Vikter Duplaix (born October 14, 1969), is an American singer-songwriter, producer,

multi-instrumentalist A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays two or more musical instruments at a professional level of proficiency. Also known as doubling, the practice allows greater ensemble flexibility and more efficient employment of musicians, where ...

, and DJ. Duplaix has traditional soul singer's beginnings – being raised in both Philadelphia and

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...

singing in

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

s, and later took work programming drum tracks while working at a Philadelphia studio.

Career

He has released several solo records as well as appearing on the releases of

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

Jazzanova Alexander Barck, Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany Jazzanova is a German Berlin-based DJ/producer collective consisting of Alexander Barck, Claas Brieler, Jürgen von Knoblauch, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, and Axel Reine ...

King Britt King Britt (born 1968) is an American educator, DJ and record producer from Philadelphia. Biography Britt is a 1986 graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1987, he started working at Tower Records, as a buyer for th ...

's Sylk 130,

Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in th ...

, Me'Shell Ndegeocello,

Incognito Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity". Incognito may also refer to: Film and television * ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Danish film * ''Incognito'' (1997 film), an American crime ...

Esthero Esthero ( ; born Jenny-Bea Englishman on December 23, 1978 in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who lives in Los Angeles, California. The name ''Esthero'' refers both to the singer and formerly to the two-person team of hersel ...

Clara Hill Clara Hill is a musician born in Berlin. She writes, produces and performs with a varied array of artists. Her discography includes 6 full-length albums (Sonar Kollektiv Berlin, Tapete Records, King Britt Archives), and many 12“s featuring names ...

, Cherokee,

Jaguar Wright Jacquelyn Suzette Wright-Johnson (born May 17, 1977), better known by her stage name, Jaguar Wright, is an American R&B and neo soul singer, songwriter and narrator. She is part of the Okayplayer collective. Wright has performed and collaborate ...

Eric Benet The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

and

Dynamite MC Dynamite MC (born Dominic Smith, 7 October 1973) is an English rapper and MC. He originally gained prominence in jungle/drum and bass, working with Roni Size & Reprazent, but has also released hip hop material. Career He started his MCing ...

, often with fellow studio rat

James Poyser James Jason Poyser is an American songwriter, record producer, musician and current member of the hip hop band The Roots. Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, ...

. Associations with

DJ Jazzy Jeff Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz), is an American disc jockey (DJ) and music producer. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, alo ...

and

Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

proved to be instrumental to his growth and stature. His relationship with

led to immersion in dance music. He contributed vocals to Britt's Scuba project 'Swell,' and before long, Duplaix was producing his own material. Remixes and collaborations with the likes of

and an installment in !K7's DJ Kicks series all led up to ''International Affairs,'' Duplaix's full-length debut as a solo artist. The album was released in Europe in late 2002; it came out in the United States early the following year on Hollywood Records. His second album release, ''Bold and Beautiful,'' followed in 2006 on BBE records. "Make A Baby," a single from "Bold and Beautiful," was nominated for a

2008 Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 10, 2008. It honored musical achievement of 2007 in which albums were released between October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007. The primary ceremonies ...

in the

Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance The Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality urban/alternative performance ...

. On August 31, 2009 Vikter released a new single, "Electric Love." The single is available as a free download from his website. In 2012, Duplaix curated the singer

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

's career-spanning mixtape, ''The Retrospection'', featuring songs from his unreleased album '' Love for Sale''.

Selected discography

Albums

*''International Affairs'' ( Hollywood Records, 2002) *''Bold and Beautiful'' ( BBE, 2006)

Compilation albums

*''Singles (Prelude to the Future)'' (

Studio !K7 !K7 Music is a music company based in Berlin, Germany that focuses mostly on electronic music. The name is an abbreviation of the company's original Berlin address, Kaiserdamm 7 (it has since relocated, first to Heidestrasse 52, and currently he ...

, 2004)

Mix albums

*'' DJ-Kicks'' (Studio !K7, 2002)

References

External links

* * 1983 births 20th-century African-American male singers American DJs American male singer-songwriters American people of Lebanese descent American rhythm and blues musicians American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Living people Musicians from Philadelphia American neo soul singers Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Nu jazz musicians American contemporary R&B singers Ballad musicians 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers American male jazz musicians African-American songwriters 21st-century African-American male singers {{US-music-bio-stub