History:

You might have caught that street corner, between the heated conversation of flute, viola, and voice; outside, howling, ripping into city noise. Be fooled. Aoka is from the future: A million alter egos and they all have great smiles. Smashing genres of music together in high heels off rooftops, spitting firecracker sounds into transistor radios, and afflicting the world with madcap inspiration. She’s got space boots and rockets, superhero soul, and a one two that will knock your lights out.

It started with gospel songs to the neighborhood kids on the front stoop. She opened her mouth and life came out, shooting syllables. As survival thrust itself upon her; experience became her catapult. Aoka thrived on a motivation to compel, to transcend, to feverishly convey her every emotion into exhibition.

She’s bare, armed with authenticity, allowing her to freestyle to any music played. Accompanying everything from wheels screeching, sweat pouring, fire punk to deliciously seductive sexed-up jazz. Her exploits are as diverse as her reality: funk, soul, electronica, rock and roll, hip-hop, doo-wop, rockabilly and more.

In the last couple of years she has been traveling; hiking into canyons, jumping off cliffs and gazing into shooting stars. She has lived in San Francisco, Hawaii and New York and was recently whisked into the arms of long lost musical soulmates who carried her with xylophones and tiny pianos into big big dreams.

Into:

The inspired. Child like wonder. Cracking humor. Philanthropy. Climbing mountains in chucks. Paddling past the breaks. Singing labels off soup cans. Bike gangs down hills. Reading really, really fast. Spontaneous dance parties. Cliff jumping. Sing a longs. Flash mobs. Moonlight craters. Dusty records. Mischievous grins. Photographs and oscillators. Remaining optimistic enough to be hopeful yet jaded enough to be funny. Playing four square till the sun comes. Cultivation of self. Jungle hikes. Go-karts. Wheat-paste. Sidewalk chalk. Wandering alleys while singing. The art of opinion. Beach caves. Drinks and giggles. Moving meditations. Slip n slides. Building Fires. Kung-fu beat-boxing. Teaching kids. Whistling away. Social consciousness. Walking pilgramages. Night swimming. Snow camping. Awareness. Sunshine warmth. Delicate shoes. Vintage dresses. Being genuine. Rope Swings. Artistic Creations. Humanity. Kindness. The farm life. Evolution. Everyday superheroes. Pictured knowledge. And Music. Music. Music. Music.

Inspired by:
gogol bordello, nick drake, the beta band, billie holiday, cape verde, Pavement, nostalgia 77, leonard cohen, The Flaming Lips, jose gonzalez, tricky, Nina Simone, Cut Copy, noisettes, toubab krew, tv on the radio, Troubleman, Desmond Dekker, Kid Koala, beiruit, Alpha, Devo, bad brains, Tom Waits, Air, Mr.Scruff, neutral milk hotel, Bittersweet, Blondie, Coldcut, James Hardway, Radiohead, Husky Rescue, Taken by Trees, The Roots, the CAI, Greenskeepers, Loopity Goofs, wolf mother, Ming and FS, Sonic Youth, Jon Kennedy, Jaga Jazzist, Quantic, Alice Russell, Blackalicious, marvin gaye, Break Reform, The Buzzcocks, lunachix, Ben Mono, Badmarsh & Shri, love and rockets, Capitol A, fleet foxes, BassNectar, donavan, the violent femmes, Outcast, Inverse Cinematics, La Tigre, Cuica, Ray charles, Bahamadia, Man or Astroman, Gorillaz, P’Taah, iron and wine, Thunderball, Goldfrapp, Jurrasic Five, Color Filter, The Clash, Herbaliser, Daniel Johnston, Bluprint, Ammon Contact, Brazilian Girls, Boca 45, L.A. Carnival, Arrested Development, Lilly Allen, the polyhonic spree, Connie Prince & The Keystones, Pest, Moodorama, Slope, St Germain, Micatone, Belle and Sebastian, Emo, the talking heads, Joy Divison, De La Soul, The Kinks, Harmonic 33, Supergrass, Caia, The Avett Bros, Zero 7, Arctic Monkeys, Slowpho, Gravy Train, Etta James, The Stone Roses, King Kooba, Colette, elvis, Burnt Friedman, Nada Surf, Fragile State, Shuggie Otis, jill scott, the beastie boys, Portishead, Andy Caldwell, Mo’Horizons, Stevie Wonder, Dj Krush, Riton, Nuspirit Helsinki, The Beanuts, Archers of Loaf, Tosca,Dr Dog, Os Mutantes, spoon, Sharpshooters, Up, Bustle, and Out, erakah badu, Danny Breaks, the pixies, EQ!, Eddy Meets Yannah, Greyboy, Boozoo Bajou, UKO, Bat for Lashes, Dj Heather, Thievery Corporation, REM, J Dilla, elliot smith, Lykke Li, neutral milk hotel,The Strike Boys, Louis Armstrong, Hexstatic, radical face, U.N.K.L.E, Blonde Redhead, The Postal Service, Digable Planets, Aretha Franklin, Megablast(Makossa&Megablast), Biggabush, Faithless, Purple Penguin, caribou, Arto Lindsay, Plej, Flunk, the beatles, Koop, Llorca, Lamb, the circle jerks, Boards of Canada, Nicolette, One Self, The Pharcyde, Happy Mondays, feist, Skalpel, Mary J Blige, Dialated Peoples, Cinematic Orchestra, andrew bird, Kaskade,Sofa Surfers, big audio dynamite, Felix Laband, The Black Keys, Dual Control, Al green, devendra banhart, Nicola Conte, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Square One, Jimpster, citizen cope, Treva Whateva, Neko Case, Bonobo, 9Lazy9, Lena, Ohmega Watts, the Black Ghosts, and the Heptones.

Music Styles
punk rock, funk, soul, downtempo, trip hop, rock and roll, electro-clash, surf rock, afrobeat, experimental, indie, bossa nova, thursday morning house, acid jazz, latin, ska, drum and bass, swing, hip hop, salsa, electro, neo-folk, wave, psychedelia, doo-wop, rockabilly, gospel, garage, noise, bluegrass, organic, zydeco, chaotic, minimalist.

Instruments
the hum. beat. slap. blow. finger-pick. b-box. yodle. rhyme. freestyle. yell. scream. spew. drums. buckets. violins. spoons. guitars. bass. piano, keyboards, lutes, turntables, castanets, ukuleles, kazoos, harmonicas, saxophones, trumpets, airhorns, car PA systems. rattles. castanets. harps. xylophones. accordions. didgeridoo. flutes. oboes. recorders. sitars. theremins. and tupperware.

Played with:
big big dreams!
ThatGitrlsGotRhythm
Castlebed
Audio Mob
Collaborative Arts Insurgency
The Jynx
Gradient Echo
Funk Punch
Glowie Found Nuclear
Lucky Pierre
Cha Cha Cha
Haunted Echo
Marie Marie
The Lids
Funkshens
Hot Bot
Greg Patillo – flute, b-box
Rustin Davis- drums,beats Gideon Wanwright – violin
Julio Suarez – sax, djembe
Lunaru -ukelele, pedal steel
J. Orton -guitar,bass,keys,vox
Joe Lewis – standup bass
Jaiden Roma – horns
Sam Random – viola
Roberto Bertoni – beats
PotHolder -guitar, harmonica
CourtneyK – decks
Danny Dollas-drums, rhymes
Dominique Ventrillo -guitar
Chris Echo – beats
Contajus – rhymes
Jarod Finchman – drums
FunkPunch Crew – decks
ThatGirl – Decks
Julia Marie – decks
Macaroni – drums
Rani drums
Robert Durkee – guitar,bass Roberto Bertoni – beats
Rolondo – decks
Rustin Davis – beats
Castlebed – beats
Wise Proof – rhymes
CAI – poets, b-box

Venues:
The Exchange
The Garden
Los Ritas
Bellas
Knock Knock
The Peacock Room
22 south AlphaBar
The Orpheum
RedStarr
Flirt
Plasma Lounge
The Bank
Vibe
Malios
Love Parade
Army truck
Omni Circus
The Wine Cellar
Reclaim the Streets
Red Eye Lounge
Blue Cube
Station 40
The Peacock Lounge
Hotel Utah
16th & Mission
Saint Barts
Mangroves
Robot Studios
The Exchange
The Garden
Los Ritas
Bellas
Knock Knock
The Peacock Room
22 south
AlphaBar
The Orpheum
RedStarr
Flirt
Plasma Lounge
The Bank,
Vibe
Malios
Macri Park
Death by Audio
Barbes
Pillow Talk
Cafe Vivaldi

You can check more about Aoka:

http://www.aoka.info
http://www.thebigbigdreams.com
http://www.thatgirlsgotrhythm.org