Best known for his role as 1/5th of Philadelphia’s most prolific and well respected DJ/Production crew, Illvibe Collective, Statik has made leaps beyond even his own expectations, making significant accomplishments while gaining the respect of his peers and mentors.

Getting his start at the mere age of 12 when his mother handed over an old school disco mixer, Statik took to the generic piece of equipment and never looked back.
Rummaging through a wide variety of genres found in his family’s record collection, and consistently
being surrounding by musicians, he was blessed with an incredible ear for music of all types at an early age. He was raised in a household where, in addition to original compositions, everything from Grand Funk Railroad to Eric B. & Rakim were being played at all times.

This assisted Statik in honing his skill as one of the most respected tastemakers today. The blueprint of the DJ is symbolized by Statik’s keen awareness of all types of music, aptly mixing and blending traditional hip-hop, new & classic soul, rare grooves, jazz, house, broken beat, Nu Jazz, Afrobeat, Samba, and Salsa while presenting the music in a way that makes everyone who listens feel it’s produced exclusively for them.

Getting his creative start as a visual artist, Statik participated in Philadelphia University’s design program before breaking to take his role in music more serious, soon becoming the official tour DJ for Grand Agent in 2001 & Schoolz of Thought in 2002. Performing and touring with these artists affected Statik’s work ethic in a major way as he became exposed to new places and began sharing stages with many of today’s most influential artists including Les Nubians, Zap Mama, Common, Beck, Coldplay, Alanis Morrisette, and Big Daddy Kane.

In 2003, he met Bahamadia and soon thereafter began working as the official tour DJ for her as well. This union assisted in placing Statik in front of larger audiences on a more regular basis alongside such legends as James Brown, Roy Ayers, and many more.

In 2004 and 2005, he worked as the main Philadelphia resident for Scion’s monthly and quarterly functions providing a regular platform for him to showcase his talent alongside the biggest DJs in the business, rocking events at night clubs art openings and international car shows around the country.

In 2006, Statik worked as the Music Supervisor for the critically acclaimed documentary, Scene Not Heard, an untold story of the women of hip-hop in Philadelphia. The Movie, although still not release in retail, airs regularly on TV, has screened all over the world and has won awards at the Cine Noir, Humboldt International, Denver Pan African, and Trenton Film Festivals. This step in Statik’s career seemed to be a natural progression from all the work he’s already been known for internationally as a radio personality, stage show DJ, writer, turntablist, and selector.

In 2007, Statik decided to begin rebranding and took on his birth name, Sonny James. This identity change was a necessary one as he grows as a person, the industry shifts, and frankly, the name Statik becomes a common name used among up and coming hip-hop DJs around the globe. You can expect to hear so much more from Mr. Sonny James in years to come as he continues to grow outside the box musically and gets more into the nitty gritty of his production style. And as always, you can catch him on www.mrsonnyjames.com and in the mix on 3 different podcast radio shows. (www.thedifferenceradio.podomatic.com, www.thesureshot.podomatic.com, www.ropeadope.com)

 

*Bio pic by Ritajean (2006)