Ed Note: “Behind the Beat” is a section where we pick the brains of DJs- both the old schoolers who paved the way and the up-and-comers creating new paths. In this section, we get the opportunity to chat with the masterminds who work hard in the booths so we can sweat hard on the floor.

GOVERNMENTS: Dave Adams [Lil' Dave], Cliff Humphreys [Panek], Phil Lee [Phillee Blunt], Matt Skipper [Skipmode], [Statik a.k.a Sonny James]

LOCATION: Philadelphia

GIGS: The Body Rock [MRoom], Ill! Makaniks [The Barbary], Basement Soul [Xochitl], Faded [Medusa Lounge], Future Shock [Khyber]

PODCASTS: The Sure Shot Show, The Difference, Rope a Dope, Focus on the DJ, Eavesdrop Radio [91.7]

The first time I heard Illvibe Collective rock a party, I fell in love. Without touching me, the DJ in the booth had managed to possess me in the same way our ancestors had evoked spirits in ancient rituals and ceremonial dances. My feet stamped, my hips swung, my arms swayed, and my body rejoiced. I danced that night until 4 a.m. and awoke from my trance in a merry stupor, convinced that the man behind the booth had, for those few hours, elevated me to higher frequencies. Every Saturday

night from then on, I showed up at The Arts Garage, ready and willing to let the DJ and his pounding beats exorcise the heavy demons of the work week. Illvibe never failed to deliver.

As a five member DJ crew, together since 2000, Illvibe Collective has become Philadelphia’s best DJ crew. Few collectives, never mind individual DJ’s, are able to represent and master as extensive an array of music as these fellas. Time after time, they cross genre lines to embrace the grey music in between that doesn’t quite belong anywhere but is beautiful nonetheless. Statik, who has toured around the world including Canada, Australia, South Africa and Europe, rocks Hip Hop foundation, samba, salsa, drum and bass and bossa nova… just to name a few. “I’m more interested in stuff that‘s gonna move people… as long as it’s something people are gonna dance to.” Phillee Blunt, a New Jersey native, spins mainstream and indie Hip Hop as well as dancehall reggae, and asserts, “We can go outside of our strong points if we need to…We can take the vibe where it needs to be”. As for Skipmode, from Philadelphia, he is largely influenced by the old school, normally spinning party classics and funky breaks and can even branch into rock.

Driven by their dedication to their craft, a collective desire to share good music and the added thrill of making people lose their minds with one twist of the wrist, Illvibe has a clear understanding of why they do what they do. “When you respect and love music, just art in general, when you have the ability to share… it’s the drive to share what’s important to you with other people” explains Phillee. “I just really enjoy seeing other people have a good time” adds Statik. Lil’

Dave, a Drexel University alumnae, takes it even deeper, acknowledging the transformative power of music, and the karmic cycle of positive music leading to positive thoughts leading to positive actions. “Exposing people to new music… that changes how people think.”

Ask Lil’ Dave, Panek, Phillee Blunt, Skipmode and Statik who their musical influences are and you’re bound to get an earful of legendary DJ’s and musicians, young and old, across the United States and on through Europe. First and foremost, they are quick to pay homage to the homegrown influences of Cash Money, Jazzy Jeff, Rich Medina, King Britt, DJ Tat Money and Cosmic Kev in

addition to DJ Storm and Bugz in the Attic from the UK, Jazzanova of Berlin, Grandmixer DST, The X-Ecutioners and Invisibl Skratch Piklz. For good measure, Lil’ Dave throws in video show classics, Rap City and YO MTV Raps. Remembering to bring it back home, Statik verbalizes the mutual respect these gentlemen obviously have for each other and adds, “I’m inspired by my partners. I couldn’t work with anybody I’m not inspired by.”

As party goers, few of us understand that for a DJ, striking a balance between what the crowd wants to hear and what s/he wants to play can be a challenge. While the goal is to rock the party while also exposing the audience to fresh music, often times the public, accustomed to ceaseless repetitions of 10-song radio rotations, are not trying to hear it. “A lot of times we don’t go as deep as we want to. Clubs close early and we gotta make our point within that window, so often times, we don’t get a chance to

introduce new stuff” explains Statik. In the current iPod era, the average person’s brain is in perpetual shuffle mode. Phillee explains, “attention spans are a lot shorter. People are only willing to stay now for at most two hours… and they don’t pay attention for longer than a few minutes.” What this results in is the DJ merely touching the surface of all that he wants to do within the time frame; unable to dig deep in any one genre of music and really take the audience on a journey. Sadly, the public has become frighteningly complacent with the dry state of the music industry. “There’s a lack of quality across the board” laments Statik, and this lack of quality deflects the respect and reverence owed to the masters of the turntables.

Although turntablism was born in America, internationally, there is an appreciation and respect for the art and for innovative music, that is not found here. Panek explains, “What started here was adopted everywhere, but they stayed truer to it.” Crowds abroad are more open to letting the DJ do what he does best… make them dance, without imposing their own standards and desires. “Here [U.S], if it’s not packaged the way we’re used to, we complain about it” says Statik.

In a city where legendary DJ’s are commonplace, Illvibe has a lot to live up to. Where others who have reached their level of success may decide to marinate in it the glory, these fellas, realize there is much to be done. The illest DJ crew in Philadelphia does not plan on plateauing anytime soon. A “global media company with a local feel”, Illvibe has designs on starting a clothing line, expanding on their design services, starting a record label and ultimately establishing DJ residences in every major city in the world. Their first studio album will be released by the end of this year. “We wanna grow around the world” says Panek. In the current musical state of emergency and the monotonous bore that nightlife has become, Illvibe Collective will help you remember what it feels like to surrender yourself to the DJ, lose your mind and love every minute of it.