Linkin Park Featured On Steve Aoki’s ‘Darker Than Blood’ As Band Grows List Of Collaborations

Brad Delson of Linkin Park believes that creating music is a “team sport.” Perhaps that’s why he and his bandmates decided to collaborate with Steve Aoki again on Aoki’s upcoming single, “Darker Than Blood.”

On Monday, Aoki shared 15 seconds of the song on his Facebook page. As the song sample plays, the accompanying video shows Aoki holding an iPhone with a photo of the single’s cover art. The song, which is upbeat and energetic, is due out on April 14.

“Darker Than Blood” marks the second time Linkin Park has decided to collaborate with Aoki. In 2013, Steve worked with Linkin Park on “A Light That Never Comes,” which was used to promote Linkin Park’s online game and was also included on the band’s 2013 Recharged remix album.

Linkin Park has a long history of working with other artists on albums, singles, and on tour. Perhaps that’s because guitarist Brad Delson and his bandmates believe working with others is an essential part to growing and improving musically, Delson said in an interview with MusicRadar.com.

“While honing your craft is essential, practicing on your own can only get you so far. Collaboration is a must.”

During the same interview, Delson went on to compare being in a band to working as part of a team.

“Being part of a band means being a great teammate – just like in sports. You’ll never realize individual success if you can’t learn to work effectively within a team. Collaborating with other people in a band means complementing what they do, reacting to them; it means knowing when to play and when not to. It means being a great partner.”

Throughout the career of the band, Linkin Park has teamed up with an array of interesting and varied musicians. For example, in 2004 Linkin Park worked with Jay-Z on “Collision Course” and in 2008 Linkin Park teamed up with Busta Rhymes for “We Made It.” Also in 2004, Linkin Park toured for Snoop Dogg, Korn, The Used, and Less Than Jake for the Projekt Revolution music festival.

When the members of Linkin Park aren’t working with other musicians, many of the band members have side projects of their own. Both of Linkin Park’s vocalists participate in other groups, as Chester Bennington is the frontman for Stone Temple Pilots, and Mike Shinoda works with the hip-hop group Fort Minor.

Clearly, Linkin Park has a long history of collaborating with other musicians in an effort to improve their craft. The second collaboration with Steve Aoki is the most recent on Linkin Park’s list, but it isn’t likely to be the last.

[Photo by Beth Gwinn/Getty Images Entertainment]