Sound Biscuits | Cliff Kapono

Introducing the second iteration of ‘Sound Biscuits’ – a series of playlists highlighting various themes and energies from our crew of creators and innovators. This iteration features a batch of Hawaiian music spanning pre-western contact to modern day, hand selected by Hawaiian waterman and conservationist, Cliff Kapono. Dig in to the tunes below and read through for a quick catch up with Cliff.

Artwork for our 'Sound Biscuits' series by Thomas Campbell.

Happy New Year Cliff! Thanks for putting together this playlist. Can you tell us a bit about the music in it? The music I shared spans the time of precontact up until modern day Hawaiian music. 

Was Hawaiian music always a big part of your life growing up, or did you get more interested in it later in life? My family loves playing and singing Hawaiian music. it was always a part of my upbringing 

Music seems to be a cornerstone of ancient Hawaiian culture, would you say that still holds true today? Yeah, music has always been a part of my upbringing. so much of our history and culture is passed on through song and dance. 

Is there any distinction between Hawaiian music coming from the different islands of Hawaii? Definitely. A lot of the music from Hawaii is specific to place. 

How does Hawaiian music intertwine with surfing in Hawaiian culture? Hawaiian culture was traditionally passed on through oral tradition. music is just an extension of that.

What are your plans for this year? This year I want to continue to share science with the world. Surfing is a powerful tool to do so and I’m stoked that Vissla gets that.