Tag Archives: techno

Moodymann – DJ-Kicks

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Moodymann

Title: DJ-Kicks

Artist: Moodymann

Label: !K7

Formats: CD, 3xLP, digital

Release date: February 2016

 

Detroit’s lengendary producer Moodymann, aka Kenny Dixon Jr., is reknown for mixing obscure tracks into soulful house music, not to mention his tendency to obscure his persona through veils and hoodies, and his facility in the roller rink and organizer of Soul Skate. As one of the primary forces in techno music, which emerged in Detroit’s African American community in the 1980s, Dixon followed on the heels of originators such Juan Atkins, Carl Craig, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. His 1997 single “Dem Young Sconies” was cited by techno historian Denise Dalphond as one of Detroit techno’s 10 most essential tracks.

Though Dixon has released many albums and singles over his nearly 30-year career, some on his own KDJ label, DJ-Kicks is the first official multi-artist Moodymann mixtape. Featuring 30 tracks (primarily post-2000 releases), of which 11 are exclusive Moodymann edits, the mixtape is the 51st entry in !K7’s highly acclaimed DJ-Kicks series.

As usual, Moodymann’s mix is remarkably eclectic, delving into a wide range of African American genres ranging from hip hop and soul to jazz and funk, in addition to his bread and butter house, techno, and dance music. Detroit artists figure heavily in the project, including Andrés, Platinum Pied Pipers, Dopehead and Marcellus Pittman. Other tracks feature more popular artists such as Cody ChesnuTT, Shawn Lee and Flying Lotus, while DJ/Producers are represented by Rich Medina, Nightmares on Wax, the Fort Knox Five, Joeski, and Berlin native Daniel Bortz.

The mixtape flows smoothly between selections, with Big Muff’s rendition of “My Funny Valentine” segueing into Les Sins’ “Grind” and Tirogo’s “Disco Maniac.” Though DJ-Kicks doesn’t include Dixon’s earlier trademark political references, such as his brilliant single “The Day We Lost The Soul” which sampled Marvin Gayes “Whats Goin On” and various speeches about Gaye, it’s a welcome and long awaited addition to Moodymann’s body of underground releases.

Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss

Afro Strut

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afrostrut.jpg
Title: Afro Strut
Artist: Amp Fiddler
Label: Play It Again Sam (U.S. Edition)
Catalog No.: 32
Date: 2007

Combining elements of both hip hop and techno, along with funky groove lines and soulful, intelligent lyrics, Amp Fiddler‘s second album, Afro Strut, will not disappoint. With this new album, Amp Fiddler delivers an outstanding follow-up to his first solo project, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly, which was released in 2004. Though he has only recently pursued a career as a solo artist, he’s been in the music business for more than twenty years, and this experience is demonstrated throughout his first two albums.

Joseph “Amp” Fiddler is a keyboard player, singer, songwriter and producer from Detroit. He learned piano as a child, studied music at Oakland and Wayne State Universities, and toured with George Clinton as keyboardist for more than ten years. Fiddler references his Detroit origin in his use of soul, funk and techno-all genres which are part of Detroit’s musical heritage. This combination of musical genres also shows the influence of the artists he has worked with throughout his career, including Prince, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Jamiroquai, Carl Craig and Moodyman, as well as George Clinton.

This CD is actually the U.S. edition of the original Afro Strut album. Though Amp Fiddler is based in the U.S., he had been without a domestic record deal for some time, so the album was first released in the U.K. in 2006 (on the Genuine label), arriving in the U.S. about a year later. The U.S. edition of Afro Strut is not simply a re-release of the UK version, but features several changes, including five new tracks not found anywhere else. Three songs from the UK version are also replaced on the US version. One of the featured new tracks is a duet with Grammy nominated artist Corinne Bailey-Rae, titled “If I Don’t”, and showcases a jazzy, 1930s influence. This track originally appeared on the UK version as a solo, but was re-recorded with Bailey-Rae for the US release. The first track on the album, “Faith”, is an ode to spirituality featuring Fiddler in a duet with Raphael Saadiq. All tracks on the album, except for track 8, were written by Amp Fiddler, sometimes in collaboration with other artists. Fiddler also performed ‘vocals and keys’ on each track on the album.

At the 2007 Detroit Music Awards, Amp Fiddler won in three categories: Outstanding Electronic/Dance Artist, Outstanding Electronic/Dance Producer and Outstanding Urban/Funk/Hip Hop Recording for Afro Strut. Watch for more great music from Amp Fiddler, as I believe he will continue to produce amazing albums.

Posted by Meaghan Reef

Editor’s note: a representative sample of Amp Fiddler’s music videos are available on YouTube, including “Right Where You Are” (the first single released from Afro Strut), “If I Don’t” (the duet with Corinne Bailey-Rae), and “Ridin‘” (laid over a great compilation of old movie clips). Unfortunately there’s no clip yet of “Hey Joe,” his killer reworking of the Jimi Hendrix song.