GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM From behind the mixing board at Cox Radio Hawaii last week, deejay James Coles explained his plans for teaching youths the art of digital music.

DJ mixes up a musical
dream for teens

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By Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.com

LOCAL TEENS will soon have the opportunity to learn skills that have made the likes of Dr. Dre, Timbaland and the Neptunes famous, if entertainment industry veteran James Coles can turn his dreams into reality.

"Digital music, that's what I want to do," Coles said from behind his mixing board in one of Cox Radio Hawaii's downtown studios. "I want to teach the kids all aspects of digital music, whether it be as a deejay, producing music, drum machines, samplers or outboard gear."

To do that, Coles has started the Musical Youth of Hawaii, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the music education of Oahu's youth. Think of a YMCA or a Boys & Girls Club outfitted with computer workstations and turntables.

The entertainment landscape was drastically different when Coles was a student at McKinley High School in 1982. There was no such thing as MTV or mp3, and local radio wasn't affected by mainland influences.

GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE@STARBULLETIN.COM Musical Youth of Hawaii is dedicated to the music education of Oahu's youth. "I want to teach the kids all aspects of digital music," founder and deejay James Coles said from behind the mixing board at Cox Radio Hawaii last week.

"When I first moved to Hawaii in 1980 from San Francisco ... I always had the music," Coles said. "And I didn't have books in my hand. I had a (boom) box. I was listening to Funkadelic and Parliament all the time, and Cameo and the Gap Band. I mean, it was blaring all the time."

The growing love for music took Coles to the old Cilly's Nightclub in 1983 at the age of 14, where he got a $50-a-night gig to spin records. Heading to the club after school each day gave Coles the chance to sharpen his mixing skills, but it often meant long hours for the aspiring deejay.

"When I was in high school, I remember working until 2 in the morning, be home by 2:30, wake up at 7 and then go to school," Coles said as he shook his head at the memory. "I did that for a while, and it was really taxing. By senior year I left. I took my GED and got out."

In 1987, Coles left Hawaii to spend a year in Bangkok before returning home to a stint on a cruise ship and four years as a mixer at the old Maharaja. By the early '90s, Coles was working his way up the radio ladder at I-94, helping shape the popular station as music director and, later, program director before opening his own nightclub, the Mixx, in 1997.

"It was a dream come true," Coles said. "After all was said and done, I was putting $40,000 in my pocket every month. When I started seeing real money though, it also caused problems.

"Just like Biggie says, 'More money, more problems,'" he said with a laugh, even though the pain is still evident as Coles recalls the memory.

THE MIXX'S good fortune was cut short almost as quickly as it came when landowner Victoria Ward decided to demolish the building that housed Coles' nightclub.

"Right now, where my club sat, there's a parking lot," he said.

"What was I going to do, fight Victoria Ward? I took my money, packed my bags and left. And that was the beginning of the end. Now the ego got to me."

An unsuccessful attempt in Waikiki where the current Pink Cadillac sits provided the backdrop for Coles' dramatic fall.

"The ego feeds you," he said. "The ego is an evil thing, too. ... You gotta know how to keep that thing under wraps."

Coles' monster ego, accompanied by a growing substance abuse problem, led him to a number of bad business decisions and ultimately the breakup of his marriage.

"I lost everything," he said. "I lost my first wife. I lost my cat. I lost over $100,000 all in the same month."

'Muzik' "The Independence Day Massive," a fund-raiser for Musical Youth of Hawaii Featuring: DJs Wu-Chang, Goodvybe, Krazy K, G-Spot, Kutmaster Spaz and Stone Groove Family. Also, the first Hawaii DJ Awards. Doors open: 9 p.m. Wednesday Place: World Cafe Information: www.musicalyouthofhawaii.org

It was during this low period of that the first seeds of the Musical Youth of Hawaii were planted in his mind. Once he got clean, it became clear to Coles that Hawaii's youth needed to be given an opportunity to learn about the music business.

"I remember going into the high schools passing out fliers for a party, and I'm like, 'This is cool -- you're teaching everybody the trombone and the clarinet and the real drums, but where are the computers?'" Coles said. "One thing led to another; I started going to workshops and started learning, and now I know how the game is worked.

"All I'm trying to do is get the kids that are interested and let them touch (the equipment) hands on. If they can touch it and see how it really works, that'll spark the initiative," he said.

"Once they get that drive, there's nothing that's going to stop them. You see their faces light up. I love that."

ON WEDNESDAY, Coles will take the first step in raising the funds necessary to get Musical Youth off the ground when "Muzik: The Independence Day Massive" takes place at World Cafe. The fund-raiser will feature some of Honolulu's notable turntable masters, including DJs Wu-Chang, Goodvybe, Krazy K, G-Spot, Kutmaster Spaz and the Stone Groove Family. Also on the bill is the first Hawaii DJ Awards, an attempt by Coles to get more recognition for local talent.

Those who might doubt his sincerity to Hawaii's youth with the new venture don't bother Coles much.

"This isn't a scam -- this is just a dream," he insisted. "I love the feeling I get when I'm teaching somebody.

"After all the turmoil, I'm in a better place than I've ever been in my life," he said. "I've definitely come full circle. If I can instill into these teenagers dreams and then show them how to act on it -- dude, it's all good."

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