DJ Assault

The Luther Campbell of the techno scene, Detroit’s DJ Assault pairs explicit phrases with booty-shakin’, bass-anchored hip-hop and techno backdrops. Though his lyrics attract much of the attention (song titles include “Nipples-N-Clits” and “Ass-N-Titties”), Assault is an underrated technician who turns concerts into clinics. He scratches, remixes, cuts live and tricks out his turntables (taking a screwdriver to the pitch controls) so that they push the pace past the 200-beats-per-minute threshold. He once stuffed 83 accelerated filth-funk tracks on a single CD, and he carries more wax in his touring crates than some record stores carry in their racks. Assault simultaneously works the microphone as his rapping alter ego Craig Diamonds, erasing recorded vocals to add his own and offering obscene propositions to the audience. His naughty chants might be at least partly parodic, but the combination of dirty words and sweat-soaked dancers leads to a, need we say, sexually charged atmosphere.