The New Superstar Deejay: Steve Aoki
By Matt Diehl
BLACKBOOK: Was there any one song or movement that got you deejaying?
STEVE AOKI: The one record that got me into collecting was Gorilla Biscuits’ Start Today. From then on, I became an avid record collector, amassing over 15,000 records in my catalog that ranged from hardcore to hip hop, to no wave and dance. Then, my first friend in L.A., [Michael] “Cali” Dewitt asked me to deejay at his bar where I could play anything I wanted. The obsession was born. The song right now is Minor Threat’s “Straight Edge.”
BB: Who do you play to? How has the crowd changed since you first started spinning?
SA: I play all kinds of different parties from indie to bottle service Hollywood. My range of music is wide, and a good song is a good song, regardless of genre. If the kids come, then I play what I want to play, from dirty punk and electro.
BB: How do you feel when you get called a celebrity deejay?
SA: I’m no celebrity, so it doesn’t fit anyways.
BB: When you play, the crowd might hear new French shit, rock remixes, hip-hop, and Does It Offend You, Yeah? How did this evolve?
SA: I love that Does It Offend You, Yeah? is its own category. That shows how powerful their four songs are right now! It all depends on the night and the flow. The flow is the most important part of a set. It’s all psychological. If you know how to build energy, then you can learn to be a good deejay.
BB: How is it different spinning in L.A. as opposed to, say, New York?
SA: I love L.A. It’s the best place in the world and the kids are taking over. Enough said.
