Wonderland
Steve Aoki
Dim Mak and Ultra Music

Steve Aoki has worn many hats over the course of his career – concert promoter, remix artist, label founder, DJ, fashion executive and headphone designer (oh, and he co-owns a Korean BBQ joint with Danny Masterson). His debut studio album “Wonderland” employs the “do ALL the things!” ethos driving his eclectic entertainment background, though to a mixed result.

The album is a collection of songs that are passable archetypes of various sub-genres of the electronic dance music category. They vary from the successful to the offensively bad, resulting in an occasionally exciting, but ultimately ineffective album.

Successes include “Wonderland”’s bookends, “Earthquakey People” and “Earthquakey People (The Reprise)” featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer. These are two of the stronger tracks on the album, fun and irreverent as club jams should be.

“Steve Jobs” featuring Angger Dimas is another highpoint, an extended electronic instrumental that showcases Aoki’s sensibilities as a DJ. More than six minutes long and full of crescendos and beat drops, this will be a fun one to experience on the dance floor.

Unfortunately, every well-produced track on this album is mired by a lackluster counterpart. Take “Emergency” featuring Lil Jon and Chiddy Bang, for example: Bland production and Lil Jon yelling “Emergency!” ad nauseum leads one to believe the song was a vehicle for Aoki to add to the already long list of guest appearances on the album.

“The Kids Will Have Their Say” is another head-scratcher. Featuring Sick Boy with former members of The Exploited and Die Kreuzen, the track sounds more like a Linkin Park B-side gone wrong than an electronic homage to the punk heroes of yesteryear.

All of that said, we are in the age of the digital single. Should the flow of the album even matter? No doubt a few tracks off of “Wonderland” will become college club-night staples in the weeks to come despite the lack of focus and uneven quality the album suffers from overall.

Personally, I had high hopes for the full-album experience with Aoki because of his background as a DJ: Someone that understands the aesthetics involved in keeping a party going for hours on end should be able to hold my attention for less than 60 minutes.

It wasn’t the case. 2.5 paws

Worth your $0.99 on iTunes:
“Earthquakey People” feat. Rivers Cuomo
“Cudi the Kid” feat. Kid Cudi and Travis Barker
“Steve Jobs” feat. Angger Dimas

Cover your ears:
“Emergency” feat. Lil’ John and Chiddy Bang
“The Kids Will Have Their Say” feat. Sick Boy with former members of The Exploited and Die Kreuzen