Witnessing the Chicago DJ Honey Dijon behind the decks can be as close to a spiritual experience as you can get on the dancefloor. Trading in the four-to-the-floor kick drum that provides the aortic pulse to house music, Dijon’s mid-tempo sets conduct her crowds perfectly from tantalising buildups to scattered breakdowns and communal euphoria as her soaring melodies kick in. Her debut album, 2017’s Best of Both Worlds, played as a rousing microcosm of these multihour sets, and in the years since its release, Dijon has become a sought-after producer, working this year on Beyoncé’s Renaissance.
Harnessing this collaborative experience, Black Girl Magic finds Dijon expanding her sound to incorporate a wider range of queer Black contributions to dancefloor culture, producing a 15-track masterclass in disco, new jack swing and soulful house. The driving drumbeat and piano chord stabs of Love Is a State of Mind set the hands-in-the-air tone. Standout features from the house pioneer Mike Dunn on the righteous thump of Work and from rapper Channel Tres on the sultry Show Me Some Love keep the pace moving, while the ecstatic disco of Everybody forms the album’s highlight. Here, Dijon sing-shouts a joyous refrain that calls for everybody to come together in service to an infectious synth-bass melody. It’s the perfect example of her slick production style, blending raucous energy with artful arrangement designed to play loud and get you moving. Hearing Black Girl Magic, the dancefloor is wherever you happen to be.
