- US DJ Steve Aoki reflects on his time in Saudi Arabia and his multiple performances at MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm
Shyama Krishna Kumar
DUBAI: US Grammy-nominated DJ Steven Hiroyuki Aoki — aka Steve Aoki — is no stranger to Saudi Arabia. Having performed at each edition of MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm as well as this year’s Gamers8 festival in Riyadh, Aoki has built himself a loyal fanbase in the Kingdom.
Aoki has also fallen in love with the culture and people of Saudi Arabia and is excited to see the recent growth of local talent in the Kingdom.
He told Arab News: “The opening up of Saudi festivals like MDLBEAST is beneficial to Saudi artists because it gives them this platform to play in front of so many people.
“When I was on stage I looked out into the crowd, and there’s over 100,000 people. I mean, this might be one of the biggest crowds and festivals that I’ve played to in the world.
“And you feel the enthusiasm, you feel the passion. And to allow Saudi artists to be on that stage, to play in front of all those people, to share what they are creating with their culture and their sound, this is a huge opportunity.”
Aoki says he was amazed at the massive turnout at his very first gig in Saudi Arabia in 2019.
He said: “I was so surprised the first year I went to Soundstorm and I saw all my fans out there really going crazy at my shows and holding up the signs and welcoming me.
“I think that was one of the most beautiful things, how they welcomed me. Just a warm welcome. It’s a very warm, almost family-like gathering of 100,000 people. The Saudi culture is a culture that reflects warm family vibes.
“And every single year I come back and it just seems to get bigger and better. And I’m just blessed to be on stage and blessed to have all the fans I have in Saudi Arabia.”
However, his favorite Saudi memory involves Egypt’s Amr Diab, a collaboration Aoki described as “magical.”
He added: “I actually remixed three of his songs and he joined me on stage at Soundstorm. And that was such a special moment to be able to remix and play songs and hear the crowd sing all those lyrics, hear the crowd louder than Amr Diab, over my beats and collaborate and find this balance.”