Tiki Music
The room is half the drink. Here's what should be playing while you shake.
The Lounge Playlist
Music Moods
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The Classics
Birdcalls, vibraphones and jungle drums β the original sound of the tiki bar.
Martin Denny Β· Arthur Lyman Β· Les Baxter
10 tracks
- Quiet Village β Martin Denny
- Taboo β Arthur Lyman
- Quiet Village β Les Baxter
- Firecracker β Martin Denny
- Yellow Bird β Arthur Lyman
- Busy Port β Les Baxter
- Hypnotique β Martin Denny
- Caravan β Arthur Lyman
- Sophisticated Savage β Les Baxter
- Sake Rock β Martin Denny
Late Night Lounge
Slow, smoky jazz with a tropical edge for when the night gets rolling.
Stan Getz Β· Chet Baker Β· Thelonious Monk
10 tracks
- The Girl from Ipanema β Stan Getz
- Baia β Chet Baker
- Afro Blue β John Coltrane
- Desafinado β Stan Getz
- Bye-Ya β Thelonious Monk
- Poinciana β Ahmad Jamal
- Song for My Father β Horace Silver
- St. Thomas β Sonny Rollins
- Corcovado β Stan Getz
- Caravan β Duke Ellington
Aloha Spirit
Slack key guitar, ukulele and island soul β traditional and modern Hawaiian music.
Israel KamakawiwoΚ»ole Β· Gabby Pahinui Β· Ledward Kaapana
10 tracks
- Somewhere Over the Rainbow β Israel Kamakawiwoole
- Hiilawe β Gabby Pahinui
- White Sandy Beach of Hawaii β Israel Kamakawiwoole
- Hawaiian Slack Key β Ledward Kaapana
- Pearly Shells β Don Ho
- Tiny Bubbles β Don Ho
- Sweet Leilani β Bing Crosby
- Blue Hawaii β Elvis Presley
- Hawaii '78 β Israel Kamakawiwoole
- Sleepwalk β Santo & Johnny
The Waves
Reverb-soaked guitar and breezy lounge vibes. Dick Dale meets the tiki bar.
Dick Dale Β· The Ventures Β· Santo & Johnny
10 tracks
- Misirlou β Dick Dale
- Walk Don't Run β The Ventures
- Pipeline β The Chantays
- Wipe Out β The Surfaris
- Hawaii Five-O β The Ventures
- Let's Go Trippin' β Dick Dale
- Apache β The Shadows
- Surf Rider β The Lively Ones
- Bombora β The Atlantics
- Sleep Walk β Santo & Johnny
Curated Playlists
Exotica Essentials
Bird calls, vibraphone, and jungle percussion. The literal soundtrack of 1950s tiki rooms.
Martin Denny, Arthur Lyman, Les Baxter
Surf Guitar Session
Reverb-drenched instrumentals for when the second round hits and people start dancing.
Dick Dale, The Ventures, Los Straitjackets
Hapa Haole & Steel Guitar
Hawaiian steel guitar and lounge crooning β the early-evening, first-drink setting.
Sol Hoopii, Alfred Apaka, Don Ho
Space Age Bachelor Pad
Stereo-panning oddities and theremin swoops. Perfect for a Zombie night.
Esquivel, Yma Sumac, Korla Pandit
Modern Tiki Revival
Bands writing new exotica today β proof the genre never actually died.
The Tikiyaki Orchestra, Clouseaux, Waitiki 7
Last Call Lounge
For the final round, the lights down low, and the pufferfish lamp doing its work.
Slow exotica and late-night ballads
Setting the room
- β’Keep volume under conversation level β exotica is atmosphere, not a concert.
- β’Start mellow (hapa haole), climb through exotica, finish with surf if people are still standing.
- β’A small speaker behind the bar beats a loud one across the room; you want the sound to come from the drinks.
- β’Bird calls and percussion breaks are the signature. If a track has neither, it's lounge, not exotica.