The Bag Messenger BlogBag Design and Urban Living

If you live in Philadelphia and follow the music scene; than chances are you ether know about the Ill Vibe Collective, or have been to one of their events. The crew has been doing work in the city for a solid ten years, no slow in pace, and with no end in site. They are a true asset to the city, and frankly more useful than that damn cracked bell everyone comes to see. An integral piece of this music machine is David Adams, AKA Lil Dave. I will say Lil Dave is a complex man, and that he is also a genuinely really nice guy. This could strike you as odd. Usually when you meet a "lil" they are either humongous, or a rapper with an airbrushed t-shirt and rhinestone encrusted teeth. Neither is the case with Lil Dave. Upon meeting him, you realize he got the name sincerely because of his lack of bigness, and that unlike most guys he shares a nickname with, he has impeccable taste and no visible tattoos. What makes the man tick? Why does he like robots so much?  Read on good reader...your answers lie ahead.

-THE BAG MESSENGER

The Bag Messenger: Name, Age, Where are you from? 

lil'dave: I go by Lil Dave. I'm Thirty one and from Philadelphia.

The Bag Messenger: What do you do?

lil'dave: I dj and promote various events around Philadelphia with my crew Illvibe Collective.  I make music (hiphop, future soul, house, broken beats, soul, etc) and I have a bunch of releases floating around. I've been been on the radio giving people cutting edge music since '96.   My current show is Eavesdrop Radio.  I also dabble in graphic design and technology.

The Bag Messenger: What exactly is ILL Vibe Collective? Who is involved?

lil'dave: Illvibe Collective is my musical family.  We are basically a group of five djs -  Phillee Blunt, Skipmode, Panek, Mr. Sonny James and myself.  Everybody has lots of different talents and resources that make us a force to be reckoned with.  We can produce, engineer, design, organize, film, edit, build and destroy.   Over the past ten years members of our crew have released countless mixtapes, toured the world, recorded with some legendary artists, dropped some great records, designed our own line of clothing, hosted a bunch of radio shows and podcast, etc etc etc.

The Bag Messenger: What is Eavesdrop Radio?

lil'dave: Eavesdrop Radio is a show that DJ Junior of Record Breakin Music and I have been doing for the past few years.  Musically we play all sorts of stuff from japanese jazz to future soul to wonky hiphop beats to latin house.  The common denominator between everything we play is that it all has soul.  We are broadcasting out of a small college station in West Philly, but thanks to the internet we have grown a giant international following that just keeps getting bigger.  You can catch us live every Friday 6pm-9pm EST on WKDU 91.7 FM in Philadelphia or http://www.wkdu.org worldwide.  We also have a podcast at http://eavesdropradio.podomatic.com.

The Bag Messenger: How did you first get into music and when did DJing come into the picture?

lil'dave: My parents were big music lovers.  My moms vinyl collection has some sick records in it.  They got me hip to all the soul, funk, and jazz stuff.  When I got older I was a radio fiend.  I got tapes of all the old mixes from Vibes & Vapors, Radioactive, and other shows.  I started buying lots of vinyl and I made a dj setup out of some old audio equipment around the house.  When I got to college, I immediately joined the radio station and started my first radio show, The B-Side (which eventually got changed to The Down Lo Mix Show).  That lead to a bunch of opportunities and experiences that lead me to being the DJ I am today.



The Bag Messenger: What brought you to design? We're you always into visual art?

lil'dave: Way before I was into music, I was into art.  I used to illustrate my own comic books and do all sorts of art projects as a kid.  The design I do these days comes out of necessity.  There is always a need for a flyer, web graphics, and artwork for a music project.  It's all worked out pretty organically because making art and making music are very similiar processes.

The Bag Messenger: Where do you find inspiration in your work (design wise, music wise, production wise)

lil'dave: Dope color schemes, ethnic foods, robots, percussion instruments, indie movies, video games, jazz, new technology, textures, old records, analog synthesizers, and my family.

The Bag Messenger: What are the tools of your trade? (whats in the bag; gig wise, design wise, work wise)

lil'dave: I pride myself on having some crazy records.  I use Serato to dj most gigs, but if you see me pull some vinyl out of my bag, hold your head.  I have a full arsenal of rare and timeless dancefloor rockers in all sorts of genres.  On the production end, I mainly use Reason to make beats, but I'll make use of anything I can get my hands on.  Design wise, I'm with the industry standard... Photoshop.


The Bag Messenger: Any projects we should be on the look out for from you? What's Ill Vibe up to in 2010? 

lil'dave: We are currently putting the finishing touches on our first Illvibe Collective album.  It's a producer album with lots of different singers, MCs, and musicians performing over our tracks.  The musical styles are really all over the place.  Hopefully it will be in stores by the summer.

Check out this mix done by Mr. Sonny James of Ill Vibe. It's all crew exclusives, free, and blazing hot. 

Use a computer? Need to get off the couch before you loose your mind? Hark! The Laptop Backpack is clamoring to help you with your transportation needs! Heed its beckoning call. 

Here is the new theme song for those of you who like to keep your upper lip tidy, brought to you by Philly based group RCMP. Be on the look out for their self titled EP which drops today.

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Keep digging for more music. Fit a laptop, records, and more. Get the designer North To South Messenger bag here. 

The snow has finally melted here in Philly and the sun is shining. Happy Mixtape Monday. Here is an older mix by DJ Neil Armstrong, a New York City mixtape legend who has recently been touring with Jay-Z. This mix is all over the place genre wise and is well executed. Hope the sun is shining where you are. 

-THE BAG MESSENGER

Click the cover for a painless download.

1. Nas feat. Quan Yara - Moment Of Silence Intelligent Hoodlum
2. Minnie Riperton - Baby This Love I Have
3. Jimi Hendrix - Sweet Angel
4. Notorious B.I.G. - Big Poppa
5. Frank Sinatra - Cheek To Cheek
6. Barry White - Its Only Love Doing Its Thing
7. Aaliyah - More Than A Woman
8. Elliot Smith - Coast To Coast
9. INXS - Dont Change
10. Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated
11. Larry White - Cant Get Enough Of Your Love Babe
12. Biz Markie McFadden Whitehead - Let Me Turn You On Aint No Stoppin Us Now
13. Luther Vandross - Never Too Much
14. Marvin Gaye - Hitch Hike
15. Beatles - And I Love Her
16. Beatles - A Little Help From My Friends
17. Queen - Under Pressure
18. INXS - Mediate
19. The Doors - People Are Strange
20. Nirvana - Come As You Are
21. Jimi Hendrix - Gypsy Eyes
22. TLC - Baby Baby Baby
23. Tupac - Do For Love
24. Luther Vandross Gregory Hines - Theres Nothing Better Than Love
25. Rick James Smokey Robinson - Ebony Eyes
26. Aaliyah - At Your Best (You Are Love)
27. John Lennon - Imagine
28. Marvin Gaye Tami Terrell - California Soul
29. Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved
30. Beatles - In My Life
31. Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World

Lust for vinyl? Get the designer North To South Messenger bag here and hide your treasures from those prying eyes

NYC this Friday The Sheen Bros return to get the dance floor slick, with their own brand of greasy funk,and jerry curl joints. See you there!

-The Bag Messenger

FRIDAY MARCH 5th

 
Lyrics To Go & ML2 Present: The Sheenic Route
The Sheen Bros (Cosmo Baker & 4th Pyramid)
w/ Special Guest: Boogie Blind (The X-Ecutioners)
11pm - 4am @ The Vault (on the southwest corner of Essex & Houston)

NYC lookout the Sheen Bros are back at it at a brand new venue!

SHEEN BROS:

The Rub's Cosmo Baker and Toronto producer/MC 4th Pyramid came up with the concept of a duo of slicked-out sleazesters tuned into the greasy funk and drippy disco sounds that make girls lose control and guys feel like macks. Thus The Sheen Bros.

Cosmo says “So basically it started out as a joke between me and my homeboy 4th Pyramid. Hanging out in downtown Manhattan one evening, we decided to come up with a funk / rap group, and Sheen Bros was born. Like I said, it was all kind of in fun, but then after a couple shows and some recording things actually got serious. So with dedication and focus, Sheen Bros is a full on go.”

Download 'Scumbag Funk Volume 1' mixed by 4th Pyramid:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/639150272cb97c71/

Download 'Scumbag Funk Volume 2' mixed by Cosmo Baker:
http://sharebee.com/563b1450

Be on the lookout for a Sheen Bros EP featuring a star studded line up this spring!

http://www.twitter.com/SheenBros

BOOGIE BLIND:

The definition of a Dee Jay is what Boogie Blind embodies from spinning a variety of different music like House Music, Hip-Hop, B-Boy and Funk in numerous countries. The turntablist is also a Battle DJ and is a Vestax World Champion and 2001/2002 DMC Champion. Let's show respect to DJ Boogie Blind, who is a stalwart in the New York DJ scene and has backed the likes of Jean Grae, Fat Joe, Pharoahe Monch and most notably The X-ecutioners. Real Hip-Hoppers might've seen Boogie Blind on the 1s & 2s at the 'Rock the Bells Tour last summer which featured Pharoahe Monch, Wu-Tang, Immortal Technique, Bootcamp Clik to name a few.

Bring your camera, get loose, and photograph the mayhem! Get the mini messenger bag here