Steve Aoki’s stock has risen once again over the past 12 months as he continues to perform the biggest, most audacious EDM sets across the globe and pump out his stomping, strutting electro house productions. Yes, he throws cake at the crowd and sometimes rides a rubber dinghy over their heads, but he’s also played to hundreds of thousands of people in 2013, not a feat many other DJs can say they’ve achieved.
“One of the most proud moments of my life happened this year when I got nominated for a Grammy for my album [2012’s ‘Wonderland’],” says Steve. “That was like a big, big deal. I slaved over that album and I did not at all expect it to be nominated for a Grammy.
“As far as live touring, Tomorrowland was by far one of my most proud moments. Closing the main stage on day three, closing up the entire festival was just an incredible feeling. I felt totally comfortable with the crowd. It was just one of the best sets.
”Having spent much of the year touring outside of the US, Steve is currently in the midst of his Aokify America tour, with Waka Flocka, Borgore and a certain Pharrell Williams in tow. “We’re hitting bigger shows, bigger venues,” says the Dim Mak label owner.
On the production front, following on the heels of Chris Lake and Tujamo collaboration ‘Boneless’ and the Linkin Park hook-up, ‘A Light That Never Comes’, there’s a string of releases planned before the year’s out. These include ‘Bring You the Life’, a “very progressive” track, and collaborations with Flux Pavilion, R3hab and Borgore. But Steve’s love of constant touring has meant adapting his approach to production.
“I’ve started producing on the road,” he reveals. “I feel like my production the last year-and-a-half has fucking grown tenfold, a hundredfold. I’m just so proud of the new songs that are going to be coming out and my album, ‘Neon Future’. It’s my best work.”
The album is due out next year, hopefully in the springtime. When asked what’s behind his ongoing stardom, Steve humbly responds, “The source of the success is my relationship with my fans. Without them I wouldn’t even be a blink of an eye as a DJ.”
