Even though he is an established solo act in his own right—at one time was even hailed as the highest-grossing electronic dance music artist in North America, two-time Grammy nominee Steve Aoki is also largely known for transcending genres with his collaborations with artists as diverse as will.i.am, Linkin Park, Taking Back Sunday, Backstreet Boys, Fall Out Boy, Louis Tomlinson, Rise Against, and BTS.
When asked if he has any particular criteria when working with other artists, the 44-year old Miami-born DJ, producer, and record executive is quick to say that the only thing that matters most to him is if he likes them as people.
“If I meet someone and we really vibe as humans then music is just taste and different ways to express ourselves. So, it’s more like on a human-to-human level, are we going to bond? Do we have energies that are going to gel? And I feel like, are we going to make some match together? At the end of the day, that’s what’s most important to me,” Steve pointed out.
Asked about his experience with K-Pop superstars BTS whom he collaborated on three songs, “The Truth Untold,” “Waste It On Me” and the riveting megahit, “MIC Drop,” Steve remembers the experience with fondness.
“I met them in a house in L.A. maybe a year before ‘MIC Drop’ was remixed and we bonded incredibly well. It didn’t take much time for us to get to the point where I was going to do that remix for them and for us to later work together again on two more collaborations,” Steve recalled.
“Most people don’t realize I made ‘The Truth Untold’ for their album and they also made ‘Waste It On Me’ which is their first full English record for my album. We have a great relationship. We continue to work together and I am such a big fan of BTS and what they’re all about.”
It’s no surprise that Steve’s latest album, HiROQUEST: Genesis is again filled with collaborations from Kane Brown, PnB Rock, Georgia Ku, Bryce Vine, Santa Fe Klan, Lil Xan, Goody Grace, and Taking Back Sunday.
HiROQUEST: Genesis taps into the angst, anxiety, and pent-up energy felt throughout the pandemic and offers a dynamic soundtrack to what has become the new normal. The tracks draw equally on Aoki’s history with alternative rock bands and embrace contemporary musical trends like Latin and pop while retaining his signature EDM aesthetic.
“The music is a connecting tissue to this universe that I’m creating,” Steve explains. “This album tells a fantastical story, but it’s also about freedom from restraint. I went right back to my roots—that raw, rock energy, and that became the basis of it. From there, I began to explore everything and it sprouted into so many different genres.”
In working with the New York-based rock band Taking Back Sunday for the song, “Just Us Two,” Steve described the experience as “fluid, easygoing and a very natural collaborative process.”
“They made me feel like I’m a member of the band…We finished the whole song in one session,” he enthused.
For the hot Latin track, “Ultimate,” Steve teamed up with Mexico’s breakout rapper, Santa Fe Klan, and San Jose, California sensation, Snow Tha Product.
“I’m glad that the Philippines has its radar on this big Latin record because Latin music is global. The most beautiful thing about it is that it has touched every face of the planet and one of the most important things it does is make people dance and have a good time.
“That’s exactly what ‘Ultimate’ is about. It makes you shake, it makes you move and it makes you want to have fun. I’ve always been looking for new artists that are doing something exceptional, something unique. Santa Fe Klan is an artist I’ve been following for years, I was a fan even before we worked together. I reached out to him via Instagram around four or five years ago. So we started on ‘Ultimate,’ got Snow Tha Product on it and magic was made.”
The album’s new single, “Movie Star” finds Steve joining forces with hip-hop stars MOD SUN and Global Dan. “This is a fun record that takes you back to being a kid in high school when you have all these aspirations,” says Aoki. “It’s something that a lot of kids can relate to. Both MOD SUN and Global Dan have such personalities too, making it such a jam.”
Just like about every artist who has worked with him, MOD SUN was equally ecstatic in sharing his own experience with Steve.
“There’s no one on this planet like Steve Aoki. I have always wanted to work together. I look up to him in so many ways, he really has shaped the state of music as we know it. He also has roots in multiple genres including punk + hardcore, which was one thing that always stood out to me about him,” MOD noted.
In summing up his experience working with other artists, Steve implied that there is no hard or fast rule when it comes to good collaboration and sometimes there is no need for some kind of special preparation and can be purely instinctive.
“All the collaborations I’ve done. They come in different ways. The process changes. Sometimes it’s me, sometimes it’s them. Sometimes we meet in one place and boom, we’re in the studio that night. And sometimes it takes years. Different stories,” Steve concluded.
Steve Aoki’s HiROQUEST: Genesis is now streaming on all major music platforms.