Husband-and-wife DJ duo. Eight years of 1st birthdays, weddings, and graduation parties on the windward side.
Hanahou: we picked the name because we've spent eight years showing up to do hana hou for the same families. First birthdays, then wedding receptions, then high-school graduations for the same kids who once toddled around the dance floor at age one.
We're Kalei and Mahina Apau, based out of Kailua. I (Kalei) handle the technical side — sound, lights, the playlist build — and Mahina runs the room. She MCs when the family wants it, reads the crowd, and knows when to pull back so kupuna can talk story.
We don't do tourist lūʻau aux-cord work. Our specialty is local family events where the playlist needs to span Iz to Bruno Mars to '80s slow jams without anybody noticing the seams. We bring backup gear to every event because we've had a sub blow at minute 40 of a 200-person Kāneʻohe Yacht Club reception and never want to live through that again.
Booking us means a full pre-event consultation, a custom song list you actually approve, and clean transitions all night. We'll never play 'Cha Cha Slide' unless your ʻohana specifically asks. (Sometimes they do. We get it.)
Trisha M. · Kāneʻohe, Oʻahu
Booked Kalei and Mahina for our daughter's 1st birthday at the Kāneʻohe Yacht Club. They handled the MC for the speeches, kept aunties and cousins on the dance floor for three straight hours, and somehow knew when to play 'White Sandy Beach' before our kupuna started looking tired. They brought a written song list to confirm in advance. Felt very prepared. We're already booked for our son's first in October.
Marcus K. · Honolulu
Mahina read our crowd perfectly. We had a wedding that mixed kamaʻāina family with mainland guests and I was nervous about the music skewing one direction. She moved between Bruno, Kolohe Kai, '90s R&B, and a Sister Act sing-along like it was nothing. Sound was clean. Lighting was understated, not tacky.
Jen O. · Kailua
We've used them for two graduations now. They're easy to work with, show up early, and don't try to upsell you on stuff you don't need. They literally said 'you don't need uplighting for a backyard, save the money.' Who does that?
These are starting packages. Most vendors will customize for your date, headcount, and the kind of party you're throwing — ask.
Up to 4 hours
DJ set, basic dance lighting, MC for first dances and toasts. Pre-event playlist consult. Best for backyard receptions and 1st birthdays under 100 guests.
Up to 6 hours
Everything in Reception Essentials plus uplighting, cocktail-hour set, and full MC service. Our most-booked package.
Up to 8 hours
Full sound + lighting design, dual DJs (we both work the room), ceremony audio, custom intro mix for the wedding party.
Booked dates are pulled from the vendor's own calendar. If your date is open, you can request a quote — they'll confirm in their reply. Most events lock in 2–6 months ahead in Hawaiʻi; for May–August dates, sooner is safer.
Performances rooted in lineage. Kahiko and ʻauana under the direction of Kumu Hula Lehua Kalama-Iaea.
Restored 1930s plantation hall on the windward side. Six acres, room for 200, sliding-door views of the Koʻolau.
Third-generation North Shore shave ice. Real fruit syrups, fresh from the family stand, brought to your party.