EDM rockstar Steve Aoki has built quite the name for himself. The Grammy-nominated artist clearly has talent, and he is all over the scene, but there are some things about this 38-year-old that most people don’t know. Here, we present our list of 15 things you probably didn’t know about Steve Aoki. Check out part one below, and stay tuned for part two, coming soon!
Number Fifteen: He Has Two Homes. Aoki currently resides in both Ibiza and Las Vegas. This makes sense, as these are two super hot spots for EDM DJs.
Number Fourteen: He Was Good to the Animals. Aoki may not be a vegan now, but he was for five whole years! There’s something we can respect.
Number Thirteen: His Father Founded Benihana. Aoki’s father is former professional wrestler Hiroaki “Rocky” Aoki. That’s impressive enough and in and of itself, but did you know his father also founded the very first Benihana restaurant? The restaurant was founded in 1965 and was located in New York City. He reportedly earned the money to open the restaurant by driving an ice cream truck through Harlem.
Number Twelve: He Learned How to Market From His Father. Aoki has a very recognizable brand, and he was able to properly and successfully develop it with the help of his father. According to Aoki, “The strength in everything [my father] did was pushing his marketing and work and art and sportsmanship all to one brand, which was Benihana. He raced Benihana powerboats. He had hot-air balloons branded with Benihana. He marketed to one thing. His influence is unconditional. Now I see why I market everything toward Dim Mak.”
Number Eleven: He Was Influenced by Punk. In fact, Aoki used to be in a punk band! He grew up surrounded by punk and hardcore music, and he was the vocalist for the band This Machine Kills from the years 1997 to 2000.
Number Ten: He Was Straight-Edge in College. All throughout his college career, Aoki didn’t touch a single drop of alcohol, and he didn’t use drugs at all. Ironically, Aoki is known today for spraying crowds around him with champagne.
Number Nine: He Learned a Lot From DJ AM. Aoki developed a budding friendship with the late DJ AM just as he began DJ’ing in 2004. DJ AM was able to show Aoki how to properly beat-match and scratch.