Blue
The Color of Noise
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The music. The mix. His life.
"[A] passionate, introspective memoir." —Publishers Weekly
"Sometimes I think my whole life can be seen through shades of blue..." —Steve Aoki
Blue is the remarkable story—in pictures and words—of Steve Aoki, the superstar DJ/producer who started his career as a vegan straightedge hardcore music kid hellbent on defying his millionaire father, whose unquenchable thirst to entertain—inherited from his dad, Rocky Aoki, founder of Benihana—led him to global success and two Grammy nominations.
Ranked among the top ten DJs in the world today, Grammy-nominated artist, producer, label head, fashion designer, philanthropist and entrepreneur Steve Aoki is an authentic global trendsetter and tastemaker who has been instrumental in defining contemporary youth culture. Known for his outrageous stage antics (cake throwing, champagne spraying, and the ‘Aoki Jump’) and his endearing personality, Steve is also the brains behind indie record label Dim Mak, which broke acts such as The Kills, Bloc Party, and The Gossip. Dim Mak also put out the first releases by breakout EDM stars The Chainsmokers and The Bloody Beetroots, as well as the early releases for Grammy-nominated artist Iggy Azalea, in addition to EDM star Zedd and electro duo MSTRKFT.
In Blue, Aoki recounts the epic highs of music festivals, clubs and pool parties around the world, as well as the lows of friendships lost to drugs and alcohol, and his relationship with his flamboyant father. Illustrated with candid photos gathered throughout his life, the book reveals how Aoki became a force of nature as an early social media adopter, helping to turn dance music into the phenomenon it is today. All this, while remaining true to his DIY punk rock principles, which value spontaneity, fun and friendship above all else—demonstrable by the countless cakes he has flung across cities worldwide.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
DJ and record producer Aoki writes of his life and music in this passionate, introspective memoir. The son of Hiroaki Aoki, a former wrestler and Benihana restaurant founder, Aoki inherited his father's love for showmanship and entrepreneurship, just as he possesses his mother's compassionate spirit. Growing up in 1980s Newport Beach, Calif., he became obsessed with music early in life, first through his older brother's record collection and then through his discovery of Michael Jackson. An outsider at school, Aoki turned to music, which gave him permission to "kick up some dust." He eventually began hosting house parties and started his own label, Dim Mak. Aoki wasn't planning on being a DJ, but his friend booked him at a Super Bowl after-party in 2006, "which kicked things off for me," followed by a meeting with L.A.'s DJ AM, who deeply influenced him; in 2012 Aoki released his debut studio record Wonderland, which was nominated for a Grammy. Eventually, he realized he was concerned more with the music he chose to play rather than considering the listening experience of his audience; in that moment, he began focusing on "connectivity" and creating in concert with others. In graceful prose, Aoki writes that the color blue came to define him, because it is the color of the water, which "we need to help all the seeds we plant in our lives to flow into something meaningful and purposeful." Aoki spins a smart, lively tale of the power of music to connect people with each other.
