It is fair to say that the allure of the old-fashioned DJ mix compilation has dimmed a lot over the past few years, with the availability of so much quality stuff online and also because of a lack of imagination on the part of the record companies. It is a complete pleasure then to report the first mix compilation proper from Moodymann (Kenny Dixon) is an absolute treat. This is because he doesn’t do too much, setting out to simply play the music he loves. Thankfully he’s also structured it really well, giving us a glimpse of each corner of his record collection. Anyone expecting a full techno set will be disappointed, because the mix goes much deeper than that, with early gems from Cody ChesnuTT, Flying Lotus and Little Dragon. Many of these are in specially constructed Moodymann edits, and as he moves into a bit of deeper, soulful stuff we get treats like Big Muff’s smoky ‘My Funny Valentine’ and Les Sins’ ‘Grind’. The mix gets deliberately held up at this point, taking in a breath before pushing forward to a cracking second half, spearheaded by the bright-eyed Noir & Haze, Marcellus Pittman and Lady Alma. Brilliantly done, and for once we have the sense of a person doing the mixing rather than a program – and because that person is Kenny Dixon, the music flows just brilliantly.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
