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Steve Aoki – “The last time I was in India, I was amazed at how much the Indian kids know and care about dance music.”

EDM Great Steve Comes to Town

By Payel Majumdar

He is probably the only person you will beg to be caked by. Or drenched in a shower of champagne. Ladies and gentlemen, tie up your pinafores and cravats, your disco sarees and glitzy sandals, fix your jazz pants and racer backs and brace yourself, for Steve Aoki is coming to town, and just about anything is possible, we dare even plausible. Known to be an icon for EDM, this Florida born electro-house Grammy nominated musician is known for his avant garde performances and original music. Following up after his performance in India in 2012, Steve Aoki will be coming for two concerts, in Delhi on November 29 followed by a concert in Mumbai on November 30. Apart from that, Steve is also scheduled to headline DNA Entertainment’s second edition of EDM festival Sound Awake in Bangalore on December 1 along with CongoRock and JacobPlant.

EDM in India

The EDM scene has been growing by leaps and bounds in India. Only last year, the country played host to EDM giants Swedish House Mafia and Guetta, among others. International DJs, many of whom Steve has collaborated in the past like Tiesto and Laidback Luke have come to India recently. Steve remains excited about his performance in India as he sees the EDM scene on the verge of exploding here. “The last time I was in India, in 2012, I played at Delhi and Bombay. I was amazed at how much the Indian kids know and care about dance music. They seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves without any pretence. The energy was great, I could see that everyone who was there, was there to have a great time, ” is what Aoki said when soundplunge_test caught up with him.

Steve looks forward to touring India and has been given to say he loves biryani, and Bollywood music is something he is going to explore very soon, as he sees great potential in it. Coming from the man well known for his culture jamming prowess, this is news to watch out expectantly for.

Touch of Death

Steve Aoki started actively dabbling in the underground music scene early on in his life as a student. While studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara, he ran underground concerts next to his quarters in UCSB in an empty plot which came to be known as the Pickle Patch. He had already started in his early 20s what is now his established record label company Dim Mak Records, as a tribute to Bruce Lee, who incidentally, it has been speculated, died due to a delayed reaction of a Dim Mak strike. The record company has supported stellar DJs like Carnage and Funkagenda in the recent past, releasing albums for big rock groups like Bloc Party, The Gossip and The Kills. His company is unique for its hands-on approach and the way Steve established it from scratch, and was involved with everything, right down to the art designing of the album, has left its mark on the way Dim Mak Records functions even now.

The Ladies Man

A little known fact about Steve is that apart from being actively involved in the music scene, Steve managed to acquire two masters’ degrees, in Women’s Studies and Sociology. Steve told soundplunge_test, “I chose these courses because I found them to be the most liberal. Especially in the Women’s Studies Department, I was very close to all my professors. I think the most important thing I learnt was patience and this is something I follow even now. I am a sociologist at heart, which is why I find important to be able to touch as many people as I can. I have an impact on them by translating my music into something that brings happiness and inspiration into people’s lives. ”

Steve Aoki takes the cake when it comes to getting creative on stage

Eat Sleep Cake Repeat

Steve’s India tour comes in the wake of the much talked about Aokify All America Tour along with Israeli rapper Borgore, Wacka Flocka Flame and Botnek from Montreal where Aoki played teasers from his upcoming album Neon Future. Circus/street performance group Cirque du Soleil had collaborated with Steve for the performance and put up a spectacular act, much to the crowd’s delight. When asked about his legendary cake and champagne act, Steve says, “The cake became a regular at my show in 2011. I watched a music video where someone blew out candles on a cake and it exploded in their face. That was when I thought, I want to cake people in the face. It worked very well with the crowd, it’s fun and interactive and people seemed to love both getting caked and watching other people get cake thrown on them. I’ve told the organizers at DNA networks to arrange the cake and champagne for Sound Awake.” Steve always gets creative for his live acts, and therefore, it is expected that he will put on a show to remember here as well.

You can book your tickets for Steve Aoki’s Delhi performance in Amaanta here and for Mumbai here. For Sound Awake, get your tickets over here. 

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