Vikter Duplaix Interview

Emmerald: How did you begin your career in music?
Victor Duplaix: I started working with Jazzy Jeff, and before Jeff, I worked with some small independent studios. Through Jeff, I met Kenny Gamble who was very influential in educating me as to how to deal with corporations and what to expect in doing business. It's been a great experience just being able to deal with him and Jeff and Huff and the rest of the crew.

Emm: Has working with Gamble and Huff and Jazzy Jeff influenced the sound and style of your music?
VD: I'm not sure it's influenced my sound, but it has influenced my understanding of the entertainment industry. My sound is more a reflection of everything I've heard throughout my life. Their influence sonically in terms of what I do and the kinds of music that I make, is more general. They were successful, and I always pay attention to things that are successful, taking little bits and pieces of it and adding it to what I do. I would also say, everything that I hear, from street traffic to classical music, any kind of sound that goes on in the world, I hear, and I add that in to my music.

Emm: Are there any particular types of music that inspire you more than others?
VD: I try to listen to as many things as possible. I wouldn't be honest if I told you that everything I hear I love, or that every single genre that's out there is something I take time to listen to very closely, because I don't do that. There are things that feel really good to me. For the most part rhythmic forms of music, whether it is funk, rock, cultural sounds, anything like that, move me. That's what draws me into something-how it feels based on the rhythm of it. Then I listen to how the overall text and sound scope blends in with the rhythm. Last, I listen to the lyric and the melody. I realized a while ago that's how I listen to music. I kind of get into it in layers. if it feels good, then I pretty much like it, but it has to hit me.

Emm: Let's talk about your latest album "International Affairs", how would you describe the album?
VD: The album scratches the surface of where I want to go throughout my career in terms of incorporating my experiences traveling and meeting people. I try to show that through my music by introducing various cultural elements that people have may or may not have heard. I wanted the album to have a more structured kind of format and not be as abstract or foreign as some independent things I've done before. I tried to bridge the gap between the abstract and the accessible by using lyrics that I think would relate to everyone. I could have easily done something more experimental- going way out left, or I could have done something completely accessible, but I tried to find a meeting ground between the two, so that everyone could relate to the music.

Emm: Do you have a favorite song from the album?
VD: On different days I have a different favorite, which may be because each song was created when I was in different mood. If I'm feeling really energetic then "Lust For Life" is something that really helps me out because it's such a frantic kind of record. If I'm feeling a little more socially conscious then I can check out "What We Want" or "Yesterday's Pain". If I'm feeling late night romantic business, "Desperately" and "Late Night Rendezvous" are there for me too. In my everyday life, I need to have different things that I can turn to for my various moods which is why I've made an album that does that as well.