Beyond the Dial: Meet Zoltan

Mana’o Radio offers its listeners over 40 volunteer DJs from diverse backgrounds, serving you an amazing musical buffet to sample, and come back for seconds whenever you wish. Our DJs, who are often musicians themselves, have traveled fascinating musical journeys and are passionate about sharing the music and artists they love.

This month, our featured DJ is Zoltan. He is self-declared as a “new-ish” DJ on Mana’o Radio, though he’s been volunteering as a DJ sub for almost 3 years. We are all excited he’s recently become a permanent DJ with a great Friday night timeslot for his show, “Rock and Zol” from 8 – midnight every other week. You never know exactly what you’re going to experience. His music is broad in rhythm, era, and style, as well as globally inclusive. Zoltan’s show can be surprisingly playful, especially when near a holiday. His Halloween show featured scary, spooky, totally new music that must have been unearthed from places unknown. What a blast! He also incorporates themed sets of music featuring multiple artists  around a theme or artist tribute. Overall, you’ll hear some musicians and groups that will tickle your memory and others that are brand new to you. He also includes local island artists and lots of surprises! Listen in and you’ll see what we mean.

Remember, you can always catch the show later or take another dive by visiting  Zoltan’s Rock & Zol page on the Mana’o Radio website and selecting an archived show on demand. Now, let’s learn a little more about Zoltan and check out a sample playlist.

How did you get started at Mana’o Radio?

“It actually developed over the last 3 years or so. I was helping Phat Tony with setting up the Mana’o Radio Merch Table at First Fridays in Wailuku. (Phat) Tony recognized my love of music and was eager to push me to get trained ASAP so I could get into the DJ seat immediately. He was absolutely the strongest protagonist for getting me properly trained and into the studio. I can’t thank him enough.”

Why did you want to be a DJ on this station?

When I got off the plane for the first time on Maui back in January ’05, my friend picked me up from the airport and as I settled into the passenger seat, he pointed to his stereo on the dashboard tuned to Mana’o Radio. He said, ‘This is the FIRST thing you need to know: This is the station you’re going to listen to if you choose to live here.’ I took his word to heart and from the beginning, I was enamored with the amazingly diverse music selection, as well as the DJs who played them!”

Do you recommend Mana’o Radio? What do you tell people?

“Absolutely! And I am often shocked and dismayed when people who have been living here on Maui tell me they’re totally unaware that Mana’o Radio even exists! For me, despite the ease and accessibility of streaming services to most people these days, there is still something wonderful and remarkably organic about being able to tune into a live radio station with carefully curated music. To discover one space filled with such a vast range of influences, is like receiving randomly delivered musical presents, one after another, each one containing a new surprise. To me, the music and each unique song is a gift. And on Mana’o Radio, its FREE! How wonderful is that?”

Your show is a remarkable mix of great music, artists and genres. What keeps it fresh and a new experience for your listeners’ ears and hearts?

”Every ‘new’ song that catches my ear that I really ‘hear’ for the first time, feels like a little gift. And I can’t wait to share these ‘gifts’ with everyone out there in the world. To that end, I love listening to other Mana’o Radio DJs and hearing what they’ve chosen to share with their audience during the limited time they are privileged to sit in the DJ seat. I’m very thankful for Mana’o Radio’s worldwide streaming so the music can potentially reach millions of eager ears. If only we could get those millions to tune in to Mana’o Radio! The world would most certainly be a happier and more musical place!”

Check out DJ Zoltan’s sample “Rock and Zol” playlist below. You can replay archived shows on demand from his page on our website. Thank goodness Zoltan’s at Mana’o Radio and we have the opportunity to watch his star rise!

Yes – Every Little Thing  
Tom Petty – While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Edward A. Tanaka Jr.- Ka ʻele Kū
Lettuce – Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Osunlade – Crazy You
Elmer Bernstein – Ghostbusters Main Title Theme
Jethro Tull – Up to Me
The Who – Cut My Hair
Takuya Kuroda – Everybody Loves The Sunshine                 
Pink Martini – Andalucia
The Beatles – Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey                    
Earth, Wind & Fire – Gratitude
Can – Turtles Have Short Legs
This is a partial listing of a recent DJ El Show. For the complete playlist, KMNO’s complete playlist archives are available at Spinitron.

You can listen to Zoltan’s Rock and Zol Show or replay it any time with our Listen On Demand feature.