Vikter Duplaix Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Though his name isn't familiar to most electronica listeners, Vikter Duplaix earned a volume in !K7's epic mix series DJ-Kicks thanks to an impressive, rangy credit list -- artists from Jazzanova to Erykah Badu to MC Dynamite to Jermaine Dupri. For his own feature (the first under his own name), Duplaix fashioned a house mix ranging far and wide for tracks that probably wouldn't have made much sense out of this setting. Duplaix's style isn't that of a traditional house DJ; he's actually more of a selector, choosing tracks he likes and ones that work well together, but never worrying about beat-matching or blending tracks into each other. After a spoken word opener from his own Critical Point project, Duplaix spins through plenty of crucial tracks, but arranges many of them into mini-sets; after a couple of tracks of earthy breaks ("Hold It Down" by 4hero and the excellent keyboard distortion of P'taah's "The Crossing (Evacuation of Form)"), he breaks in -- courtesy of a retro-computer voice -- and then turns to the sensual tribal house of "Feelin Me Feelin You" by Waiwan and "Tree of Life" by Osunlade. His own track, the solid stuttered-funk workout "Sensuality," opens up a few tracks of contemporary R&B. Toward the end, he salutes hip-hop with tracks from De La Soul, hometown friend Bahamadia, and Erykah Badu. Besides a few too many reminders explaining whose mix album listeners are tuned into, Duplaix's DJ-Kicks is an excellent installment in the series, gathering all manner of groove tracks into a tough, tight mix. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'International Affairs v1.0'
Release Date 1/1/2002
Tracks 13
Label Hollywood
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Philadelphia's Vikter Duplaix has been equally present in the contemporary R&B scene in the U.S. and the dance scene in the U.K., but he's been more visible in the latter, releasing the occasional 12" and contributing remixes and vocals to a small assortment of artists' releases. In the States, he's been more of a background figure, lending production, songwriting, and instrumentation to records by Musiq, Jaguar Wright, Erykah Badu, and King Britt. His full-length debut is just as eclectic as you'd expect, and even more so -- and that's the only thing that makes it less than phenomenal. Duplaix is clearly a jack of all trades, but he's only a master of some, too anxious to show of his eclecticism. For instance, an identikit Latin track written with Bebel Gilberto sticks out like a sore thumb, and its vocal hook goes, "She's a tropical girl living in a digital world." After removing that and a couple of B-moments, there's a great 40-minute LP -- one of the better neo-soul records of 2002/2003. The tracks produced with 4hero's Marc Mac -- the exquisitely crafted "Lust for Life" and the smoldering "Looking for Love" (insert Eddie Murphy joke here) -- are definite high points, incorporating subtle inflections of the broken beat style pioneered by Mac's group. Most of the remainder is produced with frequent studio partner James Poyser; a good balance is struck between energetic, beat-heavy grooves ("What We Want") and more laid-back fare ("I Got You"), while some songs were obviously conceived with baby-making in mind ("Desperately"). Duplaix possesses one of those smooth voices that slides down the throat like meringue; you'll either get enough after five minutes or want to listen to it all day and all night. Here's hoping International Affairs isn't the last listeners hear from him in a solo capacity. He's got too much talent to remain in the shadows. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
