It’s going to be a treat for all you EDM fans in the city. And we mean it when we call it a treat. Because, if you’ve ever watched Steve Aoki perform before, you know that this guy is all about entertaining his crowds. And he doesn’t do it in any ordinary way. He goes the whole hog, throwing cakes, popping champagne, crowd surfing and more. Touring India after an entire year, the Grammy-nominated US electro house DJ-producer says he has been wanting to come back to India ever since the last trip. “It was always a place I had been wanting to visit. And now that I have been to India once, I keep telling my friends and people I meet what an incredible country it is.
India is not a place I get to visit very often, so I want to play bigger shows here,” enthuses Aoki.
One of the curious facts that you get to read about Aoki online is the fact that our man has an affinity for vegan food. He has been vegan for almost five years and vegetarian for 15. A big supporter of organic food, Aoki throws a big surprise our way when he says, “I love the biryani. I could eat Indian food all day long. In fact, I want to get fat from eating Indian food on this trip.”
While he’s performed in the country before, Aoki reveals that the Sound Awake2 festival will be the first time he will be playing at an Indian music festival. And boy, is he glad or what. Revealing details of what fans can expect from his show this evening, he is only too pleased to reveal that fans will get to experience his insane onstage antics. “I feel it is important to interact with as many people as possible and it’s easier to do that at a festival. People love the cake and the raft and the champagne that have been part of my shows for years now,” says Steve, while making it clear, however, that all the action can never really take away from him delivering a good set. “The basic idea is to translate my music to people by bringing them happiness, energy and inspiration.
Music, in general, is evolving at a much faster rate today and artistes need to mature their sounds to be able to keep up with what the people want. And that’s the keys to a good set and everything else follows,” he explains.
So when did this whole ritual of throwing cake on people’s faces begin? “It all started a few years ago when I watched Turn Up The Volume, and in the music video, there were exploding cakes hitting people in the face. That’s when I thought, I want to cake people in the face. I tried it in 2011 at a show and it just seemed to work. Even the people who don’t get cake on them love watching others get cake thrown on them,” says the master cake thrower whose favourite flavour is strawberry.
With a packed calendar that can tire the best among us, Aoki is easily one of the busiest men in the music industry. He is involved in so many ventures that he’s even earned the moniker of ‘serial entrepreneur.’ Apart from owning a record label (Dim Mak), which has evolved into a fashion label, Aoki has also come out with a range of headphones, and co-owns a Korean BBQ restaurant. “I am a DJ, a producer and a designer. My father taught me a lot about handling a business and managing my time. He taught me how to work smart rather than just working hard.
I follow a very strict work ethic. By looking at business as an art, I create a balance between that aspect of my life and the music,” shares Aoki whose got back-to-back shows to keep him busy till the end of the year. Commenting on his lifestyle and how he handles the madness, he says, “It is difficult, the lack of sleep is exhausting. But I lead a very disciplined life. I work out everyday and maintain a strict regime to stay healthy. I don’t drink, smoke or do drugs either. I cut out all impurities from my life, and that keeps me going.”
Steve Aoki will perform at DNA Network’s Sound Awake2 at Supernova Arena and Convention Centre, Yehalanka, 6pm onwards, this evening.
