Disco was still on the menu when Vauxhall’s Renaissance Rooms opened its doors. “For skates: here. Please remove your shoes now,” the sign said. But there was one man with a good excuse to keep his sneakers on: the night’s co-host, Kenny Dixon Jr, aka Moodymann. When he entered the booth with his four-girl entourage after an excellent set by Horse Meat Disco, he was smiling from ear to ear. He even abandoned the screen he usually hides behind while DJing. “Are you having a good time?” asked the man who runs a night in Detroit called Soul Skate – and was accompanied across the Atlantic by a crack squad of skaters – before kicking off with a soulful disco tune that built a perfect foundation for a night of dancing, dizziness and bruises.
 


Horse Meat Disco, London's premier purveyors of disco-tash-tic thrills, took up the mantle when Moodymann decided his time was up (when KDJ's in town, it's always on his terms).
 


Skaters had a short stumble down several stairs to the second room. There they were treated to the fittingly bumping disco sounds of the Academy's own B. Bravo, Jullian Gomes. and Master MP6-60, each of them adding their own blend of soulful disco and house to keep up the spirits of the wobbling skaters.



There was plenty of fun on the roller rink as the Detroit skate crew were taken to task by London's own gang on eight wheels. But there was only one star of the show, and Kenny Dixon Jr made absolutely certain we knew who that was when he appeared the following day at the Academy. With a speech full of street science and a glass full of Hennessy, if you only see one video from the Academy, make sure it's this one.



Moodymann (KDJ, Mahogani Music, Detroit) - Live from London - RBMA Rollerskating Jam - Pt 1
Moodymann (KDJ, Mahogani Music, Detroit) - Live from London - RBMA Rollerskating Jam - Pt 2