The Big 100
The world's greatest cultural icons and globetrotting experts plan the ultimate 2012 itinerary. Pack your bags, book your flights, and take off on an epic year of travel adventures.
STEVE AOKI
NIGHTLIFE
Steve Aoki lives in inversion. An internationally in-demand DJ, producer, promoter and head of Dim Mak Records, his days are nights and his nights can be a daze. His reputation for bangin' electro-house and dilated bass mania keeps him on the road more than half the year.
Interview by TONY WARE
● It's enough to drive a man to drink. Except Aoki doesn't. No celebratory shots. No champagne showers. In fact, he's something of a health freak — a vegetarian and raw foodie who spends his downtime getting reflexology treatments and reading dieting and health books. But that doesn't slow down his throw down. The jetsetting DJ logs thousands of miles to ensure the nighttime is the right time for club-going throngs.
● "Dim Mak" means "death touch" in Cantonese, but Aoki is all about living it up. When he wants a show that aims for the jugular, he'll head to [061] Avalon (www.avalonhollywood.com) in LA or [062] The Warfield (www.thewarf-ieldtheatre.com) in San Francisco. "San Francisco is definitely a place where the crowd feels a gig the hardest," says Aoki. "So many people come out and go off."
● Drawn to high energy, Aoki also shouts out Vegas, where he acknowledges there's not really a bad room in town. [063] Marquee (www.marqueelasvegas.com), [064] Haze (www.hazenightclub.com) — on the Strip peak hour lasts all night. "Vegas is always on fire. Go by the artist playing, not just the club," he says. "If Kaskade is at Marquee, go there, his show is incredible. Afrojack, Skrillex — wherever they are, go there."
● In New York, he likes to grab grilled corn at Café Habana, then see a "massive DJ" at [065] Roseland Ballroom (www.roselandballroom.com). In Miami, he sweats it out at [066] Mansion (www.mansionmiami.com), then hits [067] La Sandwicherie (www.lasandwicherie.com) on South Beach for an early AM bite. Take it from a globetrotter: Hit the floor at the right club with the right DJ and prepare to take flight.
THE RHYTHM DOESN'T HAVE TO GET YOU
● "You gotta be able to function, regardless of how hard you party," says Aoki. "I'm touring 250 gigs a year, essentially partying every night. If you want the stamina to keep going, you have to find a way to maintain yourself or you risk falling offthe deep end." Here are some of his top tips for nourishing the body while you exercise the sole:
● Eat raw food and drink fresh, organic, unpasteurized juice. "I try to do this every morning. The best juice I've ever had is at Beverly Hills Juice (www.beverlyhillsjuice.com). Also, LA's Erewhon Natural Food Source (www.erewhonmarket.com) has a Tonic Bar where they crack open pills of all kinds of things and serve them up. It's amazing."
● Get a reflexology massage before you hit the dancefloor.
● Read up on wellness in your downtime. "David Servan-Schreiber wrote a book called Anticancer that's really set the tone for me. His book The Instinct to Heal is also great."
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