DT: JULY 26, 2016
FR: ALEXANDRA GREENBERG/MSO PR
![]() STEVE AOKI DOCUMENTARY I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD
TO BE RELEASED ON NETFLIX AUGUST 19
![]() In the documentary I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, viewers are thrust into the world of STEVE AOKI, the Grammy-nominated electronic dance music superstar who stands as one of pop music’s most tireless multi-hyphenates: founder of the taste-making record label Dim Mak and a chart-topping producer-remixer-DJ with his finger pressed firmly to the pulse of cutting-edge youth culture. It was recently announced the film will be released exclusively on Netflix, the world’s leading internet TV network, on August 19.
The film, at times both heart pumping and heart breaking, premiered to a sold-out audience at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring. AOKI’s story will now see a global release into homes in over 190 countries world-wide, joining such highly regarded Netflix original titles as House of Cards, Orange Is the New Black, What Happened, Miss Simone? and Making A Murderer.
Says STEVE AOKI, “I’m beyond proud, humbled and excited that I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead will be released as a Netflix documentary. As a longtime Netflix binger, it’s a dream come true to have my documentary featured alongside such other prestigious original content. Being a truly global platform, Netflix will allow the film to reach my fans all over the world on every imaginable screen.”
A vulnerable and often bittersweet film, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead was shot over the course of three years, during the making of his Neon Future double album (Dim Mak/Ultra Music, 2014/15). It follows his journey to play the biggest show of his career and centers around the complex yet loving relationship with his father, the Benihana restaurant tycoon, daredevil athlete and former Olympian Rocky Aoki.
From the main stage of Tomorrowland in Belgium to intimate gatherings at his family home in Japan, it’s an inside look at one of music’s most outstanding characters. The story is complimented by interviews with STEVE‘s mother (another major influence in his life), sister/supermodel Devon Aoki, along with musicians and contemporaries Diplo, Tiesto, Afrojack, Laidback Luke, Travis Barker, Pete Tong and will.i.am, among others.
The film comes from the same team behind the critically acclaimed documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. It is directed by Justin Krook and produced by David Gelb (Chef’s Table, Jiro Dreams of Sushi), Matthew Weaver (Rock of Ages), Happy Walters (The Big Lebowski, The Fighter, Limitless), Matt Colon; Executive Producers Michael J. Mailis, Hajime Inoue and Joanna Shaw; and Co-Producer’s Susan Wrubel, Nick Stern and Gaku Kaneko.
Alongside the release of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead and his new club EP 4OKI on July 29, STEVE AOKI will make several festival appearances in the U.S. which include plays at the VELD Festival in Toronto, Summer Set (Somerset, WI) and KAABOO (Del Mar, CA). He’ll also headline Dim Mak’s 20th Anniversary Stage at Electric Zoo: Wild Island in NYC over Labor Day weekend. In between, he’ll travel to Europe for many continental festival dates and his residencies at Ushuaia in Ibiza and Hakkasan, Jewel and Wet Republic in Las Vegas. All his tour dates can be found below.
Upon its debut at the Tribeca Film Festival this past April, the film garnered strong press support:
“EDM heavy-hitter Steve Aoki gets the docu-profile treatment – how they didn’t end up calling this Let Them Eat Cake is a mystery to us – as filmmaker Justin Krook follows the DJ around on tour and gets him to open up about his workaholic lifestyle. (Spoiler alert: It involves his father, former wrestler and founder of the Benihana franchise, Rocky Aoki.) Expect personal confessionals, raucous parties, some choice performance clips and yes, frosting-covered baked goods.
Which will probably be flung. “
– David Fear, Rolling Stone
“15 Films We Can’t Wait To See At Tribeca Film Festival” (6/12/16)
“Over the past decade, Steve Aoki has become one of the most in-demand entertainers in the world — he’s equally renowned as a DJ, owner of Dim Mak Records and for his own unique brand of rave-ready EDM hits. His exploits have brought him fame and untold riches, if not always respect and closure. Those themes are largely explored in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, a biographical documentary which tracks Aoki’s unlikely rise, and also shows why in some ways it’s been a bittersweet journey.”
– Paul Cantor, Billboard (4/19/16)
“For years, Steve Aoki has been known as one of the EDM world’s most hardworking and controversial figures. From his crazy stage antics to his admission of not being a DJ, Aoki knows how to get the public’s attention. Aoki’s latest project however, focuses less on his position as a DJ and more on his family history and why he’s so diligent about working. As you can gather from the title, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, it’s not necessarily an uplifting film, but an important one. The documentary-shot during the making of his record Neon Future-takes a look at Aoki’s complicated relationship with his father, Benihana restaurant tycoon and former Olympian Rocky Aoki
and explores the drive that’s been instilled in him.”
– Ilana Kaplan, PAPER (4/14/16)
“…the film makes quick business of establishing Aoki-whose most famous depictions are literally one-dimensional-as a surprisingly multi-faceted subject. Steve spent his childhood as an outcast of sorts on the west coast, the son of the late, absentee restaurant magnate, Rocky Aoki, founder of Japanese restaurant chain-cum-fire-hazard Benihana. This is fairly common knowledge, but the film reveals that that Rocky was rarely around, and provided no financial aid to his son’s musical endeavours-which began when Steve established Dim Mak Records in 1996 out of his tiny apartment, releasing early records by Bloc Party and post-hardcore thrashers Blood Brothers before becoming a foundational part of the EDM quasi-movement. Steve then parlayed that success into ascending the ranks of the electronic music world as a DJ. The film juxtaposes this younger wide-eyed version of Steve with the present day’s-where he’s one of the most financially successful electronic artists in the world, travelling extensively, playing upwards of 300 shows a year, and regularly headlining huge festivals like Tomorrowland…”
– Sean Egan, Thump (4/20/16)
Catch STEVE AOKI on his upcoming international tour dates:
About STEVE AOKI:
STEVE AOKI is a Grammy-nominated international producer/DJ, electronic dance music entrepreneur, and founder of the trendsetting record label, events/lifestyle company and apparel line Dim Mak. Since launching in 1996, Dim Mak has broken bands such as Bloc Party, The Bloody Beetroots, Klaxons, and The Gossip through deftly marketed single and full-length releases and now has nearly 500 releases to date. As a solo artist, AOKI has become a force of nature averaging over 250 tour dates per year. AOKI’s second artist album NEON FUTURE I, was released September 30, 2014 via Dim Mak/Ultra Music and features his Gold certified single “Delirious (Boneless)” with Chris Lake and Tujamo featuring Kid Ink, “Born To Get Wild” featuring will.i.am and “Rage The Night Away” featuring Waka Flocka Flame. The second part of his Neon Future album, NEON FUTURE II, was released on May 12, 2015 and features collaborations with Linkin Park, Matthew Koma, Snoop Lion, Rivers Cuomo and NERVO, plus a very special appearance by creative genius J.J. Abrams who voices the outro to close the album. AOKI’s other current tracks include “How Else” featuring Rich The Kid and iLoveMakonnen, “Back 2 U” with Boehm featuring WALK THE MOON–which is smashing on the streaming front with over a million Spotify plays per week since its release in May and has been added to many Top 40 radio stations including Y100 in Miami-plus “Can’t Go Home” with Felix Jaehn featuring Adam Lambert.
Press Releases + Assets: ### For more information on STEVE AOKI, contact: MSO PR Vanessa Lovett (tour) vlovett@msopr.com
THE CURRENT CO
Jenni Weinman weinman@thecurrentco.com
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