The long line outside the club on Sunday nights looks like a fashion shoot, with bright yellow lights shining on vintage-chic partiers and neon-clad sneaker freaks. And that’s just the way AM likes it.
“No Ed Hardy, no shiny shirts, no cornballs,” he says. “We don't care who you know or how much money you have, if you don’t come to dance, you don't get in.”
The club packs up early, too, thanks to the complimentary desserts and Sapporo keg on the dance floor, which offers free beer until it’s tapped.
And then, of course, there’s the music. Aoki usually takes over the decks first, playing a whole lot of indie and electro, much of it (i.e., Bloc Party) from his record label, Dim Mak. But he can’t resist some good hip-hop.
“I like hip-hop and respect hip-hop just as much as I do rock,” he says. “As for everything else, a good song is a good song."
DJ AM brings home the night with mash-ups like a new, obscure hip-hop track combined with Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You)” or Blind Melon's "No Rain."
So how’d Aoki, king of the Hollywood indie hipsters, and AM, king of the Hollywood celebrity party scene, hook up? The unlikely duo teamed up in December 2005 when Aoki went to see DJ AM spin in New York. They ran into each other the next day and bonded instantly.
Their friendship inspired them to start Banana Split Sundaes, which has been going strong since Halloween weekend 2006, an eternity in club land.
Where: LAX
When: Sunday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Insider’s tip: Go to www.bpmmagazine.net/bananasplit to request entrance. Steve Aoki’s manager, Matt Colon, says, “We have a loose guest list, but basically if you look like you're ready for a night at Les Deux you're at the wrong place.”
Click here for Banana Split Sundaes' address, phone number and website.
