Vikter Duplaix's DJ Kicks
New York clubgoers are hard to please. To survive, the DJ must either know which danceable records to play to keep the party moving, or be able to manipulate the cross-fader so effectively that two distinct sounds become one seamless groove. If a DJ can achieve one of these feats exceptionally, there is guaranteed success; techniques like scratching or spinning back at whizzing rates to keep the break in the record flowing are just extras. And a DJ who can do both at the same time is a standout.
Vikter Duplaix can. I heard it at Duplaix's record release party for his entry into the popular "DJ Kicks" series at Joe's Pub back in February. Past "Kicks" mixers have included Carl Craig, Kruder & Dorfmeister and Stacey Pullen.
The dexterity Duplaix brings to deejaying he has also shown in numerous projects in production and remixing tracks for such neo-soul luminaries as Me'shell NdegeOcello, Musiq Soulchild, Erykah Badu, Eric Benet and Incognito. From his work with Kenny Gamble (Gamble and Huff), Duplaix's music is rooted in rhythm. Yet on DJ Kicks the soundscape is vast, borrowing from UK genres like breakbeat, deep house, nu jazz and two-step. The selections are universal, sprinkled with hiphop, Latin rhythms, Afrobeat, jazz, soul and house. And as a songwriter he serves up three phenomenal tracks. Two are under the moniker Critical Point; on a third, "Sensuality," he sings a sultry tune (as Vikter Duplaix) over a soulful house beat.
Fused together like a hiphop mix tape, DJ Kicks is a sort of free-for-all where the connections are ingenious yet logical, the linkages filtered through a progressive, funky black sound. Duplaix has a real knack for bringing together diverse artists' sounds to build a vibe; it's clearly more important to him than showing off any sort of technique. DJ Kicks feels "spiritual," in the way that Coltrane, Miles, Sun Ra or George Clinton understood spirituality. Some of the best moments sound futuristic, like Herbert's "You Saw It All," a digital lo-fi journey, and Spacek's electrifying deep bass "How Do I Move." More annoyingly, Duplaix uses a vocoder throughout; it's as much his signature as the way other DJs constantly give shout-outs to themselves. All in all, though, DJ Kicks' transatlantic feel-good music is a well-crafted conceptual environment to dance around in.