Island With His Centered Brand, Hawaiian DJ Miko Franconi Keeps the Underground Scene Going in Paradise By Jim Tremayne Honolulu, Hawaii – Living in a Pacific-island paradise can be a curious proposition. Surrounded by natural beauty, you can enjoy an idyllic lifestyle; but the distance from the North American continent can lead to a few issues not experienced on the mainland. For promoters and fans of underground electronic music in Hawaii, limited access to the globe’s top DJ talent is one such situation. Some of the big jocks do make their way to Honolulu, but not nearly at the same rate as you see in other big cities. The remedy? A true believer who’s willing to go the DIY route and throw events on a regular basis. In Oahu, one such scene stalwart is Miko Franconi. As a promoter, Franconi’s Centered brand has kept the underground beats pumping since 2018, bringing in a unique range of talents like DJ Dan, Robag Wruhme, and DJ Hell – not to mention his legendary, older brother, DJ Keoki. As a DJ/producer (also known as SoundSex), he’s released a variety of tasty tracks, like the menacing 2021 techno bomb, “Tension 3.0.” As a performer, along with other Centered jocks like Jon Con24
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scious and Giuli G, he regularly spins at several different Honolulu venues, including the swank rooftop of Alohilani Waikiki Hotel, the ShoreFyre, and Hawaiian Brian’s. Additionally, he hits the mainland for gigs, including a pair of coming shows in Los Angeles and Tulum, Mexico. After catching a pair of his rooftop sets, which saw him spin groovy house flavors for a fashionable Friday-night crowd, we connected with Miko Franconi. DJ LIFE: Those rooftop events you play at the Alohilani Waikiki Hotel draw a great and appreciative crowd for some very underground house music. Also, The Republik does a good job bringing in some of the bigger global-DJ talents – we just saw Nero there the other night. As a native, how would you describe the scene – DJs, venues, events – in Oahu? Miko Franconi: Oahu has a beautiful scene. It’s had its ebbs and flows like any scene in any city, I’m sure. When I was a teen, we would have 2,000- to 3,000-attendee raves in the warehouse district of Honolulu. In the 2000s thru to the 2010s, a local promotion group OOSPOT would host 15,000-person concerts with artists like Christopher Lawrence, MSTRKRFT, Kaskade, and Z-Trip, to name a few. Right now, I can say our scene is in a perfect “calm-before-thestorm” place where our clubs are full and our pop-up parties... well... pop. DJ LIFE: Tell me about Centered Hawaii and how you’re bringing underground DJs to the islands. How long have you been doing these promotions? Franconi: Centered was founded in October of 2018. I just returned home to Hawaii after spending about four-and-a-half years in Los Angeles absorbing and participating in what I regard as one of the most influential and forward-thinking dance communities in the game. When I returned, I felt it was best to put some of what I’d learned on the road to use for our local community of dance-music lovers. DJ LIFE: Where are your events? Franconi: We started as a Wednesday weekly in Chinatown – in downtown Honolulu – at a venue called NextDoor. We’ve relocated the Wednesday weekly to a larger venue near Waikiki named Hawaiian Brian’s – aka HB Social Club. We also now produce afterhours events on Fridays, Tuesdays at ShoreFyre in Waikiki, special events on Saturdays, and occasional popup events throughout the isle. DJ LIFE: Who are some of the better-known DJs you’ve brought? Franconi: I’m thrilled to say we’ve had an incredible roster of DJs we’ve hosted for Honolulu
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True Believer: DJ/producer/promoter Miko Franconi (aka SoundSex).