Steve Aoki

DJ Steve Aoki Kid Millionaire has risen from throwing impromptu concerts in his living room while a student at UC Santa Barbara in the late '90s to become one of the most sought after DJs in the country. Deemed the music tastemaker by those in the know, his ear for music paired with his ability to drop party rocking beats has championed dance floors night after night. Whether providing the indie soundtrack to his wildly popular Tuesday night at Cinespace in LA (which also showcases the hippest up-and-coming bands) or dropping the biggest party hits at Hollywood's LAX and NYC's Marquee, Steve Aoki has become a jack-of-all-trades. Between his daily treks touring the country (and lately as far a field as London and Japan) he manages to run one of the most respected indie labels in the country, Dim Mak (founded bands such as The Kills, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Von Bondies and others and also currently home to Bloc Party, The Rakes, Moving Units, Scanners, Pony Up, Whitey etc.) as well as promote his own nights in LA and NYC featuring any band looking to make it (yes they all played for him first: The Bravery, Bloc Party, M.I.A., Lady Sovereign, She Wants Revenge, Wolfmother, Kaiser Chiefs, Editors, Spank Rock, and the list goes on).

Steve Aoki, aka Kid Millionaire, is a celebrity DJ and also the founder of Dim Mak Records, which counts leading indie rock bands such as Gossip, Bloc Party, and Battles among its stable of signees. The son of wealthy restauranteur Rocky Aoki, he is of Japanese heritage and calls Los Angeles home. In 2007 he released his first official mix CD, Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles, on Thrive Records. Featuring tracks by Justice, Klaxons, Mystery Jets, Peaches, Datarock, Yelle, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, and Scanners -- most of them remixed -- Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles is fairly representative of the Aoki's renown as a tastemaking dance-party DJ rather than a skillful turntablist. Since he is often seen as being famous for being famous, Aoki tends to be the subject of scorn in some circles. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide