DJ Nikki Beatnik has been quoted as 'the best female DJ in the UK' and has worked with huge recording stars such as Kelis, Jay- Z, Alicia Keys and Ronnie Woods. She has toured with Ministry of Sound, spun at events for global brands(Reebok,Tiger Beer, Puma, Adidas, Blackberry and Apple Mac) As well as holding down residencies at most of London's top venues, shes made music for London fashion week shows while spinning at The British Fashion Awards, The Elle Style Awards and launches for H&M, Cavalli & Comme De Garcon.
Hey Nikki! So I've been dancing around my living room to 'Jump In The Middle'. How long have you been a dj and producer?
Glad you like the tune, there's plenty more where that came from. I started to DJ at 17 when there were very few female djs. I learned to dj the old fashioned way. I bought some decks off a friend and spent hours practicing. I learned to mix, scratch, transform along with all the other basics of djing. I cut my teeth on a lot of hip hop. Big Daddy Kane, EricB and Rakim, EPMD, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, 45 King, Mantronix and Guy. Also a lot of 90's house like Todd Edwards, Masters at Work, Derrick Carted and Inner City. Being a hip- hop dj gave me great grounding in timing, skills and technique. Hip hop will always be a given for me, but I mix all sorts of music into my sets from Bashment to electro. I like the excitement and challenge of throwing obscure records in the mix or things people haven't heard for a while. A good DJ set should be like an interesting journey with lots of sights and sounds you don't expect to be thrown in. The production side of my career started much later as a partnership with my brother Statis who has always made beats. We used to do 4 deck back to back DJ sets and now we do 40 hours back to back in the studio...
When did you decide you wanted to produce your own music?
Statis and I produce our music together. He had his first set of decks when he was 11 and I would say he is one of the most naturally gifted djs I know. He started making beats around the age of 14, so it is something both of us have been into forever. Now we're really focused on the production side and want to work with as many interesting people as possible for remixes, writing for artists and pushing our own sound and tracks.
What's your inspiration when it comes to laying down new tracks?
It depends, if we are doing a remix then we take inspiration from the vocal, the guitar or keyboard riff and the hook. Then give it the Beatnik sound, which is very 'London'. When we are working on our own music we start with the drums and work from there. Both Statis and myself listen to a massive amount of music from The Blockheads to Al Green, Prince to the Sex Pistols so I think without knowing it you are constantly picking up influences all the time. We always try to have a synergy between all our mixes, remixes and Beatnik tracks so there is a definitive sound. We are writing track after track at the moment and looking for other bands and artists to remix.
How do you go about finding vocalists for your beats?
The majority of the vocals you hear on our tracks belong to us.On the remix side, we get sent the accapella by the artist and go from there. We both have a long list of artists we want to work with and it is always growing. I think there is a massive amount of creativity in the UK at the moment, so it's an exciting time music wise.
Who are some of your favorite artists that you've worked with?
I've dj'd for some really big named artists like Jay Z, Beyonce, Russel Simmons, Kelis and many more. I actually forget sometimes what I have done until I go back through my old DJ biography's and remember a party for Kanye or Ludacris and think 'oh yeah, that was fun'. I really liked Russel Simmons, we hung out and chatted about yoga(smiles). I obviously have to say Kelis because she is a close friend. As an artist I think she is very real who is extremely creative with her image and lyrics.
Grazia magazine called you 'The Sound of Summer 2009'. Will you be releasing anymore tracks to get us through the summer?
Our new track It Came From London is out soon. You can hear more of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPjuPcqhQs8
Finally, how do you manage to juggle your dj showcases with running your successful production company 'Beatnik'?
I love to be kept busy otherwise life becomes mundane. I am always looking for the next challenge and for a DJ you are only as good as your last gig. For Beatnik music we both just want to do more records, more remixes, more parties, festivals and write more tracks for other artists. I also want to be an inspiration to women who may want to DJ. When I started out there weren't many girls in the dj booth. There still aren't and sadly it is still seen as a gimmick for a lot of clubs and event bookers. Hopefully I have changed some perceptions as I can genuinely kick arse in the DJ booth! Right now I cant think of anything more exciting than being in the studio making new music with Beatnik(smiles)
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