About Moodymann
Kenny Dixon Jr., better known by his stage name Moodymann, is an American musician based in Detroit, Michigan. He released his 1997 debut album Silentintroduction on the label Planet E Communications. He is the owner of the record labels Mahogani Music and KDJ Records. He is also a member of the group 3 Chairs.
Moodymann was born in Los Angeles, CA. At three weeks old, his mother returned with him to Detroit, where both his parents are from. Moodymann frequented roller rinks as a child. As a teenager, he played drums at his grandfather’s 55-and-older jazz club, but was quickly removed for lack of skill.
Before moving into house and techno, Moodymann sold beats to local hip-hop artists, including A.W.O.L., Detroit’s Most Wanted, The Riddler, B-Def, and Smiley. “You would make 10 beats in a day; you used to just have cassettes floating around anywhere. I was just so happy to be producing stuff,” he told Mixmag in 2023. At night, Moodymann DJed at house parties.
At this time, Moodymann, who then used the name Mr. House, partnered with the rapper Kevin Bailey, who performed under the K-Stone, and the producer Kahlil Oden, or K9. Moodymann and Bailey grew up in the same neighborhood and, in their late teens and early twenties, lived together in the house of Moodymann’s father. Moodymann primarily searched through records for samples and looped them over beats. “Moody would pick some of the craziest loops, old skool loops from different types of records. He would use breakbeats and vocal samples to create various different hip hop grooves and beats,” Bailey told Mixmag.
In 1989, Warner Bros. Records offered the group a joint record deal, but two days before they signed the deal, Oden was killed in a shooting. The record label revoked the offer due to concerns over violence, according to Bailey.
Moodymann and Bailey signed to Atlanta’s Ichiban Records and toured for several years. Moodymann sent techno and house recordings to record labels, but when none responded, he began releasing his music independently.
Moodymann released his first record under his current stage name in 1992. However, the record received no public response, because Moodymann botched the production. Not knowing one side of the record could only play fifteen minutes of audio, he recorded thirty minutes on each side, resulting in records that played feedback. During this time, Moodymann did not own any musical equipment. He made all of his music on borrowed instruments or discretely recorded tracks on instruments at Guitar Center.
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