Aiming a massive orange sheet cake with shocking precision, DJ Steve Aoki flashed a cheery smile before launching the confection directly into the face of a concert-goer. The fan — who held a poster begging to be “caked” — licked the dessert from her arm while dub-step vibrated from subwoofers and the frosting morphed red in the neon lights.
The long-haired DJ played to an audience of less than 200 at 8 p.m. on a Thursday inside 3TEN at Austin City Limits Live—yet his raucous stage presence, electrifying neon lasers and plumes of smoke that exploded with each beat drop brought enough energy for a packed stadium. The show began promptly and lasted for exactly an hour, the pulsating thrumming never boiling over.
Best known for tracks like “Delirious (Boneless)” and a remix of Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” Aoki surprised the audience halfway through the set with “Cooler Than Me” singer Mike Posner, who performed three of his hit tracks. Alongside a newly workshopped version of “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” that lyrically showcased the artist’s growth on the opposite side of fame and drug abuse, the 38-year-old singer strutted on the DJ set and laid out several pushups to the delight of a surprised crowd. Aoki played into the nostalgia, teasing new music remixed with tracks from the 2010’s from artists like Lana Del Rey, Kesha and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Each dub-step, heavily bass-boosted remix played in 30-second to one-minute intervals, an attention-grabbing formula that inspired audiences to hang up and hang out, throwing arms and bodies around one another while being mindful of the glass display cases of JBL headphones and speakers. Where other DJs often fail to engage crowds, the previous Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival headliner excelled at anticipating crowd needs. In each lull, he immediately threw in fast-paced tracks like “Gasolina” by Daddy Yankee or “Tokyo Drift” by the Teriyaki Boyz that awoke the audience once again.
The 48-year-old DJ brought trippy visuals to life with precision, leaving the audience satisfied with the fast-paced, exhilarating and nostalgic set. Despite the earlier nature of the set — in both time and day of the week — Aoki’s experience and professionalism shone through to give the audience exactly what they asked for.
