Steve Aoki is dance music’s revolutionist.
The Japanese-American DJ/ Producer first gained notoriety for uniting hardcore punk rock with house music for today’s trend of electro house through tracks like ‘I’m In The House’ and ‘Turbulence’ and his record label, Dim Mak. He would then gain further infamy for his champagne-spraying, crowd-surfing head-banging performances, perhaps inadvertently leading to the age of the superstar DJ. Never before had dance music been subjected to such frenzy, with Australians, particularly, taking to it like a bullet.
“The connection I’ve seen is more along the lines that Australia is really accepting of underground music,” Aoki comments. “When I was touring in Australia, my name was definitely a lot less known than now, and my music was a lot less popular, but the reaction I was getting to my songs was the most influential at the time than any other country. When I was touring in 2009-2010 and my music was finally emerging and becoming more global, it was Australia where my shows were insane. People were singing along.
“Finding out that Australia was playing Warp on radio when no one other country would dare touch that song — we didn’t expect it, because it was never meant for radio. But the fact that Australia played it because people liked it and wanted to hear it — it was a rare thing. It’s amazing to see that from a country and not just as a small niche group.
“I let my passion rule my life,” Aoki outlines. “The things I love to do, I put 110% into it. I don’t let money get in the way of those things. I only let money help build those things. I‘ve sacrificed my life to building my label which has been one of the toughest businesses to grow in the industry. It’s incredible seeing anything happen from the fruits of your labour in something that is 90% risk and almost 100% fail as a business — even if it’s just breaking even. I have so much rsepect to anyone in any field of art — music, fashion, food, art — when you can sacrifice what you’re doing to develop your art. As an artist, you want to be successful but the whole point is connecting what you’re doing with other people.”
While underground dance enthusiasts may have first scoffed, the dance world has gradually developed a grudging respect for the Dim Mak stable. What is becoming more evident is that Dim Mak is a label dedicated to innovation in dance music, as it expands with tech house pioneers Booka Shade, hip hop phenom Iggy Azalea and a slew of other artists that range from hip hop to dance, pop and hardcore metal. But where did the concept to mix punk rock and dance music first come from?
“I grew up as a straight edge punk hardcore kid,” Aoki explains. “My first music was hardcore music: it’s my roots, it’s in my blood, it’s a part of who I am. I’ve been playing in bands since I was a teenager. By the time I was 16, I could already play enough instruments where I could record an EP entirely on my own. I grew up recording live instruments before I even got into producing dance music.
“If you’re a DJ, you don’t need to be a producer. It shifts and changes on why people are going to a party. I started DJing before I was even producing dance music. My goal was to throw the best party I could throw, by selecting and mixing a great set of all kinds of music depending on the people coming to the party. In a very fickle scene, you learn to be very democratic. The rules change and adapt as more DJ/producers are out there. People come to hear your music which you spend so much time developing and working at in making that song. For me, that end result for why I do what I do, is to build that connection between my music and that person in the crowd. Find that connection around the world and keep building it. It’s a great way to communicate with people without having to say a single thing.”
With the release of his latest LP Wonderland, Aoki will be bringing his special brand of dance music back down under for a whirl wind tour.
“I’ll be supporting my album,” Aoki confirms. “I’ve released tonnes of remixes that have come off the album. I’ve already put out six or seven different singles from the album. I’ve been very aggressive, really ambitious to release all these music videos and really showcase the diversity of these songs. When I went to do this album, I really wanted to make a wide spectrum of sounds, working with different vocalists and vocals, and I’m happy to make these videos and give each song their unique place. So I’ve got all that music and some new songs.
“I’m going to debut my collaboration with Knife Party, which comes out after I come to Australia, as well as a couple more records which will be dropped at the end of 2012. It’s been a while since I’ve supported any of my music. ‘No Beef’, ‘Turbulence’ and ‘Beat Down’ were recent tracks when I got there last, so this time I’ll be changing it up, changing up the tempo, changing up my usual sound. I am extremely happy to be coming back to one of my favourite countries in the world to tour,” Aoki confides.
“I’m honoured to be coming back to one of my favourite places in the world. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back and I’ve got so much music to share.”
Dim Mak and Future Entertainment present Steve Aoki’s World Tour at the following locations:
Wed Oct 10 — Platinum (Gold Coast)
Thu Oct 11 — The MET (Brisbane)
Fri Oct 12 — Enmore Theatre (Sydney)
Sat Oct 13 — Shed 4, Docklands (Melbourne)
