Steve Aoki: Behind the Scenes at SXSW
Earlier this month, Steve Aoki was in Austin to play SXSW, and Rolling Stone's cameras were there to shadow the DJ. From his morning preparation to his evening set at Austin Music Hall (a venue he'd sold out only five months prior) and his label's late night afterparty at the notorious Illmore, Aoki stayed busy but still found time to pose with fans and do a signature "Aoki jump" in front of the Texas State Capitol.
All captions by Aoki himself. Of the above picture, he writes, "Getting my morning started by creating my setlist for the show that night."
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Radio Edit
"Stopped by the Fader Fort to do a quick interview with my friends at SiriusXM," says Steve Aoki.
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EDM for USA
"Making the press rounds," explains Steve Aoki, "including this PSA for Rock the Vote."
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I Want Your Soul
"Who can say no," asks Steve Aoki, "to a fan dressed as a clown handing you these?!"
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#selfie
"I love what I do, and the fans are the primary reason," shares Steve Aoki. "This fan stopped me for a quick selfie which turned into a photo op for everyone."
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Hope
"I’m a big believer in hope," offers Steve Aoki. "You should be too!"
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Pick a Bigger Weapon
"Hanging out at the Samsung lounge," recalls Steve Aoki, "I ran into Boots Riley from the Street Sweeper Social Club."
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Computer Love
"My friends at Samsung hooked me up with the Galaxy Gear to match my tablet," says Aoki. "I love all things tech so this was a great gift."
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Deep Sleep
Here, Aoki explains that he was "taking a disco nap before gearing up for the late night showcase."
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En Route
"Walking to my next stop with my tour photographer Ceasar and my videographer Chris," Steve Aoki says. "They document all my travels!"
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Jump Around
You're looking at the what Steve Aoki calls, "The 'Aoki jump' – I do this jump in every city I am in, anywhere in the world, usually in front of a recognizable landmark. It's sort of become a trademark of mine."
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Award Tour
"Backstage at the MTV Woodie Awards," explains Steve Aoki. "Later that night, Danny Brown and I introduced Iggy Azalea."
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Bruiser Brigade
"Sitting with Danny Brown," offers Steve Aoki, "running the script for that night's show."
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Wild for the Night
"A$AP Ferg and A$AP Rocky," says Steve Aoki. "Catching up with friends backstage before the show!"
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Holy Ship
"This is the first party I did that night with Wiz Khalifa," says Steve Aoki. "The inflatable rafts at my shows are always a fan favorite."
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Three-Pointer
Here, Steve Aoki is "backstage at the Dim Mak afterparty, shooting some hoops for raffle tickets."
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Tornado
"Great night co-headlining SXSW with Wiz Khalifa," says Steve Aoki.