Steve Aoki No Beef Trap Derek
[xrr rating=2.0/5] Despite one's feelings on the kiddie pools, cake throwing, and other live shenanigans, Dim Mak-boss Steve Aoki is a prolific taste-maker. A half-decade before taking the reins of the burgeoning EDM soundscape, Aoki was helping the likes of Bloc Party, Klaxons, and Neon Blonde find a home in the dance-friendly indie realms. The beats weren't as big, and the hedonism wasn't quite as excessive, but Aoki was keeping co-eds across club land moving. Having spent the better part of a decade garnering international acclaim for his raucous performances, the ideals have become larger than his abilities — or at least where he is comfortable pushing them. The first volume of Neon Future is massive in scope; an existential quest about the future of humanity. Leveraging his pull in California, Aoki wisely recruited acclaimed futurist Ray Kurzweil to introduce this concept. And while this two-minute intro seems to foreshadow some sophisticated electronic affair; it's truly just a veil for an assortment of vain big room fist-pumpers.
In short, our "neon future" is one when existence is free of the limitations imposed by the human form, be they spiritual, biological or intellectual. Without hesitation, that mind-expanding notion is twisted into one of selfishness and idle behavior. Noble at the jump, the result offers no more wisdom than a tequila-fueled spring break in Myrtle Beach (no disrespect to the long-time residents of the charming coastal city). If the youth of America were to follow the advice of Aoki and his talented cast of collaborators, there is little hope to ever overcome personal credit card debt, let alone incite some great evolutionary shit.
Criticism of this frail concept aside, the singles exceed the capabilities of his many industry copy-cats. At this point in his career, Aoki knows that he cannot please the underground progressive house elite, so he goes after the millennial revelers that now spend summers baking in the sun of multi-day EDM events. Each track is equal parts marketing opportunity and main stage fodder: the ambient synths of the title track, paired with the support of Luke Steele (Empire of the Sun), increase Aoki's credibility across the indie-rock blogosphere, the stadium-filling collaboration with Fall Out Boy ("Back To Earth") pulls in the explorative population of the pop-punk crowd (which Rivers Cuomo had fulfilled in the past), while "Rage The Night Away (feat. Waka Flocka Flame)" and "Free the Madness (feat. MGK)" satiate all those with the deep desire to shake the neighbors alert blasting the distorted bass. The former does highlight Aoki's ability as a talented mixer, cautiously layering female echoes below the blistering hardstyle, but the experience is short lived.
His collaborations alongside his club peers arrive secondarily to those Top 40 hopefuls. Produced alongside Tujamo and Chris Lake, and featuring rapper Kid Ink, the festival-trap leaning "Delirious (Boneless)" had already been worn out in the live setting two months ahead of this album's release. And unless your local DJ is into spinning big room progressive house, "Afroki" has already lost its legs. The song's formula has already runs its course, but the track's message at least ties into the overall evolutionary message of the release. It's only bass-juggernaut Flux Pavilion that pushes the prevailing pop-based framework of these productions, although "Get Me Outta Here" does listen like a Nero B-side.
No amount of negative criticism could curb the appeal of Steve Aoki. While the likes of Eric Prydz, Mat Zo, and Madeon might be better big room producers, and have notoriety in the dance music community, they will never reach the stardom that Aoki has cultivated through his well-publicized antics and personal branding efforts. To put this in terms of film, people just want their summer blockbuster, even if that is the shattered plotline of Transformers.
Source: https://spectrumculture.com/2014/11/03/steve-aoki-neon-future-i/
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