Post #521565 by congatiki on Fri, Apr 2, 2010 5:42 AM

well...(rockabilly intro)
This is always a pretty interesting discussion, but in my humble
opinion the term "tiki music" can only be applied to classic or
modern exotica, and hapa haole. These are the sounds that truly fit
the concept of an escape to a tropical island. And the music helps
transport the listener to another time and space, part of a mysterious
experience, if that's what we are looking for.

Now, I spend a great deal of time listening to rockabilly in my
lounge, but I don't consider it tiki music. It's just part of a vibe
that fits around the edges of the concept, obviously a lot of us here
enjoy it, and it also connects with another "time and lifestyle."
I also listen to a lot of vintage blues because it also takes me
to another time, perhaps I see a connection between juke joints and
tiki bars :) Taj Mahal's Hula Blues Band "might" be a link
to tiki, but I don't call it "tiki music."

In order to call something "tiki music" I think that music must have
a real connection to the original concept of a tiki bar or island
lifestyle. If a hip hop artist sings about Muddy Waters (bad example)
it's not blues, if a rockabilly song is about hula girls it's still
not tiki. It's natural for humans to broaden definitions, and it's
always a fun discussion. However, being very narrow in the categorization
is the only way that we keep Buffet out of the discussion.