Moodymann
Kenny Dixon Jr., AKA Moodymann, is one of the most enigmatic and charismatic figures in house music. Despite his refusal to give interviews and play the press-and-promo game, Dixon Jr.’s voice has been clearly amongst the loudest when it comes to preserving the rich heritage of Afro-American music while fighting the industry powers that be. Blessed with an immaculate way of sampling, he takes stems from blues and soul and respectfully carries them to the next level. From his dark and dusty deep house tunes on Peacefrog, Planet E, and his own KDJ label, to R&B-drenched outings on the Mahogani Music imprint, Moodymann’s fingerprint is unmistakable.
An outspoken voice in the normally non-confrontational world of electronic dance music, Moodymann (Kenny Dixon Jr.) is committed to keeping a distinctly Black imprint on techno and house. Moodymann worked at several Detroit record stores in the mid-nineties, including a store owned by producer Blake Baxter. During this period, Kenny was also the resident DJ at the Detroit-based Outcast Motorcycle Club, where he was known as “House.” After his first several releases on Planet E Records, Kenny became quite popular in France, and from there his popularity grew internationally.
Moodymann’s sound is a hybrid form of techno and house dance music arrived at through innovative use of reworked riffs, samples, and grooves. While he may frustrate some with his refusal to be interviewed and his insistence on reminding people of the genre’s origins, the soulfulness of his output is unquestioned. Utilizing classic soul and jazz samples, low-slung bass lines, and an approach to drum programming diametrically opposed to the tendency to push the tempo faster and faster, he has achieved classic status with gems like Sunday Morning, Shades of Jae, and his remix of Innerzone Orchestra’s People Make the World Go Round.
Following years of 12-inch-only releases, he compiled his best work on Silentintroduction, one of the most celebrated albums of the late 1990s. He continued to evolve and expand with his iconic 2014 self-titled release Moodymann, filled with gospel, blues, house music, and roller-rink funk. The immersive and mysterious Sinner followed in 2019. With his album Taken Away, Moodymann shows that he remains a master of repetition as a form of challenge, continuing to prove that he is in no rush to dispel the mystery that surrounds him.