Who are you and what do you do?
I’m Nikki, aka DJ Ass Tits — although lately people have been calling me Arschtitten more and more often. I DJ and organize events. With my collective Hyperlove we’ve been hosting regular Late Nights at Jaki since 2024, and with the music festival Kölnchella, which I co-founded, we’re currently planning a bigger summer event.
My DJ sets are fairly genre-spanning. At the moment I move a lot between Electro, Breakbeat, Acid House and Dub Techno. At the same time I also love Ambient music, and starting in April I’m really excited to host a show on Dublab together with Carlotta aka Paaradoxx that will focus exactly on that.
What’s the name of the track you want to introduce, and who is it by?
You Need The Drugs – WestBam feat. Richard Butler
Who is WestBam – and what makes the song special?
WestBam, whose real name is Maximilian Lenz, was born in Münster in 1965 and started his DJ career in 1983. His name stands for “Westphalia BamBaataa,” referencing both his origin and his inspiration, Afrika Bambaataa. As an early protagonist of the Berlin techno scene, co-founder of Low Spirit Recordings and producer of defining rave anthems, he became one of the key figures of the German techno movement.
Richard Butler is the singer of the British post-punk band The Psychedelic Furs. His distinctive voice gives You Need The Drugs a dark, intense quality.
The track was released in 2000 and is a sharp, ironic commentary on consumer culture. Musically it combines a driving bassline with melancholic vocals. This exact mix of pressure and emotion is what still makes it so effective today. It works not only as a club track but also as an atmospheric statement.
https://www.discogs.com/de/artist/6092-WestBam
https://www.discogs.com/de/master/533263-Westbam-Featuring-Richard-Butler-You-
Need-The-Drugs
When and how did you discover the track?
About four years ago on a warm spring evening in Leipzig. I was there with my good friend Fiona and some other friends for a concert. Fiona and I basically share the same taste in music, which is important for the story.
After the concert we tried to find a bar where we could still hang out. We were somewhere on the outskirts of Leipzig and it was a weekday, so almost everything was closed. Eventually we ended up at a slightly sketchy dive bar that happened to be the only place still open.
Inside there were slot machines, bright white lights and a few older men watching football on television. It was actually quite a vibe, but the music was terrible. I think it was Schlager or something similar.
We sat outside having a beer. At some point Fiona went inside for a moment and suddenly the first beats of the WestBam track started playing. It felt like an instant shift in atmosphere. I immediately opened Shazam and put my phone on the table.
A moment later Fiona came back, saw my phone and turned hers toward me. She had Shazamed the exact same track.
In what situations do you like listening to the track?
I connect a lot of memories with it. One of the best situations is driving through the city at night, lights everywhere, playing a sentimental track at full volume. It works perfectly in that moment.
Do you play the track during sets or mixes?
I have played it once and that moment was very special.
It was last year on Rosenmontag at Gewölbe in Cologne. I was playing the closing set after Malugi. Originally the set was planned for four hours but it turned into six. I was completely sick because it was the final stretch of carnival and at some point I could barely stand.
Despite that the atmosphere was incredible and the hours passed quickly. At the end the lights came on and I was already relieved that I had made it through the night. Then people started calling loudly for an encore.
So I played this track.
The combination of the track and the energy in the room triggered something emotional in me. I almost started crying, but in a positive way.
Afterwards I left immediately because I felt so terrible physically. Looking back I sometimes think I should have enjoyed the moment more, but the night is still a very beautiful memory.
What makes the track special or meaningful to you?
Part of it is the story of discovering it with Fiona, which makes it closely connected to our friendship.
But the track itself also has a special ambivalence. It feels heavy and melancholic, yet there are always moments of light within it. It is like a sky that darkens for a moment and then opens again.
What inspires you as a DJ?
Encounters with friends and everyday situations that suddenly take on meaning. Music is very much about human connection for me.
When I discover a track during a certain moment in my life, that moment becomes tied to the music. Every time I hear the song again, the feeling comes back.
That connection between music and memory is what inspires me the most.
Did the track change you?
Maybe not directly, but it stayed with me. Four or five years ago I probably would not have played it because my sets were faster and harder back then.
My overall taste in music has remained quite similar, but what I actually play has changed a lot.
This track has been with me for years. It feels like an anchor. There are many other songs that mean just as much to me, but “You Need The Drugs” is one of those tracks that simply stays.
More about DJ Ass Tits:
More about WestBam:
