Two decades after fellow Detroiters
Carl Craig,
Claude Young, and
Stacey Pullen were among the first contributors to !K7's DJ-Kicks,
Kenny Dixon, Jr. adds to the series with a largely low-key, genre-spanning set. The selections suggest that the mix, or most of it, was knocked out long before its February 2016 release; not one of the tracks was first issued later than 2014. Perhaps
Dixon was content to wait out a protracted licensing snag, though it's not as if he has a rep for spinning strictly new arrivals. Besides, the man does tend to take his time. Certain coveted KDJ productions have surfaced years after they were first whispered about, and he hasn't been all that quick to capitalize on re-pressings of his output. Take one of this set's highlights,
Andrés' "El Ritmo de Mi Gente!," which quickly multiplied in cost after
Dixon issued it in 2008. Though
Dixon doesn't include any of his productions and, just as unfortunate, abstains from the shout-outs and other vocal interjections for which he is correctly celebrated, his presence is felt beyond the frequent but easy transitions. The
Andrés cut samples the same
Letta Mbulu-fronted piece from
Quincy Jones'
Roots score heard on
Dixon's own "Meanwhile Back at Home."
Dopehead's rugged "Guttah Guttah" comes from Detroit's underground hip-hop scene, where
Dixon got his start, and was produced by
Nick Speed, another one of his Mahogani Music artists. The Motor City is also represented with the wobbling Platinum Pied Pipers remix of
Rich Medina and
Sy Smith's "Can't Hold Back," and a neo-electro jam from Marcellus Pittman. Though
Dixon has no evident connection to the
Rodney Hunter remix of
Fort Knox Five's "Uptown Tricks," it shows that his spot for
Chic-styled disco remains as soft as when he released the
Sister Sledge-sampling "One Night in the Disco." Additionally,
Dixon judiciously edited over one-third of the tracks to facilitate flow, his craftiness most evident in the way Talc's breezy part-soft rock/part-
Daft Punk hybrid melts into one of
Beady Belle's graceful lounge laments.
Dixon's taste dips back several decades, but he keeps it relatively contemporary all the way through. The oldest track is
Nightmares on Wax's "Les Nuits," which bubbles out of
Flying Lotus' "Tea Leaf Dancers" and, once more, draws from the
Quincy Jones catalog. ~ Andy Kellman