This has to be one of the cutest emails I’ve ever read:
“My five year nephew is the biggest Steve Aoki fan. It is the funniest thing. I’m attaching a drawing of Aoki which he did and wants me to send to Steve. I am writing because we live in Las Vegas. My nephew, who is again five, packs his Toy STory 3 backpack every-night and begs me to take him to Surrender nightclub. I watch him alot and I often have different music videos playing. He saw the I’m In The House video and has been hooked ever since. Then he looked at the related video section on YouTube and found Steve’s promo interview for Surrender. He is infatuated with Steve Aokiand Surrender. He even packs headphones in his backpack to bring to Surrender so he can be a DJ like Steve Aoki. Last night my sister- in- law (bummer realist) crushed his dream about going to Surrender explaining he had to be 21. Thus, this morning he is sooo upset. Is there anyway Steve can autograph a photo or something and send it to my nephew? Because we live in Vegas and my nephew saw the video I am being bugged today to take him to Surrender during the day. As clever as he is he is insisting he sees kids on the strip and is crying because his wish is to meet Steve Aoki and dj with him (that and also to play drums in Iron Maiden LOL). I know Steve is really busy and meeting a 5 year old fan isn’t at the top of his to do list- but an autograph would be greatly appreciated. I’m attaching one of the many drawings of Steve which Caleb does daily. I think it is so funny because when I take him to the playground other kids are talking about going to Disneyland for summer vacation and my nephew has on his skull rings (which I had to buy) and his headphones around his neck and talks about going to Surrender nightclub. Too cute!
Thanks again for taking the time to read this.
Tanya on behalf of Caleb.”
Steve played at his Vegas residency, Aoki’s House at Surrender, last Friday and got to meet with the little dude the next morning! His aunt brought him to Wynn hotel for a short meet and greet and took some awesome photos. =)
we just got back in studio to work on a track for Travis’ new album. Keep u posted more on this when we can give out more info…
Interview: Becca Nelson
Aoki was somewhere on the other side of the globe when we caught up with him lat June, but cheerfully succumbed to a stateside REAX interview. Read his words here.
REAX: Dim Mak has to take credit for the rise of the now-ubiquitous indie-electro scene; without Bloc Party, a lot of hipsters would not know when to hit the dance floor. And you also helped seminal acts like MSTRKRFT and Klaxons gain their popularity. Now that these artists are tiptoeing around mainstream recognition, what’s your take on the scene?
SA: The scene is still small. It’s concentrated; when our players go out and rock the clubs the energy level is high because the intensity in the dance music is high. This music is made for youth the same way punk was made for the youth. You don’t see Erick Morrillo fans rockin’ out to MSTRKRFT or the Bloody Beetroots. We’ve carved out our own scene from dance music but we are still growing and it’s important to know that we have plenty of work to do. This is just the start.
REAX: So, who’s the future?
SA: The Bloody Beetroots.
REAX: With so much going on in your music career, what inspired you to start a clothing line?
SA: We started from merchandise. I’ve been screen-printing Dim Mak t-shirts since the dawn of the label in 1996. I’ve been screen-printing shirts since I was in high school bands… its part of the DIY culture I grew up in: making your own fanzines, printing your own tees, starting your own bands, etc. We just institutionalized our tees and created a business due to a demand a few years ago. It’s now the most successful financial piece in the Dim Mak game.
REAX: You’ve been quoted as saying that “music is my life.” But now, after branching out into a clothing line, restaurant partner, and record exec, what’s the thing that keeps you going? If you had to cut out every endeavor but one, what would remain?
SA: Producing/playing music. I can see myself doing that for the rest of my life.
REAX: An exhaustive list of all your projects would take pages, but as of late, what are you most dedicated to? Are you still working with Blake Miller from Moving Units?
SA: Blake and I are on a hiatus. He’s busy working on his solo project and Moving Units, but since our last Weird Science remix (the moniker under which Aoki and Miller released some killer productions), I’ve produced a ton of remixes under my own name.
I’ve been working on a solo album that will see the light of day in 2010. Got five more songs to go to finish the record, but for now, I have a single: “I’m In The House (ft. [zuper blahq]]]” that drops in August or September.
REAX: You’ve single-handedly launched very influential bands, have worldwide appeal as a DJ, and are now finding success as a designer and culture-monger. But, you seem pretty stuck to California; how do your travels around the world rack up to your homestead… are ever tempted to relocate?
SA: I love L.A. It’s my favorite place to live. I’ve learned this city now; I can avoid the shitty qualities and embrace the best parts of the city. Everyone eventually comes through L.A., so even if I don’t travel, I’ll see my friends rolling through. And the weather… you can’t deny the weather. It’s always the same sunny warm weather.
I love Paris, New York, Tokyo…. And I’ve done some crazy shows in Barcelona, Singapore, Kua Lumpur, Montreal, Melbourne, Mexico City, and more… these have all been insane places to play live. L.A. is home, but it’s not my favorite place to play. I’d rather just chill when I’m here.
REAX: What is up for you this summer (besides kicking off the dog days in style for Tampa at the PULP anniversary)?
SA: Mainly Europe and Asia. I’m in Manila as I type this. I’m on the road almost 25 days a month, 300 days a year, so the answer to whether I’m touring is perpetually yes.
REAX: On a parting note, can you leave us with some crazy tour stories?
SA: My brain is too warped right now. I’ve had plenty of disasters and plenty of amazing shows and plenty of embarrassing moments. I always blog about all three at either one of my two blogs: www.dimmak.com (which is updated by over 30 bloggers daily) and www.steveaoki.com. See you in the pit!
DJ Steve Aoki’s Miami roots run deep and even though the superstar DJ grew up in California, he maintains serious ties with the Magic City.
Aoki, who will be invading Miami Beach tonight at SET, was born at Mount Sinai many years ago and makes it a priority to come visit at least a couple of times a year. And not to just play the best clubs in the city, but to catch a quick bite at his brother’s restaurant, Sushi Doraku, on Lincoln Road.
With his gigs and appearances, that makes for a life lived in airplanes and hotels, but Aoki is down with it. After three and half years of non-stop touring, Aoki has finally got used to his jet-setter lifestyle.
“With my job, I work and play. I have so much fun DJ’ing — but I have been living out of a suitcase for a long time,” he said. “I actually deal with it really well.”
“It can get really bad — if you don’t learn to live that way, its horrible and it’s really difficult. It’s an acquired taste for sure,” Aoki told Niteside.
When not touring, his free days are spent working on his new album, clothing line and producing the mixes that made him famous. Working with everyone from Lady Gaga to Lil Jon, Aoki’s most recent collaboration was with Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas for their hit “I’m in This House.”
“Will is the most intuitive and quick-witted singer, vocalist or songwriters I have ever worked with,” Aoki said. “When he finds value in a song, he is so magical with it. It starts immediately falling into place. It comes so natural to him.”
BY Stacey Russell // Thursday, Jul 1, 2010 at 08:45 EDT
Photo taken by The Cobrasnake.
BEST CAMEO: RIVERS CUOMO WITH STEVE AOKI
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is about the last person you’d expect to see at a dance music festival rife with glowstick-toting teens, yet there he was in a green jacket and pink shirt Friday onstage with Steve Aoki. The Pinkerton purveyor sang a yet-to-be-released, untitled tune planned for the follow-up to Aoki’s last full-length, Pillowface & His Airplane Chronicles. The jury is still out on this still-raw song, but the moment was a fun one for those who caught it. Otherwise, Aoki’s set was mesmerizing, replete with the aforementioned Lil Jon cameo, stage diving, scaffold-climbing, and a set loaded with the producer’s new, rock-leaning material.
