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Issue link: https://digital.miamilivingmagazine.com/i/62822
PEOPLE For Aoki, playing WMC and Ultra is always great but what he likes most about the music festival is that it brings his friends (all the greatest DJs from around the world) together in one city—creating this massive support system. "Any other day it might just be me, my friends aren't around," Aoki explains. "For example, the Dim Mak party, Afrojack came, Lil Jon was there, Nicky Romero was there. Armand Van Helden came through. A lot of DJs would come and hang out. I did a back-to-back set with David Guetta, Afrojack, Laidback Luke at Afrojack's party at Mansion Saturday night. Things like that just happen because all our friends are there. You don't get that anywhere else in the world…" Most at home when he is among friends, when it came to creating his album, Aoki knew who to call up. Named after the street he lives on and where the record was entirely produced, Wonderland, Aoki tells me, is close to him because it embodies his home and friends that he personally enlisted (Rivers Cuomo, Wynter Gordon, Kid Cudi, Travis Barker, Lil Jon, LMFAO…) to create something in his studio and on his street. "I produced the entire album in different stages; it all ended up being finished in my studio in Wonderland — so there are a lot of meanings…," Aoki explains to me about where the name of the album derived from. "It's got that personal touch to it... It is a wonderland experience… Definitely influenced by a lot of different kinds of musical sounds and you can hear that on the album." His Euro Tour has jet set him across the pond to further promote the album and appease the musical appetites of diehard house and EDM enthusiasts. "It's been really good," Aoki told me when we conversed again, this time over the phone, during his first weeks on the tour. "Doing three weeks now straight, literally everyday has been a show, and then coming back to do more dates here and then doing Brazil. We have a Dim Mak festival down there supporting my album release, and then coming back to Europe. I'm doing two weeks every month till September." He explains to me that each country has its own label, so the release of Wonderland in seven different territories means collaborating with seven separate labels. "Every country has its own plan of action for supporting the album, so I need to be able to support and promote the album with each label. It's a lot of work," says Aoki. A lot of work it is, but this is what he lives for. All this is his favorite part about his job. "I love playing shows. I've definitely accepted this lifestyle. I live on the road 250- 300 gigs a year. This is what I do. I've been doing this at this capacity since 2006 -2007." Happily wrapped up in his greatest of passions, Aoki is out to entertain, whether he's creating music or discovering amazing new talent, it's all about getting the beats out there for the world to enjoy. Pick up Wonderland, if you haven't already, and hear what all the fuss is about. ML STEVE AOKI CONFESSES… What is your favorite part of your job? Finishing a record that I'm happy with —it's a very unique feeling. Just satisfaction, it's an important feeling as an artist to have. It's hard to finish a really fucking good record. It takes a long time and sometimes it doesn't take a long time, sometimes it will just magically happen. And also, just playing shows, I love playing. What are the top 3 things you must have with you when you're on the road? Uh, a toothbrush is a must, my computer, and my eye mask. Everything else I could probably just find. Do you have a favorite song on Wonderland? I don't have a favorite song, but I'll tell you, "Cudi the Kid" is probably the best, the most epic video I've ever been a part of. It's really creepy. It's really dark. It's incredibly beautiful. It's surreal. It's got the elements, to me, that make something just over-the-fucking-top. The director did a killer job! And, I love working with Travis Barker, so I'm just happy that me and Travis worked on this video. We have a young Kid Cudi in the video. The song is dark and a very beautiful song, so I'm just happy that the video has that same portrayal. What would fans be surprised to find out about you? A lot of curve balls I think. I came into this EDM world from a different place. I wasn't raised as a raver. I came into this place more from like the hardcore punk background. I read that, so that's not too surprising to me. I need something better than that. Um, what do you want to hear? Something that's just off the wall. Something people wouldn't expect. I have 12 toes. That's something people wouldn't expect! I'm just kidding. Um, I don't do any drugs. Really? I mean I drink occasionally, but I don't actually partake in the drug consumption. MIAMI LIVING 69