Words: Becca Nelson
Photo courtesy Steve Aoki
 

Tampa’s darling dance party PULP turns two this weekend, and what would a toddler birthday party be without a fantastic guest magician at the helm? To honor this drunken milestone, DJ and PULP team captain Pauly Crush has wrangled the god-daddy of indie-electro DJ-dom, Steve Aoki, to steer this not-to-be-missed birthday party. I can’t promise there will be balloon animals on presence, but I challenge you to notice their absence.

Aoki, besides his prominence as one of the most sought-after DJs in the club scene (sometimes hiding behind the nom de plume Kid Millionaire), is also the founder of Dim Mak records, the imprint responsible for such sundry hipster bait as Bloc Party, MSTRKRFT and the Klaxons.

Aoki was born in Miami, but grew up in Newport Beach, CA.  Close ties to the L.A. area through his family (his late father Rocky was the founder of the Benihana restaurant chain, and model sister Devon has become a partner in the newly launched Dim Mak clothing line) keep Aoki on the West Coast; despite MIA roots, he considers California home.

Aoki was somewhere on the other side of the globe when we caught up with him, but cheerfully succumbed to a stateside REAX interview. Read his words here; see his magic tricks this Friday at Pulp BDay 2.0.


REAX: You haven’t played PULP before, but you’ve definitely banged it out in Orlando for the late S/T and Paul’s new baby, J.E.S.U.S. How’d Orlando treat you?

Steve Aoki: Orlando is always a fun city to play in. Kids there are aware of the new music I’m dropping and their energy level keeps me hitting ‘em hard through the whole night. I love coming to Orlando.

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.

Aoki performing at Pauly Crush's new Thursday gig, J.E.S.U.S, at Icon in Orlando. (Photo courtesy www.partyfoulz.com) 

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!

Aoki knocks you out this Friday at PULP the Party’s Two Year Anniversary at Czar Vodka Bar’s Imperial Theatre. $10, 10 PM. Get pre-sale tickets at www.pulptheparty.com.