Hiroquest 2: Double Helix

Hiroquest 2: Double Helix is the eighth studio album by American DJ and producer Steve Aoki. Released on November 17, 2023, the album is the second installment in Aoki's Hiroquest series of albums, following Hiroquest: Genesis (2022).

Background

Hiroquest: Double Helix was released on November 17, 2023. It was distributed through Aoki's own label Dim Mak Records, after months of frequent single releases. Though Aoki had planned to expand Hiroquest: Genesis into a series since its original conception, the subtitle of the second album, Double Helix, and its release date, were revealed in August 2023.

Shortly before the album's release, Aoki announced his own fan convention in Los Angeles in support of the release; it took place for four hours on November 19. The convention, doubling as a release party for the album, included cosplayers, free tattoos, and live music by Aoki.

Concept

Similarly to its predecessor, Double Helix is a concept album, continuing the story of the meta human Hiro, a dramatization of Aoki himself, on his journey to save the world from Hyro, his evil counterpart.

A graphic novel based on the album and written by Jim Krueger will be released in 2024, in addition to more trading cards for his Hiroquest trading card game in collaboration with MetaZoo. Of his Hiroquest album series, Aoki says "I really treat [it] like it’s a company in a way that has a lot of branches and different ways to grow the IP. And so I think of [it] as very similar in that approach, because I love creating brands and building stories and building worlds".

Remix album

A completely remixed version of the album, Aoki's fifth remix album Hiroquest: Double Helix Remixed, was released on January 26, 2024.

Track listing

Notes

• "Won't Forget This Time" interpolates "Whole Again" by Steve Aoki and Kaaze featuring John Martin.
• "Wild" samples "Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf.
• "Invítame A Un Café" interpolates "La Gata Bajo la Lluvia" by Rocío Dúrcal.
• "Locked Up" is a remix of "Locked Up" by Akon.
• Physical copies include an extended version of "Motor", which runs for 4:32.
• "Kids" is a remix of "Kids" by MGMT.

References