Sat, 11pm, Dragon-i Steve Aoki's affinity with Hong Kong runs deep. Not only has the Los Angeles-based DJ been a regular visitor over the past decade, Aoki says that when he was struggling to find his place in the world as a teenager, our city's favourite son, Bruce Lee, provided him with inspiration. 'I had a lot of self-doubts and was terribly insecure growing up,' the 31-year-old admits. 'Learning to be a strong independent Asian-American was part of this whole process in becoming who I am today. My heroes since then have and always will be Bruce Lee and Malcolm X. Those were two people who stood strong for who they were and what they believed in.' In a nod to his idol, Aoki named his record label Dim Mak - after Lee's legendary 'touch of death' - and through that label he has been able to add to his own growing reputation as one of the music world's great movers and shakers by signing the likes of the Bloody Beetroots and MSTRKRFT. There is also a fashion label, in association with Supra Footwear, a DJ management company, guest gigs at clubs across the globe - and his own Korean restaurant. Little wonder it took Aoki (right) 10 years before he found time to release his own long-play CD, last year's Pillowface and His Airplane Chronicles. 'That CD is more of a reflection of the current state of music that I'm really involved in and excited about,' Aoki says. 'I think for a lot of kids, it's an introduction to what electro is or defines what electro is to me. The tracks are purposefully popular and they're purposefully classic in that sound.' For his latest Hong Kong venture, Aoki will be lining up alongside fellow American Diplo (aka Thomas Wesley Pentz) at Dragon-i on Saturday - and he says the Philadelphia-based artist has also been an influence on his career, changing the way he views mixes. 'Most mix CDs are boring. I was never excited about any except Erol Alkan's Bugged Out Mix CD which was an important CD for me,' he says. 'Diplo's FabricLive CD is another classic mix CD - there are only a few that stand out.'' UG/F The Centrium, 60 Wyndham St, Central, HK$300. Inquiries: 3110 1222
