THE BEAT GOES ON: DJ NIKKI BEATNIK’S RHYTHMIC REVOLUTION

Picture this: early 2000s London, where the air was thick with possibility and bass lines that rattled your ribcage. Among the pantheon of nightlife temples, 10 Tokyo Joe’s, Hanover Grand, the hallowed 10 Rooms, stood the mythical “57 Jermyn Street.” A postage stamp of a venue and London’s ultimate velvet rope challenge. It was here, two Kir Royales deep and surrendering to auditory seduction, that I first encountered the force of nature known as Nikki Beatnik.

What happened that night wasn’t just dancing, it was transformation. Beatnik doesn’t just play music; she weaponises it, turning beats into religious experiences. Her fingers dance across turntables like she’s decoding the universe one BPM at a time.

I was back at 57 every Tuesday night after that, getting home at 4am and waking up for work at 7amlike a breeze. The magnetic pull of Beatnik’s sets was worth every stolen hour of sleep, a music addiction I had no interest in breaking.

But calling Nikki merely a DJ is like calling the Sistine Chapel “a nice room with some paintings.” She is living, breathing art, her aesthetic so meticulously curated it belongs in the Tate Modern. (Seriously, her Instagram should come with a warning: “May cause extreme creative envy.”)

When not reshaping dance floors into euphoric utopias, DJ Nikki Beatnik’s turntable talents have made her the rhythmic sidekick to genuine music royalty. As Kelis’s tour DJ, she’s the wizard behind the curtain, the secret ingredient that transforms already legendary performances. Her passport reads like a who’s who of R&B divinity, having toured with Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child, and All Saints – casual name drops that make music nerds spontaneously combust.

Perhaps her most revolutionary act is “Mums that Rave,” her notorious gatherings for women navigating motherhood while still demolishing patriarchal structures in the music industry. These aren’t just parties; they’re resistance movements disguised as good times, legendary throwdowns that remain on my bucket list of “transcendent experiences I desperately need.”

Oh, and because apparently redefining club culture isn’t enough, Beatnik casually moonlights as a music producer, crafting musical blueprints when not behind the decks. Between motherhood and marriage, she somehow finds time to create visual art that people actually pay money for, the kind of multidisciplinary magic that makes mere mortals question their life choices.

In an industry that commodifies cool, Nikki Beatnik remains the genuine article, a renaissance woman turning every creative endeavour into gold, all while making it look effortless. Not just surviving the boys’ club of the music industry, but burning it down and building something better in its place.

In the slipstream between school runs and sound checks, between art galleries and after parties, I managed to carve out a sliver of time with the inimitable Nikki Beatnik. Like two ships passing in the night, if those ships were navigating the tempestuous waters of creative careers and family obligation, we connected in that rare, precious interval when the calendar gods smiled upon us both. 

Cheryl: From 57 Jermyn Street to touring with icons like Kelis and Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child – what’s been the most surreal ‘pinch me’ moment in your career, and how has your approach to DJing evolved through these experiences?

DJ Nikki Beatnik: “I don’t really have pinch me moments as such, as I have been DJing since I was a kid. I got my first belt drive decks at 15/16 years old, played my first club before I was legally allowed to be in one and have been doing this and curating club nights, parties and so on for 3 decades now. Ive DJ’d for Jay Z & Beyonce, JLo, Cannes Film Festival, British Fashion Awards, Guiseppe Zanotti & The Times Newspaper parties spinning the grimiest clubs and then DJing on top of a skyscraper and a limestone quarry in Bali. I started playing festivals for instance back in the early 2000’s.

I was going out to Dubai to spin before the Burj was even built so to see how that has blown up is incredible. I’ve spun almost all the F1’s all over the world, as a DJ and as a tour DJ with Kelis. I’ve had so many mad nights out, like the time I ended up in Tom Jones limo going to after parties. I’ve got to meet almost everyone in music and beyond I ever wanted to, Busta, Prince, Pharrel, En Vogue, Ringo Star, Nas, Yo Gabba Gabba (meeting him tickled me so much) and so many dope DJs across genres. My first loves were house music & hip hop, but because I had done my 10,000 hours practise DJing as a Kid and it was a long assed process to get anywhere for women DJ’s back in the day- I always felt I deserved to be there. I started playing instruments at age 3/4 got a scholarship to music school, studied classical cello, played in orchestras as a teen, played and sang at the BBC so it wasn’t an overnight thing, its my whole life, so I’ve never had one pinch me, I’ve worked and worked and thing happened and that is still how it works. I am here for the culture and the creativity and women often don’t get their credit for creating so much culture in nightlife.

I must admit, looking out over 50,000 people in a crowd at festivals is always a little surreal but I am more concerned I don’t get technical issues and that nothing goes wrong (as it has countless times) than thinking about the actual numbers. I feel like playing small crowds and venues over the years prepares you for anything so that is why that part is so important and why overnight tik tok sensations are having problems putting together shows and with stage fright and anxiety and all that quite often. You can’t fast track skills and presence. It takes time and practise. Sometimes when I’m deep in sets like that I am guilty of thinking about what needs to be done for my son at school or the fact I’ve worn the wrong outfit for stage cause my feet hurt. It’s amazing what goes through your brain when you are in your comfort zone and for me- DJing is that because I have done it almost my whole life now and still love playing for people.”

Cheryl: Your ‘Mums that Rave’ events have created a unique space in the industry. What inspired this concept, and what’s the most unexpected outcome or connection that’s emerged from bringing together mothers in music?

DJ Nikki Beatnik: “What inspired Mums That Rave is becoming a mother and knowing I wanted to do something for Mums but not knowing what that looked like. Women in music, especially Mums, often have to give up their careers due to lack of support. Women producers are still only 4% of the entire industry and there is very little support for women in nightlife or touring Mamas so all that combined with not seeing representation of Mums like myself led me to Mums That Rave. It is the most special party ever and I’ve thrown and founded many club nights and parties. The vibe is unmatched, no one raves harder than a Mum on a Saturday afternoon with the day to herself. Mums That Rave has 60,000 followers on socials, 80 million views worldwide in 6 years.

Im 22 raves deep now and also host MTR panek talks, a podcast and just launched Mums That Rave Fitness. My goal is to take it worldwide as it has been absolutely transformative and life changing for many Mums who have joined us. It is more than a rave, it’s a totally safe space, a way to meet like minded women and make new friends and it’s 2 fingers up to the societal expectations and pressures on Mamas. We say no to Mum stereotypes and yes to raving to some house dancehall hip hop & drum and bass in a room full of women dressed to the nines. It is very very special and I am so proud of the joy that is being spread via this movement.“

Cheryl: You move seamlessly between DJing, producing, visual art, and motherhood. How do these different creative expressions inform each other, and has becoming a mother changed your artistic perspective or process?

“Becoming a Mum didn’t change my artistic perspective, it def affected the process as I had about 70% less time for work being a full time Mum and freelance business owner, it also meant I couldn’t go out on tour or be out out all the time at events and networking so my income def shrunk because I had left it so long to become a Mother, mostly due to my job and the music industry, that I felt I didn’t want to rely on nanny’s or put Harley in childcare all the time I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible, so the hustle became harder for sure.

I think the job of being a DJ and producer is much more conducive to the single life and also for men who have wives at home taking care of the family side. I have seen a lot of dope women DJ’s have to sideline their careers once they become Mums or have to give up. The industry does not facilitate or make adjustments for Mums especially on tour. So there’s that part. However, being a Mum personally is the best thing I have ever done. Creatively I feel exactly the same as I always have- super creative on a daily basis I just have to compartmentalise work a lot more.

So I give myself this morning for school run, then maybe I am making a beat or writing a song, I know I have 4hrs for that, 1hr for emails, 1 hour for content creation and then school run again, then I do Mums That Rave social media maybe when I wake up at 5/6am before I get my son up and out. It’s just juggling all the time, especially if I am away on tour with Kelis, that is a military operation in terms of organising family to help and school runs etc.

I remember being on Kelis tour in 23′ with a full band and I was doing all the edits and remixes for the show and rehearsals and then when I was on the tour bus I was up partying till 5am and then at 8am I would be getting questions on the class whats app group about the school photos and I just thought – these dudes on tour will never understand the Mum/ DJ life dichotomy lol, I was definitely mentally exhausted putting my all into music directing and making tracks and the band and the festivals plus worrying about my kid and school and what I am missing. The Mum guilt is never ending and real and then when I am Mum’ing 100% I feel like I am falling behind my counterparts in the DJ world, but hey! I am raising small people so Priorities !!!! nothing I do in my career will ever come close to how much I love my kids…or my dog lol!”

Cheryl: The club scene has transformed dramatically since your early days at venues like 57 Jermyn Street. What do you miss most about that era, and what aspects of today’s music culture excite you most?

DJ Nikki Beatnik: “I miss the realness of it and the actual FUN. Not instagram fun. DJ’s broke records in clubs, also back then and DJ’s had to really put in the work, carry record boxes – which was horrible by the way- dig in the crates, which I also do not miss, I love an MP3 but you had to really care and you had to practise there was less mediocrity. I miss the fact musicians could make money from sales, it is criminal that a musician can make so little from thousands of streams and the CEO’s of these companies are raking in billions.. Now record companies, there are only 3 make fake playlists to boost their artists and fake views. All this hype has always happened, don’t get me wrong but the streaming and the fact you cannot make decent money from streaming is a massive issue. Also over 70% of clubs have closed since around 2010, there has been a very purposeful erosion of clubs, via councils, gentrification, noise complaints, no help for small venues, costs and costs of living going up, it is untenable for many to survive. So this has a knock on effect on DJ’s, musicians, club culture, fashion and creativity.

All new genres and movements come from the street up, from fashion to new music genres. Pair that with pirate radio no longer existing, stations like Radio 1 having a huge monopoly over what gets played and what they think is “cool”  and kids having nowhere to go and it’s a bust. There will never be another UK Garage, Punk or Jungle movement again & nothing new comes from festivals. They are all so big and commercial now they are for acts with agents and mostly signed artists and so many have closed  (211 festivals have ceased to operate since 2019)  so we have a massive problem, no clubs, means no new genres, new DJs, no new bands, new fashions, new waves of creativity, all these things come from Club culture, from Vogueing to puffa jackets to dances- all originate with soundsystem culture ergo club culture. Hip hop started with a block party and blew up around the world into mainstream culture.

Now I hear So Solid and Lethal B on Tv adverts, records that we DJs were banned from playing in certain clubs at the time. There is a direct correlation into mainstream culture, but now what? No new culture that will last is being made on TikTok. So I miss that. The UK used to lead the world in club culture and festivals and creativity, it’s one of our best industries and exports and yet we get little support and kids are not encouraged into it and now if they do try, where is there for them? We need creatives and musicians and artists and we need alternative voices, especially right now with the oligarchs and billionaires controlling narratives online. So I miss Pirates.”

Cheryl:If you could curate your dream festival lineup – living or dead – who would be your top five acts, and what would you play immediately after your set to keep the energy going?  

DJ Nikki Beatnik: “I mostly like complete silence after any set lol. I have loads and loads of silence at home. I think it is necessary for creativity to still your mind. Sound and frequency are powerful.  I am also an artist and have a degree in Fine Art, my brain links sound and music with colour and ideas and activity. I could never ever go to sleep for instance with music on. If I’m writing songs I listen to beats in the car to get melodies and words. 

My dream line up, phew that is so hard, how can you ask a DJ with thousands of records for their favs!!? I am just going to say it would have to be across genres from drum and bass, house, rock, soul, dancehall, lots of hip hop, latin, afrobeat- much like my DJ sets. It would be eclectic, A WHOLE VIBE plus a lot of our Beatnik records & remixes.”

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