Soulful Vibes Review: Moodymann @ Eyes Down

[soulfulvibes]

Moodymann @ Eyes Down, Manchester, UK.
5th November 2004

http://www.soulfulvibes.co.uk/kdj.jpg

A respected producer, musical connoisseur and an intriguingly enigmatic character, Kenny Dixon Jr made his debut performance in Manchester on Bonfire Night 2004. The event sold out within a couple of minutes of tickets going on sale. There were no flyers advertising his crossing of the Atlantic. There were no posters outside the venue, celebrating his visit. There was simply an email to the Eyes Down mailing list informing the party’s regular patrons of this special evening. Such understated promotion respects Moodymann’s attitude to the fickle music industry. Those who needed to know, knew and those who knew, came to party. As Dixon Jr himself declared, “I don’t make music for the majority to dance to, I make music for the few who listen.”

True to his aura of mystery, Moodymann was spinning behind a cloth sheet that covered the DJ booth; a faint silhouette was the only distinguishable feature the excitable crowd could make out. It was clear that the music was the central focus of the evening’s entertainment. After the venue had filled and the dance floor was healthily plump, Moodymann took to the microphone and introduced himself in his unmistakable, sultry drawl. Dispelling any rumours of his racist beliefs, fuelled by poorly informed UK journalism, Dixon Jr thanked everybody for coming out and assured his fans that “you know I love y’all.”

Moodymann wasn’t DJing for a dance floor and he wasn’t controlling the energy of the room with his selections. His set didn’t have an obvious musical direction but this was never his intention. “I ain’t doin’ nothin’ special tonight, no fancy tricks here. I’m just playin’ records. Sharin’ my environment with y’all.” Creating a feeling of comfort in the room so special we could have been guests in his home while he played us his favourite songs. Spinning an inconceivably wide selection of music accompanied by fascinating anecdotes of the personal relevance of many of his selections, Dixon Jr turned the Roadhouse into his own private party. A fitting title for the night would have been ‘An Evening With Moodymann.’

Midway through the evening, the shielding cloth was pulled down, much to the amusement of Moodymann. He took the opportunity of this enhanced intimacy with his fans to ask for requests. “What do all you mother-fuckers wanna hear tonight? So y’all want some Detroit?” The room turned to chaos as the stomach-churning bass of ‘Seven Nation Army’ rumbled through the system.

From Angie Stone to Amp Fiddler, from Fela to Fleetwood to Floyd, Moodymann’s selections epitomized soul music in all of its incarnations. At the evening’s close, Veteran DJ and music connoisseur, Robin Jackson confided in a tone of deep satisfaction, “I have never in my life heard such depth of soul across so many different musical genres.” His genuine astonishment provided further testament to the undoubted genius of Kenny Dixon Jr.

:: Gavin Moruda - November 2004

[nocturne]

I loved it when he dropped Natural Electronics by Anthony Shakir whilst saying "I gonna play Shake. I love this muthafuc-ker."

[johnny.boy(2)]

Can't be two places at once, alas.

What's the chance of luring him to the pool, you reckon?

[soulfulvibes]

If I'm brutally honest, I don't think Liverpool is ready for him yet.
The underground in Liverpool is growing stronger and I have no doubt that in the next few years our scene will begin to thrive like it does in Manchester.

Spontaneous, off-the-wall parties, emphasis on less DJs, longer sets and a crowd who go out with music being their number one priority.

Our time is coming!

[johnny.boy(2)]

You just couldn't resist a MAW reference. Shame on you :D

[soulfulvibes]

I was wondering who was geeky enough to spot that :oops: :wink: :lol:

[philcharnock]

Johnny has a pet named after the Dope man so he is a MAW mega-geek! :wink:

[soulfulvibes]

Is this true Johnny?
If so, I commend you!

http://deephousepage.com/ubb/graemlins/respekt.gif

[boomptyboomp]

moodymann would be ace in town...

[johnny.boy(2)]

Is this true Johnny?
If so, I commend you!

http://deephousepage.com/ubb/graemlins/respekt.gif

Its even geekier than geeky. Its a Sony Aibo pet dog.

It has now been loaned out to my mate as it demanded too much of my attention when switched on. I'm even more heartless than Joan Crawford . . :wink:

[roodgirl]

moodymann was unbelievable on friday. he certainly kept me dancing all night - don't think i even considered leaving the dancefloor all night!! the screen was probably a good thing as it made me listen to his music more. he's a bit of an oddball though.... face mask n all! i think liverpool would be well ready for the skills of moodymann!! would have to be one of the underground nights.. lost soul or Tfunk perhaps. was also nice on friday to see eyes down never packed the club out either so it was quite comfortable atmosphere with all the music heads bopping away all night too :D

[the quoon]

its all a circus.

[nocturne]

I don't think Kenny would play anywhere in Liverpool right now.

He's real choosy about playing the right place. He can afford to pick.

Manchester's underground scene is healthy because it doesn't have any huge nights as such. It's all about the the little tiddlers.

[soulizm]

yeh Kenny might be a tough one... maybe go after Theo to kick things off with

''This is what we do... This is how we get down, we are just your average brother from the D. But we are not the average DJ. Thats what makes are shows so tight... we play what makes you move.''

''Music is the universal language, if you can play from the soul, stir emotions and maintain the energy for over six hours, then you must have spent a lifetime in a record store''.

Learn. This isn't about pansy pop star djs, or having all the latest high-profile producers playing weak ass sets at your club. These guys are the real deal and some people can't handle it but if we persist then Liverpool we be able to cope with the Soul too!!!

8)

[Kieran]

moodymann was crap

[soulfulvibes]

moodymann was crap
Care to elaborate?

[boomptyboomp]

moodymann was crap

:shock:

[johnny.boy(2)]

Two scenarios:

1. Wooden ears
2. Fishing / provocative / showing quite how clever they are

Either are nothing to post about.

[the quoon]

3. maybe you chaps are wanking a bit too hard over this.

he was good, but nothing special.

[B Dev]

I was too busy dancing for any sneaky masturbation, but each to their own - one man's Moodymann is another man's Felix B. I thought it was a fookin great night!

[johnny.boy(2)]

3. maybe you chaps are wanking a bit too hard over this.

he was good, but nothing special.

Not quite the same as crap, though . . . Perhaps the man who posted this will be off to Kubik tomorrow. Lets hope so.

[soulizm]

I was too busy dancing for any sneaky masturbation, but each to their own - one man's Moodymann is another man's Felix B.

basement jaxx were ace about 6 or 7 years ago

[soulizm]

I was too busy dancing for any sneaky masturbation, but each to their own - one man's Moodymann is another man's Felix B.

basement jaxx were ace about 6 or 7 years ago

mostly as producers, but i remember enjoying that essential mix from about that period... only caught them dj-ing live the one time, they werent too bad actually... didnt help that they were in a tent with not so great sound
time to catch them would have been at the original pub jams they did - i forget the venue, but the vibe was meant to be wild and top-notch guests like gemini or sneak (when he was good!) used to drop in unannounced

[philcharnock]

Bugz are the new Jaxx! No doubt. Basement Jaxx's DJ set with a few singers at the 1999 Creamfields was awesome. When they dropped CLS 'Can You Feel It' i lost what little plot I had. We ended up hanging out/bugging them all night and they were cool. Slaughta John was the Dood. And their e-mix was good. And do you remember Felix's mix on Worldwide? He introduced my to Jarrard Anthony's chilling 'The Dream' and to the joys of Sleepwalker's jap-jazz nonsense. Lets hope Felix still has the old magic... 8)

You will find me wanking at the front. Lets hope he puts a sheet up in front of the decks...

[soulizm]

Bugz are the new Jaxx! No doubt.

Hell yeah

You will find me wanking at the front. Lets hope he puts a sheet up in front of the decks...

jackin off to the jaxx... now thats just wrong!

[Kieran]

He didnt mix hardly one record.

no-one was dancing, more "watching" (a screen) - sad

the music wasnt to my taste

all the 40 year old house heads came out, and one tried to provoke me into a fight!

crap venue, small percentage of females


















he didnt have an afro

[Pedro]

So are you off to Kubik then KiKi? You must be getting pretty excited about it :wink: :lol:

[Kieran]

Kubik pete?

[Pedro]

Someone was asking earlier in the thread, insinuating that since you weren't in appreciation of Moodymann you'd be off to a hard house night :roll: .... I know you have a penchant for pipecleaners and fridge magnets...? :wink: :lol:

[Kieran]

oh right. you know me buddy, ignorant as ever.

cant be bothered to read what other people wrote, its probably crap.

he really was shit

hows things buddy anyway?

im off now, got to leave work early to catch a train. take care

[Pedro]

Check yo' PMS amigo.

see you on the flipside of the wax. 8)

[Kieran]

pms?! my god! all this technical polava!!! :wink:

take care mate :)

[HEFFNA]

Nice little review Gav

Well done

[soulfulvibes]

He didnt mix hardly one record.
About half of his set was mixed. The first hour of disco was blended so well I couldn't believe my ears. I've only ever heard Hippie Torales mix to that standard before.

no-one was dancing, more "watching" (a screen) - sad
All my friends danced from the moment they got there till the night finished!

the music wasnt to my taste
I wasn't sure what to expect music-wise. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the night so much was that I was dancing and loving music I wouldn't normally listen to. What were you expecting musically from him?

all the 40 year old house heads came out, and one tried to provoke me into a fight!
The older heads sure did come out, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with but I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience.

crap venue, small percentage of females!
I thought the venue was great, if not overcrowded. Another criticism would be the amount of alcohol spilt on the floor, my feet were drenched and I had sticky legs :(
The lack of females is a problem throughout underground music, not just this one night.

he didnt have an afro
How do you know? The brother was wearing a hat! :lol:

[soulfulvibes]

Nice little review Gav

Well done
Cheers Neil 8)
Email coming your way...

[soulizm]

He didnt mix hardly one record.
About half of his set was mixed. The first hour of disco was blended so well I couldn't believe my ears. I've only ever heard Hippie Torales mix to that standard before.

no-one was dancing, more "watching" (a screen) - sad
All my friends danced from the moment they got there till the night finished!

the music wasnt to my taste
I wasn't sure what to expect music-wise. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the night so much was that I was dancing and loving music I wouldn't normally listen to. What were you expecting musically from him?

all the 40 year old house heads came out, and one tried to provoke me into a fight!
The older heads sure did come out, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with but I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience.

crap venue, small percentage of females!
I thought the venue was great, if not overcrowded. Another criticism would be the amount of alcohol spilt on the floor, my feet were drenched and I had sticky legs :(
The lack of females is a problem throughout underground music, not just this one night.

he didnt have an afro
How do you know? The brother was wearing a hat! :lol:

exactly. ace mixing. lots of dancing. amazing music. good age range of crowd. not so good ratio of guys and girls. wicked venue. excellent sound.
maketh a good night to me!!!

[HEFFNA]

Dave,

How's the Thursday night shaping up?

Neil

[soulizm]

He didnt mix hardly one record.
About half of his set was mixed. The first hour of disco was blended so well I couldn't believe my ears. I've only ever heard Hippie Torales mix to that standard before.

no-one was dancing, more "watching" (a screen) - sad
All my friends danced from the moment they got there till the night finished!

the music wasnt to my taste
I wasn't sure what to expect music-wise. One of the main reasons I enjoyed the night so much was that I was dancing and loving music I wouldn't normally listen to. What were you expecting musically from him?

all the 40 year old house heads came out, and one tried to provoke me into a fight!
The older heads sure did come out, which there is absolutely nothing wrong with but I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience.

crap venue, small percentage of females!
I thought the venue was great, if not overcrowded. Another criticism would be the amount of alcohol spilt on the floor, my feet were drenched and I had sticky legs :(
The lack of females is a problem throughout underground music, not just this one night.

he didnt have an afro
How do you know? The brother was wearing a hat! :lol:

exactly. ace mixing. lots of dancing. amazing music. good age range of crowd. not so good ratio of guys and girls. wicked venue. excellent sound.
maketh a good night to me!!!

although would have preferred a more balanced crowd, but as soulfulvibes said, this is endemic of more underground music scenes...






























p.s. i love it when the great clue-lost accidentally hear a set by some-one like Theo or in this case Moodymann and criticise the mixing... its just kinda funny, really

[philcharnock]

Gavin, your legs were sticky? Seems everyone was getting a bit too excited about Mr Dixon. Except Kieran. Who was fighting forty year olds.

[soulfulvibes]

Gavin, your legs were sticky?
All that wanking at the front :oops:

[johnny.boy(2)]

Gavin / Phil, points very well made

I'll be more succinct - Kieran you are an mindless over-opionated T W A T

[the quoon]

shut up fatty

[abypinkplastic]

Thought he was alright, nothing to scream about though

[the quoon]

fuck off aby, you were squealing at a frequency only dogs could hear

[abypinkplastic]

I don't; squeal, quim :roll:

[the quoon]

squeak

[Kieran]

Gavin / Phil, points very well made

I'll be more succinct - Kieran you are an mindless over-opionated T W A Toh dear me


people have opinions. people may disagree with other peoples opinions.

thats fair enough.

your comments - jokeable.

[Kieran]

i take it back.

i thought moodymann was ace, flawless mixing, amazing atmosphere, great venue, and perfect crowd.

and indeed, as jonnyboy mentions i am "an mindless over-iopinionated T W A T"

apologies

[johnny.boy(2)]

It takes a big man to acknowledge he was wrong.

Now Kieran, I know you are a big man.

[Kieran]

im neither big nor clever jonny. :)

[johnny.boy(2)]

Lets end this infantile sparring now :lol:

[Kieran]

fancy a pint? :roll:

:D

We can talk about Chicago djs if you want? :wink:

[johnny.boy(2)]

Don't diss Chicago.

Chicago XXXXVI is one of the greatest unearthed gems . . .

BTW guitarist Terry Kath's final words were "Don't worry, its not loaded" :lol:

[Kieran]

Don't diss Chicago.

Chicago XXXXVI is one of the greatest unearthed gems . . .

BTW guitarist Terry Kath's final words were "Don't worry, its not loaded" :lol: :lol:

I wouldnt dare diss chicago.

and btw I do love moodymann, his productions at least! :)

[Kieran]

having said that. not ALL his productions

[soulfulvibes]

having said that. not ALL his productions
Which do you like/dislike?

[Kieran]

a tribute would be a favourite.

the majority of the other tunes on forevernevermore being an example of ones i dislike.

i like the ones that are a bit more upbeat