A departure from Steve Aoki’s usual hands-in-the-air party fuel, “How Else” centers around a more subdued design, taking cues from hip-hop classics and incorporating the eclecticism we’ve come to love from the Neon Future man.
Immediately, a sequence of bells ring up to a trapped-out bassline, setting the tone for a hot-boxed cruise through the city. Just as quickly, Rich The Kid and ILoveMakonnen take over the lead, twisting lyrics over snare rolls to incite a hip-hop inspired slump down. Bombastic toplines trail over the breakdowns, detuned horns rip through the mids, and that flippant bassline stays on point to support the entire structure.
The production here is arguably of a higher caliber than many of Aoki’s recent releases, although his cake-smearing brand has become hinged on a rowdy party atmosphere rather than quality music. Still, it’s nice to see that the man still has originality floating around and can execute an idea with style.
Hit play above and get a taste of what Steve Aoki‘s been working on for 2016.
