With the nervous energy of a natural-born entrepreneur, Steve Aoki is shuffling cards, absent-mindedly and automatically, on a craps table inside his four-story Laurel Canyon aerie. If the 21st century cliché of the DJ as the new rock star is true, then we’re in the right territory. Ensconced on an evergreen stretch just off Wonderland Ave., these are the old stomping grounds of Graham Nash, Jim Morrison and Joni Mitchell. More recently, the area has become the enclave of young Hollywood, with Alicia Silverstone, Andy Milonakis, electro hip-hoppers LMFAO, and Aoki’s close friends Joel Madden of Good Charlotte and his wife, Nicole Richie, living adjacent.
Indeed, the don of Dim Mak Records and one of the world’s most popular DJs appears in the guise of a guitar hero with his lank black mane, Fu-Manchu mustache, and cool temperament. And by all accounts, Aoki’s DJ sets make up for their lack of technical virtuosity through his charisma and punk rock energy, with the 32-year old known for stage-diving and pouring Gray Goose vodka into the mouths of comely co-eds writhing in the front row.
“There is no one like Steve Aoki; the energy when he performs makes you understand why everyone around the world loves him,” Aoki’s close friend and business partner, Mark “The Cobrasnake” Hunter said. “He’s constantly innovative and continually pushing the boundaries of DJ’ing and music.”
It’s a rare afternoon at home for the Newport Beach-raised scion of Rocky Aoki, the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain. Just a few days after the New Year, Aoki has a bit of down time prior to hitting the tarmac to kick off his “In the House Tour,” which will find him rocking clubs from Mexico to Madrid nearly every night until mid-March. This year, he’s scaled back his touring schedule to “only 250 dates,” down from the past few 300.
“It’s a hard grind, but I’ve accepted the life and know that it requires a certain sacrifice,” Aoki says in his capacious living room, just underneath a framed poster of Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat in boxing gloves. “It takes a toll and I’m getting older, but when I perform I just want to make sure everyone gets their money’s worth and has a good time.”
The fraternal desire to ensure that everyone has fun is a recurring theme with Aoki, dating back to his days at UC Santa Barbara, when he promoted concerts out of his living room in Isla Vista, a spot known as The Pickle Patch. He originally began DJ’ing at Beauty Bar in Hollywood, where he booked the likes of the Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, the Killers, and the Shins to spin. When the party outgrew the tiny space and moved to Cinespace’s roomier environs, it evolved into one of the city’s most venerable weeklies, the spot known for booking bands roughly three months before they crashed the mainstream, including Bloc Party, Lady Gaga, and Justice. The night also spawned the Banana Split party that Aoki ran with DJ AM until the latter’s untimely demise.
During those years, Aoki learned invaluable lessons from AM, who he credits for helping him take the craft seriously, a development that resulted in his being named Best Party Rocker DJ by BPM Magazine and the 2007 DJ of the Year by Paper Magazine.
“People started hiring me to DJ because I was known for throwing good parties, not because I was sick at mixing,” Aoki admitted. “But through AM I learned to understand and truly respect the craft. AM was always about being a DJ first. He lived for it. He had a tattoo of Technics on his arm.”
The development also ensured that Aoki and Dim Mak were ideally positioned to capitalize on the sea change towards the electro sound, a development galvanized by Daft Punk’s 2006 Coachella performance and the Justice-led rise of blog-house the following year. Inheriting the savvy of his father, Aoki displayed an inherent genius for brand building, parlaying his promotional network and record label into international fame, two clothing lines, a line of headphones, and a management company.
“My dad wasn’t even a chef, but he was a marketing machine and that’s why he became a successful restaurateur,” Aoki said about his father who passed away in 2008. “Whenever he did his offshore boat races or hot air ballooning treks it would always be branded Benihana. He knew how to get press and it always went back to the brand. He opened nightclubs, he was an art connoisseur; he wasn’t a one track guy.” Unsurprisingly, those who have worked with Aoki tend to describe him in similar terms.
“The secret to Steve’s multitasking success is his vision,” Bobby Rifo, one half of the Dim Mak-signed the Bloody Beetroots said. “Dim Mak is his flag. He knows exactly what feels right and just goes for it whatever he does.”
At the moment, the most salient among the dozens of distractions vying for Aoki’s attention is his debut solo album, featuring guest appearances from Kid Cudi, Blaqstarr, and Armand Van Helden. Lead single “I’m in the House,” featuring will.i.am. of the Black Eyed Peas — billed as Zuper Blahq — is slated for imminent release under the Island Def Jam aegis. It figures to mark a new epoch in his already storied career, but even if it doesn’t, you get the sense that Steve Aoki will be just fine. After all, few people are as adroit at shuffling. – Jeff Weiss
