Steve Aoki knows about revolution. When he was a teenager, before he was old enough to drive, he belonged to a community of "punk and iron children" who played loud music in the basement. He now said, "We don't think this music is suitable for everyone.". "But this is for those who care."
The children have been playing their music. Aoki said: "We are serious, we are very dedicated.". "Everyone in the room is a contributor." They are building something. Every child, metaphorically speaking, "must pick up bricks, pick up axes, and must pick up and contribute."
So they built it. They made a contribution. They ignored the doubters, they created. Today, decades later, Steve Aoki stands at the forefront of the EDM revolution and easily becomes one of the most famous and productive DJs on the planet. He felt the revolutionary spirit again. The DJ said, "Now I'm 44 years old. God, I feel like I'm 14 years old again.".
His latest revolution is encryption. "I'm a cryptographer," Aoki said. "I like encryption. I believe in it. This is the future." This is why you often see Aoki participating in Web3 projects, such as casting irreplaceable tokens (NFT) or creating his own "A0K1VERSE" in the meta universe (including the "Steve Aoki's game house" just launched in the sandbox), and launching a new league in the Draft King's Reignmaker crypto fantasy football. This person seems to be half music and half password.
In an extensive interview, Aoki disclosed why Web3 will become "an inevitable way of communication" and how he interacted with almost everyone (possibly Elon Musk?) Why does he think that the price of ether (ETH) may reach 15000 dollars (!), And why Web3 skeptics should "never underestimate a group of people who are calling for change"
The interview was streamlined and edited for clarity.
What was your first taste of cryptocurrency?
The end of 2017 is the time for me to join. I invested 500000 yuan in bitcoin and ether. I think bitcoin was about 11000 dollars, then it soared to 19000 dollars... then it fell to 3000 dollars.
This is a difficult start.
When the price reaches 7000 dollars, everyone is jumping off the boat, and they will say, "This thing is going to be zero."
It fell to $4000. I thought, "Let's hold on, I will die with this ship.".
What gives you rock solid confidence in Hoddle?
I'm just looking at the long-term future of cryptocurrencies. Yes, other coins will fall on the roadside. This is how everything works. But cryptocurrencies (in general) do not return to zero. The question I asked myself was, "Do I think the entire encryption industry will go to zero, or even not exist?" For me, the answer is no. It will obviously exist. When does mainstream adoption occur? I don't know, but it will never return to zero. The ship will not sink.
How did you enter NFT and other encryption fields?
Well, all these altcoins and s * * tcoins have appeared, and I have joined them. I entered some strange games, such as Shiba (Yinu) and dogecoin. I started playing GameStop very early. I did a lot of these things early. I'm following WallStreetBets (Reddit Forum). I am definitely a prospector, and I generally have FOMO vulnerabilities. With cryptocurrency, you have invested a little money, which is interesting because things are too unstable. It's really a bit like gambling.
Do you have a hobby for excitement and gambling?
You'd think I would, because I'm an adrenaline junkie inside. I like extreme sports, such as snowboarding and skydiving. I like this kind of responsible confusion. You are in the whirlwind, but you are safe.
I like the phrase "responsible chaos"
I have tasted gambling in casinos, and it has eaten me alive. I play blackjack, I like playing cards; I've been playing poker for 15 or 20 years. But you can't beat the casino, so this is the last thing I learned. Then I stopped. I really like to gamble on props (sports) with my friends; If you like, just put a little more salt on the popcorn. It just adds content to the game.
So what's your next encryption chapter? I guess NFT?
Yes, that chapter goes much deeper.
What attraction do you think NFT has?
NFT is about identity, community and ownership. These are really important to me.
I'm a crypto. I like encryption. I believe that. This is the future. This will be the way people will communicate forever. People believe in it, and I believe in it, so I will invest.
But will I put bitcoin pictures on my Twitter? Will I add an Ethernet image to my profile? Never Of course not.
Why is this?
It's very cold. Although I agree with this, my heartstrings have nothing to do with it. I'm an art collector. I like art. I like sports cards. I like the nostalgia of some things. I'm very interested in some things. For example, I have a tattoo of Jean Michel Basquet's art on my arm. I will not wear (bitcoin symbol) on my arm, although some people do.
Some people may add bitcoin images to their profile. But for me, I'd rather put art or my ReplicantX on my Twitter profile. There is a story behind this, something deeper. I need something that can let me enter a world, like some people sneaking into "Dragon Ball", "Rick and Morty", "The Simpsons" or other things that they grew up together.
What else makes you like NFT?
NFT and meta universe are based on an existing concept to prove that we live in a digital space, which actually has a significant impact on our real life.
In fact, we got some likes on Instagram, and we got opinions on TikTok or YouTube, which are very important for us. This may be more important than a stranger patting his back. Are you following me?
100%.
How many "followers" we have in these spaces has a significant impact on how we view ourselves. This is a huge mark of our identity in the world. The meta universe is an extension of this point.
Once the awkwardness of logging in to Web3 becomes smooth, our social and digital interaction methods will change in a few years.
What you said about digital life is meaningful to me. But specifically, what makes Web3 resonate with you?
Take social media for example. I don't need to say that billions of people use it. This is the way we socialize. This is the basis on which we all agree. But we all agree that when we enter social media, we do not own content. We pressed the "Accept" button. Before you create a login on Facebook, Twitter or TikTok, we have accepted the fact that Mark Zuckerberg or others will own these things. This is their rule and their playground. We play at their home.
This is how it works. We all accept because there is no other choice. But now we have another choice. Another option is Web3. A few years later, if you tell people that you can interact in a place where you have data, you own your content, and you specify terms - do you prefer this, or do you want Mark Zuckerberg to own it? They will give you a very simple answer. This will be 100%.
The reason why people haven't gone there is that they don't understand how Web3 works, and because it is a clumsy introductory course, which is terrible. People don't understand when you hear about these hackers. It's still new, isn't it? But the philosophy of what ownership means in this space is actually the basis of how it becomes an inevitable way of communication, social interaction, purchase, sales and transactions in the digital space.
Where does the universe fit this?
Take games for example. Fortnite, Call of Duty and all these games have billions of dollars in industry. When people buy "skins" (a form of character upgrading) in these games, we all agree that it is OK to buy a skin and spend $20. And, guess what, it's owned by Epic games (and other game companies). We agree because we have no choice.
Another option is that you can play the same game, but when you buy and sell skin, you own them.
What do you think digital ownership needs to become mainstream?
I mean, this is definitely a "voice of the people" movement. This will not be a trickle down situation. If you have big institutions coming in, everything will change. They won't come in now. They don't take risks and don't need them.
I thought of the analogy of music. The main form of music has always been English. This was irrefutable for a long time.
But now the biggest artist in the world is the bad rabbit, who sings in Spanish completely. Compared with other parts of the world, Korean KPop band comes from a small country, and they play a dominant role in music. They dominated the English singing artists. Why? It's not because the radio wants to play it. This is because the fans are sure it is there.
These music communities are very active, closely connected and able to take over the control of the organization. They said, "No, that's what people are listening to." Because guess what, streams are important, opinions are important. What matters is not what big radio stations want.
This is a good analogy.
I am a part of EDM cultural dance music. We will never beat the big record of American pop music. But we have a large share, because there are too many fans in our community. They ask us to be there, to be on the leaderboard, and to be able to play. So I'm already part of this movement.
Web3 is also a loser. We have a small group of passionate people. Never underestimate a group of people who are calling for change. Never underestimate them. If you do it long enough and consistently enough, it will have an exponential impact.
Before I was 16 years old, I was a member of a very small punk and hardcore children's community. We make noise in the basement and living room. We will say, "This music is not for everyone, but for people who care about it." But we are (very) serious, we are wholeheartedly.
Now I am 44 years old, and I think, "God, I feel like I am 14 years old again." We pick up pickaxes and axes. We are developing, we are building, and we are creating a new world. We are gold diggers together, and we are building our own homes. We work together and we design together.
Let's talk about architecture. What is the goal of building A0K1VERSE? What kind of experience do you want to create?
This is a structured community. Since I gave up NFT for the first time, we have had a long period of disagreement. There is a real dialogue taking place. So we think that we will create our own Soho House to some extent. We will have different levels, at different levels, you will get different benefits.
Because I am an artist and creator, I can do some interesting things with community members that I have never done before.
For example, invite a member from the community to create a song with you and actually publish it on all DSP [digital streaming media platforms]. This is a very high offer. This is the highest level. This is what we did in A0K1VERSE. Three people actually arrived.
Wait, did you really record a song with A0K1VERSE?
We haven't done it yet. I will work with these members in the studio and we will produce the music that will eventually be released.
How does this work? I mean, they're randos, right? You mean, "I hope they don't totally suck?"
This is something I am proud to say. It sounds like an exaggeration, but I may be one of the most cross genre producers in the world. I only deal with each type. I'm not even talking about music. I entered the scientific field because I made a series called "Neon Future", which is very important to meBona fideBecause I really believe in the future of AI and human integration. I really believe that. So there is a scientist on every album. Bill Nye (famous for Bill Nye the Scientist), as far as I know, he is not a musician.
This is not where he is famous.
He might say, "Steve, don't say that." I think he actually plays the saxophone or something. But I may be totally wrong.
I have also worked with J.J. Abrams, Kip Thorn and Ray Kurzweil. Therefore, there are many different non musicians who have worked with me. I can work with anyone. In fact, the person I want to be with him most in the studio is Elon Musk. I don't mean he is not a musician, because he is probably, because he is an absolute genius. I don't care if you can play a musical instrument or if your pitch is zero; I don't care at all. As long as we enter the studio, we will have a good time.
I hope Musk has read this article, and we will do it. So I know A0K1VERSE is a member club, but how does the Metauniverse work?
A0K1VERSE started from this social member community, from which we are growing. The first layer of our meta universe is what we just dropped, called Sky Pods. They exist in this cloud world. We spent eight months developing Sky Pods (in cooperation with OnCyber) for different levels of A0K1VERSE.
What are they?
People can display their NFT on the website. You don't have to watch it in your wallet or in OpenSea. There is a built-in studio with various rooms. But this is only the first floor.
Sandbox is the first truly influential meta universe. Their teamwork is really great. There is a task in Steve Aoki's Playhouse. You can sneak into my brain and enter the foam pit. This is crazy. We are about to give up our own water park.
Wait, how did you create a water park in the meta universe?!
That's the point. Like, you can do anything, you can have fun. My answer to those who ask "Why do you want to go in?" is: "Do you know how many people grew up playing Sims? Do you know how many people play My World?"
To be fair, this is a big number.
Do you know how many people like to build and play these games in these worlds? There are millions. Millions of people play these games and build their own cities. That's basically the case, but you have your own personality. You can sell your character, you can do tasks, you can buy, sell and trade.
You also participated in DraftKings Reignmakers, an encrypted fantasy football. What made you do this?
It combines all these different elements that I like. I am a card fan; I like sports cards. I collected a crazy sports card. If you follow me on Instagram Live, you are likely to see me open a bag of football, basketball or football cards.
But instead of opening a [normal] package, you open your own NFT. They are the cards you have. These cards represent your dream football team. Therefore, you have NFT, and you can trade them in the open market. Of course, the ultimate goal is to kill it with your team and win some prizes.
Is there a final prediction about space?
For NFT, the development in the next five years will certainly be unstable. People will be wiser to create communities, not just this quick money grab. A longer game vision will survive. And I also agree with Gary Vee that 98% of NFT will decline, just like other industries.
For bitcoin, we will reach 100000 dollars in the next five years. In the next five years, there will be 15000 dollars of ether. I'm an NFT boss. Everyone buys NFT on the Ethereum blockchain. I think it has real utility. And you can't knock bitcoin; Bitcoin is power. I invested some other coins, but bitcoin and ether are my goals.
Thanks Steve, it's interesting. See A0K1VERSE foam pit.
