After bursting onto the scene in 2000 with his debut album ‘Dhol & Bass Uncut’ DJ Vix has now established himself as a Bhangra ‘producer’ so to speak, this his third album ‘Identical To None’ sees the return of the East London DJ. The album which itself was ready to be released way back in mid 2006 is now finally out February 2007, he didn’t actually think it would get released back then did he?

 Along the 7 years since his first release DJ Vix has blessed the industry with some massive hits; Chit Karda, Yaar Kure & Desi Boliyan, the last two off his previous album ‘Vix It Up’.

 This time around DJ Vix has used a pretty impressive array of vocalists; Manjeet Papu, who had a track on Collaborations. A brand new fresh vocalist in the name of  Lehmber Hussainpuri, never heard of him; who is this guy? One of the original godfathers of Punjabi music; Surinder Shinda. Alongside newly signed MovieBox vocalist Bhinda Aujla.

 Oh and if your all wondering how Vix got that look, don’t panic! Check out the album inlay and all the information is there! So you yourself can go for the Vix look, just head over to Toni & Guy in Ilford…but why anyone would want to go to Ilford in the first place is beyond me...

 Ah yes the album...

Much like your standard Bhangra album, Track 1 is first (Yeah I know I’m stating the obvious) however it’s also the best track off the album by a long stretch. ‘Pranda’ has been sung by Manjeet Papu, who is woefully under used in this industry, which is a good thing as his vocals will not get literally abused by talent-less producers. But back to the song and talent-less is something that Vix isn’t. I know I’m digressing here but, what makes a good producer? A producer who’s big hits sound nothing alike? How many names can you conjure up in your mind for that one, PMC? Shinda... ok ok I’m not putting Vix up there with those guys BUT, Vix has now had 4 massive tunes and each one is ‘Identical to None’. Chit Karda, Yaar Kure, Desi Boliyan and now Pranda will join that list of massive tunes. A pulsating thumping bassline only helps to enhance this shockingly catchy song; It’s been on repeat ever since I got the album. The fuision of funky house with a funky tumbi and a catchy dhol all combines for one of the best songs I’ve heard in a long time. The vocals by Manjeet Papu are again on another level; let’s hope he is wise enough not to be handing out vocals to any tom dick or harjinder. I know when a song is really good when I find myself nodding my head to it 9 in the morning on a packed tube train on the way to Uni, I guess those weird looks I was getting were justified. Try it, it’ll make your dreary morning that much better…

 So once I’ve somehow found myself past track 1, ‘Nah Chahidee’ sees Lehmber Hussianpuri on the vocals. How can producers still be able to release his songs when his signed to Serious Records? Anyway the overflow of Lehmber happened about a year ago. Nah Chahidee has been compared to Tin Cheeja on numerous occasions, so I’d see if those comparisons are really true…and yes it seems as though it is. From the dhol beat to the slight use of the baja in-between the song and the deep bass thump. However it’s not a complete rip off, it’s a good track overall, but yeah a massive regurgitation of sounds here. From original sounds to totally unoriginal…

 From desi to bollywood funk, ‘Meri Jaan’ sees female vocalist Shubhra team up with Take Over Ent’s J-Gibb, who more recently was on Sukshinder Shinda’s Shoulder Surf track.   real mellow tune that slows down the whole pace of the album, Shubhra does a good job repeating her one verse throughout the song. J-Gibb carries the song well with a good flow, a few mc/rappers actually have the ability to improve a desi song, J-Gibb is one of those.

 Manjeet Papu is back for the second time, on the hard hitting venomous track ‘Jatt’. This song is definitely one for you (includes me) red blooded Punjabis Jatt’s out there, just another ego boost I guess! The sound of the song shares the same concept as Bikram Singh’s Taakre. The drop into the chorus is pretty powerful and DJ Vix does well to give it its impact, to go with the lyrics.

 Lehmber Hussianpuri returns for his second appearance this time on the track ‘Tappe’; probably one of the most used song titles ever! This song starts off pretty well, with a nice guitar introducing the song, accompanied with a funky beat, however at about 38 seconds it goes downhill. Why you ask?  The use of the Ciara – Goodies sample, which is so evident. I’m sure the BPI was supposed to be stamping out this kind of stuff? I mean DJ Vix has been around long enough to recognise that blatant sample use doesn’t quite work anymore. The album title seems laughable now! The use of the sample really takes any credibility off the track, along with the fact Lehmber is on it!

 ‘Puchna’ is next, and sees Bhinda Aujla team up once again with Vix, the same combination that brang us the smash hit tune Yaar Kure. MC Lyca also makes an appearance on the the song which itself is a Yaar Kure-esque song. A nice upbeat tune, well produced and well sung by Bhinda Aujla but does it really have the longevity for another play? Nah...

 DJ Vix smartly samples here this time around, this time using a small clip from the song ‘Jhalak Dikhlaja’ from the film Aksar  (don’t ask me how I know that!). Manjeet Papu once again is on the vocals for ‘Jawani’, but however is only limited to one verse throughout the song which is repeated on numerous occasions. The song is somewhat carried by MC Lyca and female vocalist Priya who both do a good job. A solid track.

 ‘Chit Karda Remix’… pointless?

 One of the songs I’ve been looking forward to most here, as it has one of my all time favourite vocalists; Surinder Shinda! Many so called producers over the years have used Shindas vocals and wasted them in a big way! I cant remember the last time I’ve heard a Shinda song were his vocals have been full capitalized on…until now that is! ‘Punjabian Dee Tauhr’, is one of those hard hitting dhol tracks that have evaded Shinda over the years. The song is full on desi and with the dhol powered by another Shinda, Sukshinder; you expect nothing short of perfection! This is what Bhangra is about…

 ‘Desi Bonus’ is up next and its actually ‘Desi Boliyan’ off DJ Vix’s previous album Vix It Up, so before I slaughter Vix for putting on an old song to make up the numbers, I’d thought I would find out the reasoning the behind the idea. Well I cant argue with him on this one, apparently he thought this song was totally under-rated, I tend to agree. Play this song at any wedding/party and watch the reaction! Hopefully with this album getting a ‘worldwide release’ this song will get picked up more and associated with Vix. Top quality track, still gets my feet tapping today…

This is Vix’s  third album now, and as a progression goes, it’s a slow climb upwards for Vix, the album contains a number of easy listening tracks, which are good enough to repeat a few times yet lack anything magical about them, or was I just expecting too much? Although saying that; every single song has been produced well and theres a consistent trend of cohesion throughout all the songs. Tracks like Pranda, Jatt, Punjabian  Dee Tahur all have the longevity needed for good quality songs. Idential To None; every song on this album is totally different from the previous, however its not something that we’ve all not heard before…  Is it really Identical to None? You can make your own mind up on that...

DJ VIX - Identical To None gets 6.5/10 

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