Longtime artists Steve Aoki and David Choe have finally teamed up with Aoki doing a dance remix of Choe's band Manchi's song "The Best" and Choe doing artwork for the Fall/Winter 2018 collection of Aoki's clothing line Dim Mak Collection.
Longtime artists Steve Aoki and David Choe have finally teamed up with Aoki doing a dance remix of Choe's band Manchi's song "The Best" and Choe doing artwork for the Fall/Winter 2018 collection of Aoki's clothing line Dim Mak Collection. Walter Yetman recently talked to them about about the collaboration.
So you both grew up in the Southern California DIY LA punk scene. How did you two originally meet?
David Choe: I think we grew in sort of the same era around the same people, but we actually didn’t meet for the first time until sometime last year. We know all the same people-Shepard Fairey, Mark the Cobra Snake. It was just one of those things where I’d heard about Steve and he’d heard about me and then we just finally met.
Steve Aoki: Of course I’ve known about Dave for a long time and there’s always been this longing to connect with another asian that’s doing something interesting. I mean outside of the asian aspect he’s always doing crazy ass shit. He’s always disrupting the community and it speaks so much louder than a lot of shit out there. And of course watching all the Vice journalism that Dave does and traveling around the world-shit that everyone wants to do, but is too afraid to do it and that’s awesome. I reached out to Dave and we started shooting the shit. This was post the DVD ASA era which I wish I was part of. When we connected it was like finally man! Finally!
David Choe: He’s a little bit younger than me I’m past my insane workaholic stage and I think he’s still in it, so we were trying to figure out when to even meet up. Steve would be like “oh I have 15 minutes free here and 5 minutes free here.” He worked pretty much everyday last year without taking a day off. I just said hey dude I’m just around, so whenever you’re free. He finally came by my warehouse at like 2 o’clock in the morning. I have this padded room from an insane asylum in my warehouse that we hung out in for 4 hours and just talked about everything.
Steve Aoki: Literally it was a decompression chamber.
How did the collaboration for the remix of the song “The Best” as well as having David do the art for the Dim Mak collection come about?
David Choe: Steve was like we how about we record something and put it out? I was like how about we don’t put anything out-you’re like the most insane workaholic. It’s very scary to watch because you’re not seeing everything that’s happening and absorbing it. I used to be at the stage where I couldn’t say no to anything. Every opportunity, every woman that wanted to fuck me, every job that came to me I’d yes, yes, yes and yes. Now I pretty much say no to everything. Steve coming into the insane asylum room just to chill out for 4 hours you could feel the heat coming off him and you could tell he just needed a break.
Steve Aoki: I thrive off collaborations like this. When I got together with David and we went into the insane asylum room I literally came out with a transformed perspective on certain ways I thought about things and there’s no doubt that that laid the groundwork to whatever creative input I had to working on this track with you.
David Choe: Steve is so fucking busy and we don’t get hang out as much I’d like to. But when we meet he’s so open to ideas. When I think about the collaboration it happened so quickly with the music and the art. Steve reached out to me to do a fashion line for Dim Mak and I was one day away from leaving on tour with Mangchi and they needed the art work the next day. I was in my warehouse and my janitor Valentin who’s amazing he does so much shit for me he was just sweeping up and I said “Hey Valentin can you pose naked for me?” He didn’t want to take his pants off, but he took most of his clothes off and I did this really sloppy ass oil painting of this guy that literally cleans up all my shit all the time. This guy who’s my janitor is on this high end fashion clothing it’s crazy. I’m not one of those guys that talks out loud, but one night I was thinking of all the people in my life that I think are wonderful and I just started saying out loud “you’re the best, you’re the fucking best.” Then 6 months later who would have thought me having this asbergers moment turns into a Steve Aoki remix and then there’s like thousands of people dancing to it at a show. The whole collaboration is mind boggling when you think about it. I think of you just get to that point where you’re just honest and fearless in a way to express yourself then these energies just combine with other souls out there who are on the same wavelength and these things happen.
Steve how was showing the line at New York Fashion Week received?
Steve Aoki: The whole thing with this collaboration there’s multiple layers. There’s us doing a song together and then there’s using David’s art for the 2018 fall/winter collection for Dim Mak. That’s already a mega big deal for us we’re so small. And then having David perform-it’s like all these little pieces coming together. Having Mangchi perform on top of the skate ramp that was the runway. That was the great thing which was fucking up the space of fashion. Turning the runway into a skate park and having no chairs to sit in.
Just kind of the whole punk rock chaotic thing right?
Steve Aoki: Exactly. Having Mangchi perform for the entire show to represent the sound of the collection, the art of David Choe, and just the movement of the whole collection. Having all these different pieces coming together was incredible.
David for you to perform at New York Fashion Week what was that experience like?
David Choe: Just you asking that question is bizarre. That’s what I’m talking about these things just keep happening. The day after the performance and even right now I’m like I’m a painter I’m not a musician. I decide at age 40 I’m going to start a band and to hook up with Money Mark from the Beastie Boys who I fucking love-he’s from my era, he did Check Your Head-I mean he could be my Dad! It doesn’t make any sense. My lead singer is a guy that sits home all day who eats a can of Pringles who then turns it into a pocket pussy and then he’s on stage with all these paparazzi and all these fashion magazines. If I stop to think about it I can’t stop laughing. That’s not to say everything is a joke-whatever I do in my life I treat it with 100% seriousness and I commit to it. The whole collaboration for someone who doesn’t do any drugs-I feel like I’m on drugs. It feels like I’m out of body. I’m at fashion week on a skate ramp and there’s all these fashionista’s and everyone’s taking pictures. There’s this kid who’s the lead singer of my band now who a month ago was sleeping on a couch jerking off in a Pringles can which I’m sure he’s still doing. The whole thing is like the Twilight Zone.
Steve Aoki: I was walking the floor while David was performing and I’m getting introduced to all these buyers from all these different stores like Barney’s and Saks 5th Avenue and they’re like “oh my God this is incredible we’ve never seen anything like this at New York Fashion Week.” It was one of those big crowing achievements for me to say hey here’s our brand, here’s our line, here’s our statement.
What does the rest of the year hold for you guys? Any more plans to collaborate on some projects together?
Steve Aoki: On my books I keep it wide open with David. To me this is a lifelong adventure-who knows me and David could start a band. It’s just a matter of us getting into a studio together and finding that time. I always want to find a moment to be creative with David.
David Choe: I’ve been very quiet on the art side for almost 10 years now and I have an art show coming up. This show is going to be more of an experience than anything. It’s in a building that has over 100,000 square feet. It’s going to be completely free-everything is going to be free. Nothing is going to be for sale, so leave your wallet at home. It’s going to be like Alice and Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on crack. After that it’s gonna be a long vacation and then after that I’m down to do whatever with Steve. He’s the best. The motherfucking best.
For additional information please visit David Choe's website and Steve Aoki's website. Be sure to check out Dim Mak Collection.
Inteviewed by Walter Yetman
