Interview w/ Illvibe Collective (Lil’ Dave, Statik, Phillee Blunt, Panek, Skipmode)
By: Justin Weleski

I started to get tired of the old neighborhood bar/house party scene back in ‘99-2000. So, I took my fake ID down into the city where I took a crash course to what the Philly hip hop scene was all about. Going to events like Footworks, The Remedy, Tasty Treats (and working with Okayplayer.com) I discovered a whole world of music that I loved and took in like a long lost brother. Then one night a New York DJ/friend was visiting and took me to a party called The Body Rock. It was at a very discreet location where you would drive by it a million times and still not know what door to walk in (because we did exactly that.) When you did though…it had good times written all over it. The music, the crowd, the art on the walls; there was every little element that makes a good vibe happen. While discovering this I also discovered what many people have called the glue that keeps this scene together in Philly. They have the “do it yourself” DJ/promoter mentality. They cover everything from mixtapes, to recorded music, DJ’ing for MC’s, album/flyer designs, radio shows, and production. You name it and illvibe collective is the name that so many artists and fans have relied on to this very day to give them what they want and so desperately need - Quality work coming from quality people! Sit back and learn some things from the people who taught me and many others in this city much of what we know.

Check illvibe collective every 2nd Thursday @ The Barbary for ill! makaniks and every Last Friday for the Body Rock @ The M Room. And visit the official illvibe website at: illvibe.net
AND sorry again for all the bold - for a BETTER Read, please Click HERE

215hiphop: Now you guys have been in the game for a minute now but for those who may not know how long have each of you been DJ’ing and producing music for?

Phillee Blunt: I’ve been DJ’ing since ‘92 so that would make it 16yrs. If I’m adding right

Skipmode: I’ve been DJing with two turntables since about 96. Before that I used to scratch with one turntable and a tape deck as a bedroom hobby for about 4 yrs before that - But I was more into playing drums back then. I guess the first hip hop beats I started making from the ground up were around 2000 - but I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time.

Lil Dave: DJ’ing since ‘96, and if you count pause tapes probably ‘94.

Panek: I started in ‘97 and I was DJ’ing and making tapes before that but I didn’t consider myself a DJ back then. So about 12 years and production probably like 3-4 years

Statik: Been Dj’ing since ‘92 and making beats since 2003.

215: You guys are by far the most diverse DJ crew when it comes to race and nationalities so did you guys plan to be the United Nations of Philly Hip Hop when forming the crew?

Phil: Ohh yeah we were filling the quota.

Panek: We were really considering Dave back when Statik was in the crew and it came down to be a really big decision if we really wanted another black guy. Then when Skip came along the issue came up again cause I was already in the crew, so do we add another white dude? So what we decided is all we really need to do now is add another Asian so it’s balanced.

Statik: Or an Arabian or a Puerto Rican would also work out. Or a Samonian

Phil: Well ideally were looking for a chick but she would have to multi-racial.

Panek: But to be serious we’re all just friends. The story I tell people about how it started was that Statik and I started working together, liked the same music, and had a lot in common. Phil came into the picture shortly after. We all had the same type of humor and liked a lot of the same shit and got along very well. The same went with Dave and Skip. They became a part of the crew more than because they had connections or were bringing something to the table creatively. The fact was that we got along as friends. That’s why it still works.

215: You guys have always had a Do It Yourself attitude in everything you do. Why do you feel this is more effective and important than getting a manager or just freelancing yourselves to third party promoters?

Phil: We’ve always been hands-on because we’re very focused on how we are represented in the artist community worldwide. We don’t play any type of music for anyone that will pay us. We know which lanes we want to run in, and what to stay away from. Giving that authority to someone who might not share that same vision could be a disaster. Would we ever hire a manager or agent? Absolutely!!! But until we meet someone that can sell us and promote us exactly as we want to be, we have to do this ourselves. Otherwise we will be misrepresented.

Dave: We have exact visions of what we want and we are capable of making it happen with the resources that we have. It’s not that we couldn’t use the help but when you have five multi-talented people you have a very strong support system.

215: When I first discovered you guys at Body Rock (back at Aqualounge) it was a very different grass roots underground experience. The location was hard to find and it stayed open late (illegally.) Then, to top it all off, the music was all the music I grew up on. Now it seems like what you guys did is the norm and playing mainstream music or “different shit” is now the DIY underground parties. So why do you think so many parties and DJ’s are still playing to the same old-school hip hop and vibe that you guys used over seven years ago?

Statik: I think people are bored and tired with the new stuff that’s been coming out.

Panek: People want to hear timeless music. The stuff they loved. The stuff they grew up on. That stuff always strikes that kind of chord with them. So everybody is going to resort to that when they’re not being fulfilled by other stuff coming out everyday.

Statik: It’s funny because I got booked to do a party recently for an urban young professionals crowd and the promoter of the party asked me “can you like mix it up with the Rick James and James Brown like what the new DJ’s do?”  I thought to myself; “wow you mean like what I was doing 10 years ago?” It’s so funny because we are among the few DJs who were doing that back in the late 90’s up until now. I was a bit annoyed at first at the growing popularity but now I think it’s great because there’s more options to go places to hear what you like.

Skip: Because they’re better records. Not to wax nostalgic on how hip hop ain’t what it used to be, but good hip-hop is hard to find these days on a mainstream level. People around here don’t really dance to music they don’t know already. It’s kinda hard to play some of the more underground rap music on a Friday night when people just wanna party and get drunk. But the classics will always be just that - classic.

215: With the technology of Serato DJ’s are playing their own produced remixes and using Serato to enhance the DJ sets. Since you guys are all producers why isn’t this something people hear at your parties?

Phil: That’s just not our thing. More power to those that do it and really get crazy with it, but we only use that occasionally. It’s never been our main talent as DJ’s. If you ever hear us play something like that, once or twice during a party is about as far as it goes. Now doing a live blend on the spot is something we’ve always done; once or twice during the night.

Panek: I think one of the big things with us is that we still like to keep the traditional ways of DJ’ing a party. We’re not trying to keep ourselves in that box. We still value a lot of that. We want for people to understand that these ways of DJ’ing are still happening. Anything that has quality we try to keep those values with us.

Phil: Just because Serato allows you to do it, doesn’t mean you should.

Skip: If you make a dope remix you can play it but everyone now thinks they’re an Apple garage band or something. Now they think they’re a producer. They make some corny fucking remix with the same break beat behind it that everyone else did before and they think they’re something that they’re not.

We do sprinkle some of our original remixes/blends in the mix for sure, but, we don’t typically pre-plan dj sets or use Serato as a crutch to make us sound any better than we are. We still do all of our mixes live on stage. If I think a DJ Panek or a Lil Dave remix is the right song for that moment, that’s when it’s time to throw it in the mix. Rather than playing it just to say “this is our remix.”

Panek: I think it’s okay I just think that people overkill it

215: Looking at the new generation of party goers from 21-25yr olds, I feel the music lovers of that age gap really appreciate and enjoy when DJ’s do that. At the end of the day, it’s still art and creative. Why not cater to them as opposed to catering to the 25-35 year old crowd? Especially since you guys make remixes and produce.

Panek: Do they really appreciate it or are they just responding to the gimmick of it?

Statik: I think the most simple way to answer that question is we’re not 21. So if 16 year-olds like the popular shit I’m not 16, so why am I going to cater to that? I get tired of seeing people like Mariah Carey acting like she’s 25 years younger than she is…

215: C’mon man you know what I’m talking about. The 21 and up year olds who go out in the city and like to drink and have fun. There’s no question about it - this is our demographic for DJ’s and promoters. The 30-40 year olds now have families, mortgage’s to pay, and so on.

Statik: Well generally speaking I’m not going to do anything that I feel is corny to try and cater to people who are buying drinks. To me, at the end of the day, remixing is old hat.  But people look at it like it’s some new shit because it’s suddenly popular again or that a few magazines care because a few A-List cats are doing it (although it’s been done for years.) I mean no diss but Ron G and others have been doing it on mixtapes since the 90’s and he never got any credit in the mainstream media for doing it. Now all of a sudden it’s a big deal because some fucker in Vegas with connections is doing it? Come on man. Those select people getting the credit know they’re not the originators of it.

So to answer your question I don’t feel like we need to do it. If we choose to do it in a particular setting because we feel like it then go ahead. But, as a gimmick, absolutely not.

Dave: Our thing with Serato is just a way for us to not carry records with us. You used to see us with like eight crates of records. We could barely fit in the DJ booth and now we are not having that trouble. That is what Serato is to us. We still keep the actual values of vinyl alive while using Serato.

Panek: Another thing along with Serato besides not having to carry records is that you have all your music with you at all times. To have brought five crates to a gig and you were challenged to play whatever is in those five crates was a good thing; it’s also good that you can change the direction of any party because you have all your music with you at all times. All 50,000 songs. Not just with what you had. That to me is what is what’s cool about Serato.

Skip: With me, it would sometimes take me two hours at the house preparing records for what I think would work that night. Then I would get there and it would be a totally different crowd than I expected it and was like “ohh well, this is what I got.”

Statik: I don’t know if people got this from Body Rock but for over seven years we’ve never ever played the same set or song twice. Even parties back to back we would play a completely different set of records. Due to the amount of time we would come together at the old apartment and dig. That’s one thing I miss about the vinyl aspect. But when it comes to getting on a plane I don’t miss worrying if all my records are going to come out in one piece. Ask Cash Money about the horror stories…

215: (to Skipmode) you’ve been messing around with a lot of Baltimore House remix music lately, what sparked that side of you lately?

Skip: Well, It’s partly the fact that I’m really not feeling most of the popular hip-hop songs as of late. The kind of hip-hop beats I love, aren’t really what’s poppin right now, so there’s not as much of an audience for it. But the B-More dance style stuff has a whole new audience that wasn’t there the first time around.

I’ve been playing original b-more style records since the mid/late 90’s - so it’s not a new side of me by any means. But there’s more to be excited about, in the dance music realm of production right now, than there is in mainstream hip-hop for me. On the other side, I love working with underground hip-hop cats and making progressive hip-hop beats and whatnot. I can’t afford to get paid in props and food stamps all the time either. Hopefully a new hip-hop movement isn’t too far off, and when it comes, I’ll be ready.

At the end of the day though, I’m always gonna make music that I like - no matter what the style, or what genre is popular that month. If that happens to be a house or electro type track on any given day, than thats what it is. I hope people like it.

Panek: What we realize about the situation is that music goes in cycles. We kinda been here for a few of the cycles but we never indulge in one thing so much so it never really gets that overexposure from us. The bmore stuff got this huge exposure because everyone started to indulge into it but we’ve always had it and played it but never really became something we were known. It would go into the mix of everything we play.

215:(To Skip) With the Baltimore House music that you’ve been producing lately do you plan on reaching out to some artists that fit that music and record?

Skip: Well I wouldn’t say that I’ve been making any B-More house in the traditional sense, though that style is definitely an influence to some of my dance type tracks. But semantics aside, yes, there are a few artists from that area of the spectrum that I really enjoy and would like to record with at some point. I’m planning on doing at least an EPs worth of dance tracks to release before the end of the year.I haven’t thought much about recording vocals yet, but when the time comes (and maybe that’s now since you mentioned it), there’s definitely a few cats that I’d like to reach out to and make some quality songs.

215: Speaking of playing different music in your sets (which you’ve always done); when you say the word Body Rock people automatically think hip hop. Do you feel back then, and even now, when people come to your party and expect hip hop and hear sets of house music, it turns them away?

Dave: I mean maybe if your just walking in the door for the first time and we’re playing house but there’s always a build up for it. The right songs are put before it to kinda prepare you for it and by the time you get hit by it your already in the middle of it and you didn’t even realize it. There’s certain elements of music that go beyond the genre and we find those elements and put them together. So, for example, if it’s a certain cowbell and snare drum we’ll find those lil elements and put them together

Phil: The whole idea of Body Rock is not something we had a meeting about and planned. But the philosophy of Body Rock was basically all of our house party experiences brought to one party. Anyone who’s been to a house party, or even a “kegger” for that matter, in the late 90’s experienced music that was always a cross hip hop, funk, house, soul, bmore house and whatever that crowd could get into that was played. It was never a mindset that all we were gonna play is rap at a house party. It was all kinds of music thrown together and is something we all experienced whether or not we were DJ’ing or just hanging out. That combination of all of our experiences is what we bring to Body Rock and in our opinion is what a party should be. I mean it can start off as a hip hop party and that’s great. If it happens to split off into different genres then that’s a beautiful thing and we’re not going to stop doing that.

Panek: To quickly explain why we’re called illvibe. We build a vibe. If you come to body rock at 10:30 then you’re going to see how we create one vibe from the beginning of the night to the end. Now it’s changed a little bit because party goers don’t come for four hours anymore they mainly come for 1-2 hours at the end of the night. Our philosophy sometimes doesn’t mesh with the party goers now but what we still try to do is create a vibe and grow it little by little and people can experience it. That’s what we always believed; the artistry of DJ’ing is to bring people from one place to the next.

215: Since all you guys are producers do you guys have plans on releasing a illvibe producer album and/or record label?

Statik: It’s in the works and we’ve actually been working on what is set to be a full album or a series of EP’s to be ready in few months. We have numerous beats and songs we’ve done already. At this point it’s all about mixing and being satisfied with the overall product before we start putting it in people’s hands. But we’re hoping that it will be ready by the end of the year. Hopefully along with a European DJ tour we have in the works.

Skip: And we’re going to do it mainly ourselves but are looking at some distribution options. Everything from the art work to the promotions will be done in-house.

215: What is the negative and positive things about Philly that you see compared to other cities?

Statik: Well, I’d say, everyone’s a DJ here. Then again everyone’s a DJ, producer, or rapper, everywhere in the world so that’s not a Philadelphia specific issue. What I absolutely love about Philadelphia is the standard we hold here for excellence. I always strive to never play lazy, regardless of where I’m at. This is a town that pushes me every time. Plus our audience is aware of the bar we’ve set as a crew as well.
One thing that drives me nuts though is that people want the same shit they’ve been spoon fed for years. In other cities in America, I observe crowds react positively to tons of new music but here, people seem locked into one specific idea of what they’ll dance to. Philly is also a town where everyone is waiting to say something awful about the person next to them. Folks are afraid to relax and let their hair down until they get a few drinks. For us, that usually means nearly 2 hours of playing for an empty dance floor. It’s a pain in the ass.

Skip: Ha! Well, the best thing about DJing in Philly is that you can go get a cheese steak when the gig is over. (laughs). Statik pretty much summed it up on this one. It’s hard to break new music/styles here in a club or party type setting. It’s like people are afraid to think for themselves and won’t open their ears until some hip publication or blog or something tells them it’s ok to like so and so, or that this kind of music is cool right now or whatever. In some other cities, and especially outside of the US, people are more willing to give the unfamiliar a chance and don’t get so caught up with the fashion, labeling, and bullshit that surrounds the music.

There is a lot of really good talent here in Philly - MC’s, DJ’s, beat makers, artists, etc. It’s great to be around that first hand if you can appreciate the craft. But more and more, there’s a lot of sub-par performers (DJ’s especially) slipping through the cracks here and getting by on gimmickry, marketing, and promotions rather than talent, originality, or musical creativity. It’s only recently that this has been able to happen in Philly. For a looong time you couldn’t get over being a mediocre DJ in Philadelphia - folks here just wouldn’t have it. Nowadays it seems more of the young generation of nightlife goers are willing to overlook a mediocre DJ in favor of a drink special, or a pseudo-celebrity appearance, or some other dumb shit that has nothing to do with the music. This isn’t really a Philly specific thing as I know this has been happening in other major cities for years (we’re living in watered-down times unfortunately), but it’s only in recent years that the cultural de-evolution has been catching up to the Philadelphia DJ scene.

Dave: Philly isn’t a party city… not like it used to be. Getting people out during the week can be extremely difficult sometimes. When people do come out they don’t show up until almost midnight. It’s not always easy to push the limits of what you can play or what time of events you can throw. On the other hand, all of the negatives help make our DJs some of the best in the world. There are just so many opportunities to learn and perfect your craft in this city. There is no such thing as being famous in Philly. Everyone is on the same level for the most part. People who are world famous and have made huge accomplishments ride SEPTA just like you. It’s not hard to make connections and get some priceless knowledge from these people.

215: (to Skip and Statik) I know you guys do music full time. Do you ever feel that you have to overkill or sacrifice the exclusivity of yourself & illvibe parties to DJ other gigs for the rent?

Skip: I don’t think there’s any sacrifice of exclusivity by doing gigs that aren’t necessarily illvibe branded events. We all do gigs by ourselves outside of the illvibe DIY events like BodyRock. We also all work alongside a variety of different artists, promoters, venues etc., but we still rep illvibe along the way, no matter where we are. When you see Bahamadia with DJ Statik in Finland, you’re seeing Bahamadia with DJ Statik of the illvibe collective. And if illvibe can have a presence in five different places on a single night, then that only helps our exposure as a group, and helps us all to pay the rent.

Statik: There is no exclusivity that I’m aware of with illvibe. We just really accept the opportunities that make sense and reject the other ones. I’m fortunate enough not to have to sacrifice much. My days of listening to club owners and promoters talk my head off in the booth about how to do MY job ended in college years ago. So generally, I stick mainly to opportunities that are fulfilling in more ways then just monetarily. For the one or two people that may slip through the cracks and give me a hard time at a gig, I usually give them a rude awakening within minutes.

215: (to Phil) About a year or two ago you moved up to New York to attend a studio engineering school. How did that work out and are you full time in a studio now?

Phil: Now a days the only way to get in a studio as an engineer is to suffer through an internship for a long amount of long hours every day and not get paid for it. If I was 16 years old and didn’t have a care in the world then great, I would be there everyday and not get paid. But that’s an unrealistic situation for me. So I’m not at an audio studio working as an engineer now but there’s nothing wrong with doing it on your own with a Pro-tools rig which is what I’m doing. I didn’t move up there for that purpose but it has been working out pretty good. I get a nice amount of side work for recording and mixing and the skills you learn as a DJ prepares you well for that. Especially if working with a hip hop artist. Things like preparing the sound; your ears are already tuned for it. I would suggest anyone doing it.

215: So what has been your guys most memorable experience thus far from parties to touring?

Panek: The one thing that stands out for me was the Body Rock we had DJ Cash Money.

Phil: I played in Toronto last year for a mainstream room. But a mainstream room over there is 10 times the energy than it is in the States. I was playing whatever I wanted and the funniest thing was that the biggest reaction I got was the theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I mean the bartenders and security guards were dancing and singing. People came up to me and were amazed that I played that.

Statik: One of my favorites in Philly was playing the Body Rock and at the BBQ with Rich Medina because he is Philly Hip-Hop in every sense of the word. Having him as a guest more than once at The Aqualounge was special because of how intimate the room was. He brings such an energy to it. When me and him play together we push each others’ limits. As far as outside the states South Africa was amazing. Touring with James Brown and The Breakestra was amazing. There’s a whole laundry list of dope, memorable experiences.

215: (To Statik) In the blogs you did for us on the tour in South Africa you mentioned that your guides wouldn’t take you to a certain area (or party) because they may overreact to you and Bahamadia’s fame. Coming from one of the most dangerous cities in the world (Philly) what made that situation so different that the one you live in now? It’s not like you and Bahamadia rock flashy jewelry.

Statik: To clarify, I think that particular issue in Soweto was less about so called famous people and more about us privileged people trying to hang in an environment where people have nothing at all. The other detail we found out later surrounding that circumstance was that the promoters of that party spread the word that we were scheduled to perform without contacting us or our hosts. Meanwhile we were under contract with a booking agent, promoters, and corporate sponsors to make specific appearances in South Africa. So not only was the situation hectic because it was taking place in an under developed community near Johannesburg where people are robbed and murdered at a much higher rate than Philadelphia (believe it or not) but we were potentially going to be in a situation where we had to explain to 1000-2000 angry people that we weren’t performing when most of them already think Black Americans look down on them as a rule. Furthermore, Bahamadia and I were totally down to hang out and take the risk because we didn’t see what the big deal was but our hosts were 100% responsible for us and in the event that there was even a small chance something could happen to us, they opted to avoid it at all cost.

215: Do you guys feel your at the level you should be at or need to get somewhere else?

Dave: Honestly I don’t feel that we’re anywhere yet. I’m still hungry and working to get to that point.

Panek: I feel that we should be further along at this point.

215: Ok, so how do you feel about a lot of new DJ’s and parties from this city or wherever that kinda blew up out of nowhere in the past 5 years or so?

Statik: I don’t think about them, I think about us! It’s funny that I was having this conversation with somebody from Philly recently that said “Yeah back when Body Rock was going on, thats when y’all blew up” and my reaction was “When was that?” Somebody else I was talking to said “aww man illvibe fell off”, and I’m like when did we fall on? I just don’t understand what everyones perception is of what we are doing? Because to me we are rocking great parties and doing three of the illest radio shows you can find online. I’m saying that not just because I mix two of them but because I honestly listen to a lot of other peoples shit and what there doing is just not interesting to me. I don’t feel like we’ve changed anything or done anything less than we did say four years ago. We’re just growing and moving on to different things.

215: Both the Body Rock hit it’s seven year mark and Hip Hop Lives reached it’s 10yr mark this year; do you feel that these parties/events hit a point that it needs to continue on to almost be responsible for the Philly Hip Hop Community? Do you think that these two are the pulse of the city, that if ended, the community would be so outraged that you’re pressured to keep it going?

Skip: Well, it is an honor to be a part of two such established and respected events. I like to think that they’ve contributed something valuable to the Philadelphia music scene over the years. But it’s never been viewed as a responsibility for us. It’s just something we like to do. If and when the day comes that it’s just not fun anymore, then that’ll be the time to step back. There’s enough talented cats here to keep shit moving. I just hope it’s in the right direction.

Phil: Events such as the Bodyrock and Hip Hop Lives are definitely important to the Hip Hop community when you consider the alternatives that they offer to fans and artists alike. You can go to any one of 50 “hip hop” events in Philly and hear the same exact music, with the same exact people. But these two events, along with a few other respectable events in the city, offer a higher level of quality in terms of music, atmosphere and productivity. We celebrate classics as well as new, progressive music that all aim to enlighten people, not perpetuate negativity. Our focus is to expose the unexposed, and to make everyone’s lives a little bit fuller, richer…one record at a time. You can go anywhere and listen to ignorant music that destroys your common sense, surrounded by people who care about absolutely nothing…or you can come hang with us and enjoy yourself for a few hours.

Dave: Body Rock and Hip Hop Lives are kind of in the position that events like the Remedy and All That were in years ago. When they ended, it hurt the scene some but a whole new generation came through and kept things moving. There is plenty of up and coming talent that I have seen in Philly recently who have the skills and the energy to keep hip hop alive in this city.

215:It’s been a minute since the last illvibe mixtape. So do you guys plan on releasing any more (hard copies) or do you feel that the internet is solely the way to go?

Statik: I would love to do more mixtapes the way we’ve traditionally done them but it’s all a hassle and basically a labor of love. Considering we’re not pushing the latest unreleased street bangers from Weezie, Geezy, and Lil Parcheezy, we’re not looking at moving 10s of thousands of units without major help from a company interested in investing in quality shit. I would love to support more Philly street shit in the way that cats like Drama have done in Atlanta but I want to make sure that I’m totally feeling whatever I have my hands in. That’s why over the past couple of years, mainly what I’ve been doing is mixes for companies that unfortunately only really get released as promo items and seldom in Philadelphia.

Phil: It’s definitely a lot harder to move physical units these days because A) people just don’t have the money these days to spend 10-12 bucks on a CD with dope artwork and quality packaging materials that make it an even more memorable experience. B) no one rocks a discman anymore. Everyone’s got iPods and mp3 players or listens to music on their phone. Digital has taken over and we have to adapt. Our podcasts are already enhanced to take advantage of the multi-media platforms with chapter I.D.’s that have corresponding artwork and clickable links to those artists’ web pages. But we will always press up enough physical copies of our Mix CD’s for those that prefer to have artwork and want the full illvibe experience. What is that? You just have to cop a CD and find out, but you will not be disappointed.

215: Can we please get another Remixbound Vol. 2?

Statik: Hell yeah! It’s been written on my project board for 2 years to complete that damn thing and it just hasn’t happened yet. I love releasing mixtapes but it’s such a pain in the neck to distribute them. We had interest from some folks/companies to help out so if any of that pans out to lighten the madness involved with it, then I’ll mix my part tonight!

Skip: Absolutely. I think there needs to be a Remixbound vol. 2 & 3. One to finish what we started with the first one and give more of those classic, oft overlooked 90’s hip-hop remixes another round of shine. And a vol. 3 to showcase some of the more modern and up and coming beat makers/remixers. Doing the mix is no problem. It’s the hassle that comes along with trying to distribute a mix-CD properly. And, unfortunately, those hassles don’t add up to any profit at the end of the workday. It truly is a labor of love. Digital download mixes just don’t have the same impact for me, but if that’s the way to get it done, then that’s what it’ll be.

215: I see you guys are relaunching the website soon. So what can people expect from illvibe.net ?

Panek: For the most part it’s going to be set up as a blog with a more thorough events list, photo gallery, more info on radio shows and merchandise. We’re going to push it a little harder.

215: (to Dave) For those who don’t know when can people hear you live with Junior on WKDU?

Dave: Friday 6-9pm can listen live on recordbreaken.com (Statik: Don’t you guys have way more listeners online than here?) Ohh yeah we get hit up all the time live from Japan & Europe.

215: So whats in the near future?

Statik: Bringing our online Sure Shot and Difference podcasts to FM radio at WPEB, then the made over website and the album + remixes that we’re working on which already has a ton of dope guest appearances. Then residences in different cities, tour dates for days, more ill! clothing and quality music.

Edited by Tom Williams

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