We Talked Nonsense with Steve Aoki and Dillon Francis

By Matthew Bossons, December 20, 2016

Shenzhen’s newly opened Dazzle Club welcomed two renowned DJs to their premises last weekend, with American electronic music legends Steve Aoki and Dillon Francis hitting the decks on Sunday, December 18.

Both disc jockeys enjoy a strong global following, something that was abundantly clear based on the number of young Chinese and foreign fans that packed onto Dazzle’s dance floor.

Before the show – and all the cake throwing that came with it – kicked off, That’s sat down with Aoki and Francis to ask them some questions – from the serious to the downright stupid. In short, Dillon Francis has something of a passion for answering on Mr. Aoki’s behalf. What follows is an excerpt of our conversation:

Steve, is this your first trip to Shenzhen?
Francis: No, I’ve been here a couple times as Steve Aoki [uncontrolled laughing]. It’s actually true, he doesn’t really know – but he knew.

Aoki: That is an incredibly accurate answer.

What have you experienced while playing here that sets it apart from other places around the world?
Francis: Well, it’s really cool because I feel like they just really understand my music and, you know, I am Asian – so that’s one thing that helps me.

Aoki: But you’re really furry…

Francis: Well yah, you know, I’m the first Asian guy to grow a beard.

Aoki: What about me?

Francis: Oh yah, you do.

Steve, what can people expect from your next album, Neon Future III?
Aoki: We are doing like six collaborations with Dillon Francis, he doesn’t know about it yet though.

Francis: Six. Count them.

Aoki: The thing is it’s 'Neon Future,' so it’s in the future, so he wouldn’t know.

Francis: I wouldn’t know, but now I know.

Aoki: It’s [Neon Future III] about me coming back from the future, to let him [Francis] know now.

Francis: I’m down.

Aoki: Six songs in a row, it’s never been done before – two artists working on six songs on one album. We want to break the record, set the record straight –

Francis: Guinness Book of World Records!

Aoki: You know six is the magic number.

Tell us how Steve Aoki ended up in a Dragon Ball video game?
Aoki: I actually don’t even know. Yah it’s pretty cool.

Francis: That’s amazing, I want to be in Dragon Ball Z.

Did the video game developers just contact you out of the blue?
Aoki: Yah, when you are a bearded Asian man in America, they [video game developers] come after you.

Francis: Next time they talk to you, how about this: Dill Piccolo? Like Piccolo, from the show…

Aoki: You really know your shit.

Francis: Yah, I want to be a f*cking Dragon Ball Z character.

In just a couple words can you tell me what Aoki House in Vegas is all about?
Aoki: It’s like my own version of Fantasy Factory, on acid. I spent two years building the house, so every room has a concept and it took time to get all the details.

Is that your primary residence?
Aoki: Yah, it’s my only residence.

My last question for you Mr. Aoki is strictly hypothetical. If you were to race Dan Bilzerian in the 100-meter dash, who would win?
Aoki: Oh my god, Dan. The guy is like a f*cking beast, he has been training for like a gazillion years, he works out all the time and has better discipline that me, for sure. I mean, he’s a hard working dude, so he would crush me.

Could you beat Bilzerian at Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2?
Aoki: Yes, I could out wit him at Dragon Ball Z.

Francis: I could beat him in a masturbation contest – whatsup.

Aoki: Dillion Francis could masturbate faster than him, I could beat him at video games. I don’t know if I could beat him at COD [Call of Duty], he’s definitely like a POV shooter kind of guy.

Dillon, if you were to foot race Dan Bilzerian, who would win?
Francis: I don’t really know Dan Bilzerian, so I don’t know.

If you had to guess?
Francis: Well obviously I would, because I would cheat. I would put down bear traps for his feet and I would f*cking cheat the shit out of that race. And I’d win.

Before we wrap this up, tell me which is the superior burger Mr. Francis, the Whopper or the Big Mac?
Aoki: I’m glad you’re not asking me this question because I’m not a fast food guy.

Francis: That’s a good question, because they’re both very different. One of them is juicier than the other and one of them has better sauce than the other. I think if you’re looking for the juicier burger, you are going for The Whooper, but if you are looking for a tastier burger, then you’re going for the Big Mac.