phone out as backup. I promise him I won’t lose the entry this time – something along the lines of financial compensation and an overdose of self-defeat are on the line.

Marc Ito’s alias fluctuates by context: from which pocket of Hawai’i’s creative scene do you know him? His breakdancing career with the local breakdancing crew 808 Breakers cultivated “MarcNado,” integrating the suffix from the cult-classic Sharknado and perpetuating the playful nature of stage name-building in the hip-hop world. “The Senator,” coined during a trip to the Bay Area when his DJ collective witnessed his diverse social circles, stuck with close friends in the nightlife. Last year, I christened him “the Tornado” because it was the first word I associated with “Nado,” and I pride myself on creating personal nicknames (no, you cannot call him that).

But partygoers alike know him as DJ MarcNado (Nado), the most “friendly” name he could craft at the time circa 2017. His stage name carried over into the music scene, where he embraced the role of an events director at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa student-run radio station KTUH. His solitary office shifts running 90.1 FM inspired him to independently practice DJ’ing and all its foundational work – mixing basics, turntablism, song selection, and music history occupied only few of the tasks on his checklist. Two years of practice heightened his confidence during COVID as DJ’s and other creatives pivoted to streaming platforms. A comment appeared on the local mainstay DJ Revise’s Twitch streams: something along the lines of “I like play for you,” Nado expressed as a half-joke. Revise instead took his words as declaration, privately inviting him soon after to play at the rooftop lounge Hideout at Laylow Waikiki, Revise’s upcoming residency gig. Nado enters a point of reflection the more he describes his early interactions with Revise. His cadence reefs on phrases like “chance on me” and words like “mentor,” his tone softening like plumage. He acknowledges Revise as “kuya,” an endearing term for “older brother” in Tagalog, and a confidant in Hawai’i’s nightlife scene and co, slowly solidifying Nado’s rising status in a creative space rebuilding itself post-pandemic.

“‘You coming out to events by yourself,” Nado recalls Revise telling him, “‘that takes a lot of balls.’” Nado thought otherwise, but his intonation rises above the smoke. When most partygoers team up to tackle the nightlife, solo clubbing can be deemed a “superpower,” an aspiration for those craving nightlife exploration without fear of judgment or for safety. His passion for nightlife culture and dance music pushed him to discover more beyond the island’s arts and creative scenes. San Francisco (SF), in particular, distinctly reminisces O’ahu’s nightlife and creative scenes through mutual crossovers. In the city, Nado comfortably connected with familiar and unfamiliar faces, such as DJ Boogie Brown of the CUFFIN’ R&B party via Revise’s network. 

On multiple occasions, Nado also attended the El Rio-based R&B and Ribs day party, a bi-monthly event blending R&B music with a menu mainly comprised of racks of ribs. Admiration for DJ Knowpa Slaps, the mastermind behind R&B and Ribs, eventually transformed into a friendship between the two. Last October, the former KTUH personality brought the party to the Hawaiian Aroma Cafe at Waikiki Walls, where the venue swelled with attendees crooning to Rihanna’s  “Loveeeeeee Song” while enjoying the company of a bustling rooftop, baby-back ribs, and catfish po-boy’s on standby. Ticket sales quickly sold out – you couldn’t go even if a sense of spontaneity flickered. My friend and I popped into the event an hour after opening and swiveled through the traffic and towards the front, but the inviting atmosphere warranted the experience. “I want to make sure [Hawai’i] ha[s] a good ass party first and foremost,” he clarifies. And with R&B and Ribs being the main source of inspiration for his own R&B day party with DJ Nasty Nate, “Much Love,” the Hawai’i debut of R&B and Ribs showcases the potential of Hawai’i’s overall party scene – the people just need proper direction and education.

Debuting on January 3rd, 2024, “Wax Wednesday” serializes Nado’s musical collection: songs, projects, and artist compilations in discussion compartmentalized under two minutes, giving viewers insight into the works’ or musician’s particular genres or scenes. Japanese pop projects from the likes of Mariya Takeuchi and Yoasobi; new-age singles from The Pet Shop Boys; and ‘80s jazz-funk musician Grover Washington hold weight in his series, detailing Nado’s deep exploration in music. His voice sometimes muffles under the accompaniment music, but it’s his curiosity that globetrots through the lens. He teases his viewers with song sampling details and personal experiences with these particular opuses. Positivity embraces his approach; now it’s the listener’s turn to understand the works’ cultural contexts.

One of my first memories with Nado capered over at Bevy Kaka’ako, where the lights dimmed under a purplish strobe and an empty dance floor. Chambré house and funk music resonated from three speaker boxes surrounding the back of the restaurant and one above the restrooms right of the entrance. A track from Toro y Moi emerged, faint synth-funk basslines freely roaming my mind from his gig two years ago. My introduction with the Dead Oceans-signed musician started with a Pitchfork review circa summer of 2019. Tracks like “Ordinary Pleasure” and “Laws of the Universe”  brushed themselves with harmonies of a featherweight stroke, tapered with rhinestones on a father’s pastel-colored suits tucked away in the back of his closet. That night continued setting the tone for my expectations. Music heard from my earphones played in the open. Who cared if everyone in the crowd knew every lyric? The lights flourished once again, and I closed the dance floor as a single silhouette yet again. I thanked Nado before leaving to the next event, anticipating when the next time I’ll hear music like this again.

Debuting in August 2024, Much Love drives the necessity of exploring crates full of warm R&B and soul for rooms both intimate and crowded. Discographies from the likes of Floetry, FLO, and Raphael Saadiq infiltrate classic Michael Jackson single runs and SZA remixes during all stages of the party. Three or four drinks churn through the liver while songs are washed through live harmonies: you’ll be singing by the first hour into the set, line for line or mumbling through them. Nado and Nate, alongside media director Woozy and DJ and merchandiser DRE., prioritize a familial space beyond the decks. The team’s hosted Sunday resets at the beach and other multiple free pop-up events taking place at the Southern cuisine restaurant Southern Love and most recently at the Secret Spot bar with the Charlotte-based DJ TeeJaySuave. 

Since its party debut at Anna O’Briens, Much Love has produced monthly Sunday day parties, as well as landing residency at the Manifest in Chinatown every second Saturday of the month starting this January. The “Late Night Lovers” series at the cafe-turned-nightclub allows partygoers and out-of-town creatives to experience the event as a club night at zero financial expense, reaching a broader to check out their more curated day parties. He continues to thank DJ’s Revise and Tittahbyte for allowing the Much Love crew to imprint their name into the Chinatown Historic District, where the infamous Downtown-Chinatown block parties transpired pre-COVID, Manifest included in this mix since 2009 and a nightlife cornerstone post-COVID. 

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“At the end of the day, it’s all about the people,” Marc reminds himself about his purpose, “and that’s what I think ‘Late Night Lovers’ is: another extension of that energy and that vibe. That’s what we care about.” The bartender laughs with her friends and punches the lid into the shaker cup. She decants a frothy lavender tincture into martini glasses and serves them, lemon twists entwined around each other as the clink segue into the first sips of the second round.

The Rolling Stone journalist Kathy Iandoli describes the act of crate digging as an “addiction to origin,” the process of delving into a track’s credit rollouts, from the producers to the samples involved. The pioneers of what would become hip hop scavenged the stores spanning New York City to collect these specific vinyls and fossilize those works’ samples into their own compendiums. A moment of greatness never happens just once: there’s merit to studying the successes. Sonic tastemakers and curators alongside music lovers all strive to evolve the local and global arts scene and overall culture through their derivations. 

R&B and Ribs has been the blueprint to Nado and Nate’s question: what makes a successful R&B day party? Much Love rewards you with communal values under a cookout atmosphere. It’s the place where uncles assemble by the grill and your mom scolds your oldest sister to leave her grandchildren alone after they broke their slippers on the playground. The place where your cousins return from winter break to have a Casamigos shot with the aunty they haven’t seen since they were in diapers. 

I experienced the growth of Much Love from its modest start to its now sundry appeal, how the team can still focus on homestyle-like events while extending their reach to the general nightlife scene. This past February, I had the opportunity to work with Much Love and Manifest during their Valentine’s Day promotion via social media marketing. The process was challenging and allowed me to quickly understand promotional work and experiment with various content strategies. The venue and collective pronounced the party a success with DJ Boogie Brown making his second appearance curating with Much Love. I saw many friends from the team’s usual monthly Sunday day parties weave into “Late Night Lovers” to support the team’s newest venture at the time. Even when the venues change, Much Love continues to rally people of all different backgrounds to unwind and connect through R&B and soul music.

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Nado dreams about building a multi-story facility bridging the different arts scenes together. Dance classes would take up one floor, a DJ and producer session in another. Another level would contain artists’ resources and galleries for the public. A rooftop that would be the key destination for hosting day parties and lounge nights. Different creatives and artists honing in their gifts under one roof has been his mission, to materialize a gathering space for Honolulu’s leading and upcoming creatives as funding for the arts continue to be remonstrated on a national scale.

“Being able to navigate through nightlife is like navigating through a fucking jungle, an Amazon Rainforest,” Nado states as he reflects on his time balancing between commercial and creative opportunities. “As long as you know what your purpose and your why is…  [those] will guide you through all the turbulence and all the different animosities and unknown elements that you don’t have control of.”

Nado brings back R&B and Ribs for its second day party in Honolulu this August 16th from 4 to 9 p.m at Buho. He plays alongside heavy hitters Tittahybyte, Joseph Future, Marcus Lee, and the one and only Knowpa Slaps for an evening of “good food” and “dope DJ’s,” something we’re sure everybody can appreciate as we conclude summer and into autumn, whatever “autumn” means in Hawai’i.

Be sure to check out my RateYourMusic page as well for additional music ratings, as well as my TikTok for music-related updates!