Steve Aoki played a free live show on UC Berkeley’s Lower Sproul (put on by UCB’s Superb) this past Wednesday, October 28 to a young and excited crowd that was surprisingly ready to dance/party/jump around/rave (or whatever you want to call it) regardless of the fact that the show began at 5pm outside on a sunny day and ended a little less than 2 hrs later just as the night was beginning to arrive. His DJ set ran through a variety of fan favorites beginning and more or less ending with his recent collaboration song with The Bloody Beetroots “Warp 1.9” (you know, the “One Two Woot! Woot!”). I guess if people really like a song that much, you might as well play it twice, right? Or is that kinda lame? Hmm…either way, the crowd seemed to enjoy it through and through.
Mr. Aoki is definitely well liked by his fair share of dedicated fans, and very early on it was obvious that he likes playing to the crowd just as much. Granted, Aoki is a decent DJ but he’s not going to wow you with slick transitions or interludes, odd electronic or sampled sounds you’ve never heard before, or a lot of original production. Aoki’s forte lies in bumping well known/popular dance songs (ranging from Daft Punk, Justice, The Bloody Beetroots, Deadmau5, Kid Cudi, Nirvana, Bloc Party, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and even the techno ballad Sandstorm, to name a few from memory), amping up the crowd (full with stage diving and all), and looking like he’s having a great time all the while in hope that it rubs off on everyone else. And to be honest, it’s hard to say that the enthusiasm shared by him and his fans isn’t highly contagious. Within no time, you’ll find yourself bobbing your head and moving your body before even thinking much of it. It’s almost as if you’re just blending in. But that’s ok. A Steve Aoki show is not about expanding your musical horizons, it’s about having fun.
Check out a few short videos I took, giving you a taste of what Steve Aoki is like live….A little dancing, a little crowd surfing, and a bit of Daft Punk never hurts either.
Aoki playing a bit of Deadmau5’s “Ghosts N Stuff”
Aoki closing out the set with The Bloody Beetroots “Warp 1.9”
The life and times of a Flashflooder 