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With Kenny Dixon Junior DJ slots notoriously scarce in any part of the world, no matter in my own backyard, my dream date with the crème de la crème of producers would at long last become a reality.

Following days of acting like an unruly excitable infant, the night of reckoning was upon me. Arriving down to the club close to 11, I find the man from the Motor City has already started motoring. I know this because oozing out of the speakers are the most sublime of all soulful nuggets, and erected on stage is the infamous white screen I’d heard about.

Sure the white screen creates an aura of mystery and intrigue; its supposed intention is to draw the audiences attention from worshipping the cult and celebrity of the superstar DJ and toward appreciating what we’ve all apparently lost sight of, the music. But you could also argue that presenting such a barrier also smacks of pretension and contempt for the audience.

It must be said though that the bobbing silhouette, shadowy outline of Kenny Dixon that punters still gawp at instead has a mesmerising effect throughout and does look plain cool for taking a snap with your digital camera (see above).

With physical gestures to the crowd effectively muted, Dixon Junior instead maintains audience communication and participation through his microphone, his laid back drawl booming out all over the club, as if it were almost a voice from a DJing God. Stressing throughout that he’s not a ‘house DJ’ Junior mixes it up with classic soul and disco, acid house, hip hop and even a bit of folk.

Nearing the end of the set the crowd still isn’t overly impressed, still craving for some white knuckle dance floor action. A flutter of excitement flares up in me for a second when a flap at the side of the screen is unzipped; perhaps there’s hope I can catch a glimpse of this elusive character before he disappears into a puff of smoke?

But that’s unnecessary as the screen comes down and we see him looking suitably dope, kitted out in hip hop attire. Hell, he even makes the journey to the front of the stage to show his gratitude and shake a few hands. Pretentious? Contempt for the audience? In light of this friendly gesture perhaps my suspicions about his ‘stage show’ were wrong. Maybe he’s not such a moody chap after all….

Photo by Graham Crothers