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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/62822
PEOPLE On the Pursuit of Happiness Steve Aoki embarks on a world tour to promote his long awaited debut album, Wonderland Words by Vanessa Pascale • Photo Credit: Dove Shore Steve Aoki, founder and force behind the record label Dim Mak, recently released his first full-length album, Wonderland. The Miami- born impresario has brought electro-house talents like, MSTRKRFT, Felix Cartal and The Bloody Beetroots to light with his prolific 16-year- old label and his razor- sharp promoting skills, but now it's time for him to board his ubiquitous inflatable raft and endorse his own music. "It's strange to change the hat, but I'll tell ya, it's a long time coming. I definitely put my own production on the back burner for a very long time… It's kind of strange when you have to put yourself as a priority. Now I have a chance to really focus on my own work, so it's great. I'm glad that it's out, it took a long time," says Aoki. A strong ethos and business ethic —likely inherited from his late father, Hiroaki "Rocky" Aoki, the founder of the well-known Japanese restaurant franchise, Benihana – has cemented Aoki in the industry as a highly connected, music heavy weight. Over the last decade, he has hosted the debut U.S. performances of tons of artists, from Lady Gaga to Ke$ha, Skrillex to Kid Cudi… The 34- year-old DJ is essentially known for his crowd-pleasing remixes of songs by Kanye West, Drake, The Killers… as well as a cornucopia of hot singles produced with fellow producers and DJs Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Tiësto… I briefly caught up with the down-to-earth DJ, who was casually, yet stylishly, decked out in a camel-hued leather jacket, T-shirt and black jeans, the day after Wonderland dropped (released January 17th), before his show at Supperclub. He brought the party to his hometown of Los Angeles. The cavernous space housed an ebullient crowd bouncing up and down to the beats, relishing Aoki's performance that included his routine crowd surfing excursion in his blow-up boat, accompanied by a champagne shower upon onlookers. From there began the global takeover, starting with his "DEADMEAT" tour (a 60- day bus tour across America) with dubstep producer, Datsik. Then came South by Southwest (SxSW), the 2012 mtvU Woodies Awards, where he performed and was nominated for his song, "Turbulence," in their newest category: EDM Effect, which highlights artists who are helping to introduce electronic music and its subgenres into the mainstream. In March, Aoki touched down in Miami. "We had a really crazy Dim Mak Mansion party; almost like a mini-fest because we took over two rooms and had 12 DJS playing. We have a lot of new artists on the roster. We have Datsik, Infected Mushroom, a lot of friends and family played like Nervo, Felix Cartal, John Dahlbäck... Luckily, all these parties got documented. There are photos up on my Facebook," Aoki proudly shares. "Obviously the Ultra show, main stage, was pretty epic." 68 MIAMI LIVING