Moodymann

Overview

Electronic musicians have always had a thing for mystery. Sometimes the shroud is visible: Holy Other performs under a cloak of darkness, and SBTRKT hides his face behind that wooden mask. But while those things are done to separate the music from the person creating it, Moodymann is rather the opposite. He famously refuses interviews and press shots, but he’s uncompromisingly upfront about his origin (the black techno epicenter of Detroit) and how inseparable that is from his sound.

Though, while he’s committed to keeping the music true to its black roots, his shows are anything but exclusive. Moodymann has developed a reputation for interacting with the crowd even when he’s hidden behind some sort of screen, taking the room on a journey of soaring and slowing tempos while injecting classic soul and jazz into the typically steely Detroit sound. Try listening to this while keeping still.