Philadelphia DJ/production duo Illvibe Collective, after years of working with artists and rocking parties, has finally released into the world their debut album, All Together Now, which is a project that is heavily driven by collaborations and different types of grooves.
The album opens up with a quick word from fantastic DJ and producer King Britt and is followed by a world-esque rhythm based track called “Heavy Soul” that serves as a nice party starter. But, just as soon as the party opens, the vibe is nearly crushed by the off-kilter pitchy vocals of N’ea Posey on the next track “80 Days.”
Thankfully, the following song “Certified” comes in with an extremely polished and skillful verse from Detroit’s fem-cee Invincible. Complimenting Invincible on the track is legendary Bahamadia and Finale, making the track worthy of several repeat listens.
The album’s middle then falls into a level of mediocrity for several tracks. It’s not that the songs are bad or boring necessarily and there is even a moment of humor on “DJ Play,” it’s just that it’s all kind of typical club pop.
However, from the moment track 8, a song titled “Everybody” begins, the album really finds a groove and keeps it going until the project is finished. The highest points of the album are also found within these final tracks. “Authentic Raw” with Supastition and Reef The Lost Cauze is a fantastic example of raw hip-hop, and it’s on this track when we finally get some blistering cuts from the DJs. The other song that soars is “Medicine Men” featuring A.R.M.
The production on the album is good, as you get a little bit of several styles of music, but it’s neither groundbreaking nor inventive. Some of the vocal features are dull, while others shine brightly. All Together Now is far from perfect, but it’s also far from terrible, and it shows potential promise for projects to come.
-Jonathan Poppe
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