Aura

"Magic Lover" by Aura Recognize this one? You might, since it's one of the first tracks on the DJ Muro Hawaiian Breaks mix. Whatever beat the band kicks off, Hawaiian funk group Aura struts its prowess in cutting instant dance floor classics. "Magic Lover" is no exception. I love this track because it showcases what each member of Aura has to offer, from the dirty bass lines to the brassiest horn section in Hawaii. What keeps me fascinated by Aura is local music scene columnist John Berger, who wrote in 2003: "The name change to Aura took place in 1984 when a local record producer convinced them, as Christine Mendoza put it, "That the name Nomads wasn't going to go over." The resulting recordings -- a single and an album -- didn't capture the group's proven power and pop chart potential , but the name stuck."