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Artist Profile: DJ Assault

ARTIST PROFILE
ADD TO READING LIST WRITTEN BY STEVE RICKINSON

Craig De Sean Adams, better known as DJ Assault, is a godfather of ghettotech and booty house. If the words Ass-N-Titties don’t ring a bell, you’ve likely never been on a dance floor. For decades, DJ Assault has defined the high-octane genre with a blend of blistering tempos, pounding basslines, and hilariously raw lyrics into a formula designed to move bodies, no questions asked. With both cult status and mainstream recognition to his name, DJ Assault brings the unmistakable Detroit to Bucharest as aim+wall presents DJ Assault to Control Club on Thursday, January 30.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

NIGHTS GETTOTECH

ctrl NIGHTS: aim+wall presents: DJ Assault

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Ghettotech, which DJ Assault helped pioneer alongside DJ Funk and DJ Godfather, emerged from Detroit’s underground in the ’90s. It’s a fast, hard-hitting mix of Detroit techno, Miami bass, Chicago ghetto house, and hip-hop with tempos north of 150 BPM. Booty house takes this formula and dials up the cheeky, sexualized lyrics, keeping things loose and deliberately over-the-top. While traditional techno often emphasizes abstraction, ghetto tech and booty house embrace the visceral, physical, and irreverent. DJ Assault’s sound perfectly reflects this, alongside the inherently DIY spirit of the Motor City: no-frills, no filter, just straight-up fun for the dance floor–think Jeff Mills djing the grimiest strip club on the outskirts of your closest late capitalist hellscape.

Born and raised in the American electronic music mecca, DJ Assault is now synonymous with these genres after beginning his live DJing career at age 12. His 1997 album Belle Isle Tech introduced listeners to his signature sound and was a blueprint for ghettotech. Tracks like Ass-N-Titties and Tear Da Club Up epitomized the genre’s fast, dirty, and impossible-to-ignore ethos. But they were also songs that showcased DJ Assault's ability to craft infectious beats with a knack for injecting humor. Just listen to tracks like Sex on the Beach and Gel n' Weave for further evidence.

 

 

In the mid-1990s, DJ Assault partnered with fellow Detroit producer Ade’ “Mr. De” Mainor to co-found Electrofunk Records and Assault Rifle Records. Together, they helped codify ghettotech through their Straight Up Detroit Sht* mix series. These mixes were a whirlwind—rapid-fire tracks flipping every 30 seconds, designed to keep dancers guessing and moving through relentless and chaotic neck-snapping transitions.

Following his split with Mr. De in 2000, DJ Assault founded Jefferson Ave Records on his own. This move allowed him complete creative control over his music, leading to releases like Off the Chain for the Y2K (2000) and Jefferson Ave (2001). The label also gave a platform to his alter ego, Craig Diamonds, the Street Narrator, who brought a grittier, rap-focused perspective to the ghettotech scene.

While DJ Funk and DJ Godfather would make their marks with technically dazzling sets or party-starting hits, DJ Assault stood out for his ability to craft tracks that felt like inside jokes everyone could laugh at while dancing. That’s part of why his work has endured with nods like the inclusion of Ass-N-Titties in the film 22 Jump Street and a classic Chappelle's Show sketch. Additionally, tracks like Tear Da Club Up have been sampled by contemporary artists, including Darius Syrossian. DJ Assault’s influence can also be heard throughout the work of artists like Claude VonStroke and his Dirtybird label, who weave ghettotech into their own productions.

 

 

Beyond the studio, DJ Assault’s live performances are legendary—a statement this writer can attest to, following DJ Assault and the genre from the 90s gangland warehouse raves of inner-city New York to the spring blossoms of Amsterdam's Lente Kabinet. Whether in Detroit or Berlin, Tokyo, or Sydney, his sets remain high-octane mixes with shows less about precision and more about creating a wild, unforgettable party, leaving no room for chin-stroking pretension.

Of course, the genre’s explicit content has raised eyebrows over the years, with some haters dismissing it as overly simplistic, dirty and gratuitous. But that’s part of the appeal. The music is intentionally blunt, fun, and free, embracing its rawness as a feature, not a flaw. As the late K-HAND observed, the raunchy style resonated deeply with audiences, especially women who packed clubs to dance to these tracks. For DJ Assault, it’s about letting people let loose and forget their worries for a few hours. Whether it’s a classic like Crank This Mutha or a wild live set that leaves no one standing still, DJ Assault’s mission has always been clear: keep it fast, fun, and the party going.