The DePaulia spoke over the phone with massive electro house producer Steve Aoki about his label, future festival appearances, his current favorite track and more. You can catch Steve Aoki performing live at Enclave this Friday, Nov. 25.
The DePaulia: So first of all I want to give you a welcome from Chicago, we are all really excited to see you on black Friday! So what can we expect from your Enclave gig?
Steve Aoki: Yeah, I will be playing tracks from my new album called “Wonderland.” I will be dropping a couple singles from the album. I have a new record dropping in December called “Ladi Dadi” with Wynter Gordon. “Earthquakey People,” the record I did with Rivers Cuomo, and my favorite, “Tornado,” which I made with Tiesto. I will be playing a lot of new music. Not only that, but a lot of new music from Dim Mak Records too. A new Zeds Dead record is coming out, a new Zedd record, and a bunch of good tracks coming from the label.
DP: Ok, so Dim Mak Records is your label, right?
SA: Yes.
DP: Are we going to be seeing any other releases from your label?
SA: Alvin Risk, a great producer, will be releasing his EP through my label, and I actually did some vocals on a track with him. We have Mustard Pimp’s album that just dropped. We have more Atari Teenage Riot releases, and Datsik’s new album that will be released next year. There will be a best of 2011 compilation coming from Dim Mak Records in December, and Bloody Beetroot’s single that just dropped, and their album will be coming up next year. In general, lots of big albums.
DP: How do you see electronic music at this time, and how has it changed?
SA: I have only been on the scene for like ten years, so I can only tell you about the recent changes. The insurgence of electro made a great change in 2007. And now, dubstep is the new insurgence of sound, especially out here in America.
DP: That is exactly what I was looking at, because everybody is going crazy about dubstep. And I was wondering, what upcoming gigs are we going to be seeing you at? Any of the big ones?
SA: I will be at most of the big festivals in the summer time, and I will be playing in Europe and South America in the upcoming months. I will be launching my own tour next year.
DP:So are we going to be seeing you at Ultra Music Fest this year?
SA: Yeah, I will be at Ultra in 2012.
DP: Are you going to be in any of the big Chicago festivals, Lollapalooza and North Coast Music Festival?
SA: I would like to! It is hard because of availability in the summer. I could not do it this year unfortunately because I was in Europe. I love Lolla; I have been there before. It is such a great festival, and I been hearing a lot about North Coast. I would love to play there, since I love Chicago. After the Congress Theater show, it really became an important city for me.
DP: To change subjects, how do you see the evolution of DJing? Is the “computer DJ” killing the scene?
SA: If you think about DJs that put on shows, like Daft Punk and Deadmau5, they are not necessarily spinning. Or even Justice, another great artist. It is a different experience, and I definitively do not discredit it. When I go to see these artists, I am there to experience the sound. I want to see them playing their own music. When they are playing their records, in combination with the visuals from the lightshow, the outcome is incredible. However, I have a lot of respect for crazy scratches and mixes. I just think it is completely different, but I respect both sides. Especially for artists that put up great shows. It is really preference. Some artists can utilize the power of the CDJs greatly, and that’s what makes their music good. Others show a great use of sampling to create an equally good set.
DP: I also wanted to ask you, since you’ve been in the scene for ten years. What helped you reach the place you are right now?
SA: I will just put it simply: everything.
DP: Everything?
SA: Yeah, everything. People, friends, DJs. You could make tracks, but if there is no promoters that will book you, it does not help you. You need help from everyone. For example, the first people that booked me took a risk with me. They decided to invest the money in order for me to play. And I owe it to them. Without them, I wouldn’t be playing in the city. I am in Pittsburgh right now, and someone took the risk to let me play. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be able to play here. If someone books you, you have to recognize that. Thus, everything has affected my career.
DP: For the last question, tell me one of your favorite tracks?
SA: One of my favorites is from the Sperm Donor EP, “Zombie Attack.”