Del Mar Thoroughbred Club continued its summer concert series with an explosive performance from Dim Mak Records founder Steve Aoki. DMTC has had huge artists come through this summer, and Aoki stands as one of the biggest electronic music acts to make it to the track. Taking a break from the large festivals and Vegas club shows, he brought an energetic set to the all-ages event.

It’s important to note and distinguish his performance on stage, as opposed to a traditional DJ set. Steve Aoki is a performer: He has created an act that thousands of fans come out to see and enjoy, and he has honed his image and sound to appeal to those fans.

Take his cake for example: It’s a widely known fact sometime during his show a lucky fan in the crowd will gladly take a cake straight to the face. Fans beg and scream for the cake, and Aoki gives that love right back. Now what I wasn’t prepared for was him bringing out the cake a total of three times. Again, it’s a part of his act, and Aoki excels in fan interaction.

First seen in 2009 during his Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival performance, a big part of his show for the past couple years was bringing out a giant inflatable raft to surf the crowd. Not many artists can have that kind of crowd interaction. Whether they’re chanting for cakes or rafts, fans know what they’re coming for when they see Aoki perform.

Though he retired the raft, the cake still lives on and so will Aoki’s show. Music is still the meat of his act. A big breakthrough act from the underground Los Angeles scene, Aoki also stressed the importance of underground music and its culture of expanding new, progressive sounds. He even took time out of his performance to educate the crowd on the Ché Café and its impending closure. Whether or not you are a fan, you can see Aoki still has his heart in the right place. And he gives exactly what you want when you come to a Steve Aoki show: the cake, the madness and the man himself.