:: DJ Kicks

Vikter Duplaix (

Philadelphian DJ Vikter Duplaix’s brand new release is a collection of his mixes of original songs by well known R&B, funk, and soul artists. Duplaix takes tracks from artists like Erykah Badu and De La Soul and adds his own ideas to create a new and unique outcome that is DJ Kicks. The album’s feel changes course from start to finish varying when ideas and sounds are fused together. Each song is unlike the next, while still possessing a uniformed drum-and-bass/jungle/jazz feel causing a sort of calming effect. Duplaix also uses computer generated vocals appearing every now and then between songs to add musical diversity to the mixture of male and female vocals. The first song titled The Beginning kicks of the album with what sounds like African tribal chants and drumming. Strong percussion and drum-and-bass work well in Together, and jazz, trance and more drum-and-bass follow throughout the rest of the album. Highlights include Duplaix’s own work titled Sensuality, where Duplaix’s vocals are strong and smooth while displaying elements of class and sensuality. This is the first single released from DJ Kicks and is an excellent indication of his own work. The remix of De La Soul’s Copa (Cabanga) is fantastic with its sharp scratching and simple drum-backing beats creating a fun track that’s easy to grove to. Another great track is the remix of Erykah Badu’s Big Lady. You can’t go past this track without noticing Badu’s powerful vocals that are the icing on the cake in this unique and creative album.