THE MULTI-TALENTED STAR ON HIS MAGICAL MUSIC MOMENTS
by ASJAD NAZIR
A MARVELLOUS career has seen multi-talented British artist DJ Vix make a name for himself musically in multiple ways.
The action-packed journey has seen him mix up explosive DJ sets at major venues around the world with producing original music, collaborating with top singers and adding a magical touch to songs with remixes for other artists. Most recently, he delivered a knockout remix of hit song Nakhre, which had reunited the dream team of singer Jay Sean and ace music producer Rishi Rich. This latest release adds to an interesting musical journey that started at a young age.
Eastern Eye got DJ Vix to tell us about his life in music.
My earliest memory of music was…watching and listening to (TV show) Top Of The Pops in the 1980s and 1990s. I guess that was the beginning.
The first song I bought was… and I will be completely honest with you. (Laughs) I say this with regret that it was When Will I Be Famous? by Bros. It was a 7-inch vinyl.
The artist who influenced me most growing up was… definitely Bally Sagoo. He made desi music sound cool, as he was the first for me who mixed east and west influences on point.
An early memory connected to music is… seeing my big brother DJing in the 1980s as a kid. It was just the coolest thing at the time, especially seeing the crowd raving to his DJ sets.
My first encounter with DJing was…experimenting on my brother’s decks in the 1980s as a little kid. But if he ever caught me touching his record collection, I’d be a dead man.
The first big DJ gig was…Bagleys in 1996. My first proper club gig and it was a 3000-capacity venue.
The first song I recorded as a music producer was…from my debut album Dhol N Bass Uncut. That first record was a cover song titled Kendey Na Naina.
My debut single release was…titled Chit Karda and featured the wonderful vocals of Harbanjan Talwar from the famous 1990's band called XLNC.
My debut album was…Dhol N Bass Uncut, which was released by Moviebox in 2002. I did not know what to expect as I was purely doing this out of my love of music. The response was overwhelming and the rest, as they say, is history.
A musical memory connected to a great song is…recording with Kumar Sanu in 2011. That was a great moment for me. We recorded the vocal of Har Pal, which was taken from my album Chapter V.
An unforgettable memory connected to a collaboration was…working with Sukshinder Shinda. It was a special moment in my career working with someone who has been a guru/ icon for me. When I got the opportunity to collaborate and produce the music to his vocal, that, definitely, was a special moment for me.
A song that is personal to me is…a song I produced on my second album, titled Jandi. It was very personal as I had just broken up with my partner at the time, which led me to put all my pain into the music. (Laughs) I look back at it now thinking what the hell was I thinking.
A lesson music has taught me is…if you’re working in the studio and a vibe is just not happening, then just walk away and at some point it will come back to you naturally.
Another musical memory that stands out for me in my career is…winning two music awards for Best Album for Chapter V. I have won many Best DJ awards over the years. It was amazing to feel appreciated as a producer.
A musical memory connected to a high point for me is…there have been many. If I had to pick one moment it would be DJing for the official IIFA movie awards with so many A-listers jamming to my performance back in 2009.
My most memorable DJ gig was…my first tour in Australia in 2005. I got to DJ in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. I had the best time ever. My latest song has been…the official desi remix of Nakhre by Jay Sean and Kiranee. It was a pleasure to have worked with Break The Noise Records, which is such a professional team. It’s also a pleasure to have worked with a song that is originally produced by Rishi Rich, as I know that Rishi has never given his recorded vocal for any other producer to remix.
Next you can expect…Moviebox Vixtape Volume 2. We released Volume 1 back in 2010 with the hit single Ah Chak Bottle Daru Di.
Finally, I love music because…I guess it's in my DNA. It is who I am.
Twitter & Instagram: @djvixdnb & www.djvix.uk.com
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