Cake and Kamehameha waves are now both things you can associate with Dim Mak head Steve Aoki, as he’s a composer in the new Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 video game for PS4. Other than being pretty much every 90’s kid’s wet dream, it also was a personal milestone for Aoki. He reflects on how anime had a huge part in his past:
“I remember when I was in college, I was a part of the anime club. Every Wednesday night, we would go to one of the classrooms and it felt so ghetto style. There would be some Asian guy trying to work the thing in the back to play these old movies and animation films. Then, all of us would crowd around, talk about the soundtracks to different animes and what series we’ve seen. People would bring in comic books talking about different anime they have. It was a pretty awesome time for me to be in a world where I’m around people they loved anime too. Dragon Ball Z fits into that world and fits into the core demo of those who really love anime. People in Japan know Dragon Ball like people out here know Mickey Mouse. So, it’s great to see a surge of that.”
Aoki’s other hat at the moment deals with working with rising rap artists like Lil Uzi Vert, who’s collaborative effort with the producer further broadens his diverse discography. He reflects on why he has such sporadic interests:
“Anyone that’s inspiring me whether you’re a rock singer or rapper or heavy metal screamer or whatever it might be, I wanted to open a new door and experiment and challenge myself. I realized that there are certain artists with links where it doesn’t matter what sound or genre they’re doing, we have certain ways to build a bridge and do something brand new. My favorite collaborators and tours have always been outside of working in the traditional space of dance music. Working with Waka Flocka and touring with him, that combination was so organic and natural. It fit really well. His sets are turnt up and extremely live. When we did our song together, it was the same energy. You can imagine both of us on stage rocking together.”
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