For the millennial generation, DJ Steve Aoki has eclipsed the fame of his father, Japanese-born daredevil and restaurateur Rocky Aoki. But that was not always the case. Steve Aoki grew up in Newport Beach, CA, in one of three separate families sired by his father. As Aoki struggled to form his identity in his father’s shadow, music helped him find his place. He started his record label Dim Mak while in college and began DJing around Los Angeles for $75 a gig. His Banana Split Sundae parties with the late DJ AM grew to attract the who’s who of 2000s Hollywood, and Aoki is now one of the world’s top EDM DJs. Aoki is not a gifted writer—perhaps this memoir was dictated to Paisner (coauthor,
Rise and Grind;
The Power of Broke)—and his conceit of tying major life events to the color blue gets old fast, but he makes up for that with heart.
VERDICT Despite its flaws, this account of an artist’s rise will touch readers who also discovered community and solace in music.
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