Grammy-nominated DJ/producer Steve Aoki — founder of Dim Mak Records — has founded a new Latin music imprint called Dim Mak En Fuego. Aoki announced the new label on Wednesday, citing the support of Bryan Linares to serve as head of marketing, with the help of Christian Herrera, co-founder of California reggaeton party Gasolina.
Aoki’s first sign to Dim Mak En Fuego is the Monterrey-based pop-R&B group AQUIHAYAQUIHAY — a stylized version of “here it is” in Spanish — who describe themselves as “anti-boyband.” The five-piece band debuted their slick new track, “Ya No Es Igual,” along with the label announcement on Wednesday. “I’m honored to be part of a platform for the next generation of Latinx artists,” said Aoki in a press release. “There are so many unique hybrid sounds brewing up right now, pushing music culture forward. AQUIHAYAQUIHAY are the real deal and they capture what we’re trying to do here at Dim Mak En Fuego.”
Aoki himself has scored many collaborations with Latin artists, such as Daddy Yankee, Maná, Elvis Crespo, and, most recently, Maluma. “Nowadays, it’s not just the Latin community that is impacted by Latin music,” Aoki told Rolling Stone in February. “There are so many people that don’t speak a lick of Spanish that now know the lyrics to the songs. I was born in Miami, grew up in Southern California, where the second [biggest] language here is Spanish. If you’re not learning how to speak Spanish… you at least grow up with an understanding of Latin culture.”
