he's the mann - and everybody knows it
a triple shot of dirty detroit house from the inimitable kenny dixon jr. i'm surprised this blog is over a month old and there's yet to be a mention of one of house music's most elusive and unique producers, but i'm aiming to rectify that today with some mp3 overkill. taking cue from 70's soul, detroit techno and old blaxploitation movies, moodymann has crafted a sound which is constantly imitated but never bettered. it really wasn't difficult to pick three outstanding tracks from his back catalogue, and the first two really allow his influences to shine through, with samples from marvin gaye and gil scott-heron allowing moodymann to reflect on the rich history of american black music. the third track is moodymann in u.s. garage dancefloor mode, with his saxophone specialist norma jean bell, working together in order to create an absolute classic (which i originally thought was "too girly" when i first heard it, but i was soon to be proved wrong ...)
although the kdj "live" experience earlier in the year was a bit of a let down, it's a real mistake to ever write the man off, and all of his productions past, present and future are essential to any house collection.
deep dark house from the motor city, pick up most of his available back catalogue on cd or vinyl here. and if you like to put yourself through anguish, go see what you can't get over at discogs.