Bay Area producer Amp Live left Zion I a couple of years ago now. Since that time, he’s released one solo instrumental EP called Atmosphere. Now he comes back with a big time collaborative album, pairing up with Bay Area legend Del the Funky Homosapien to deliver Gate 13.

If you’re familiar with these artists previous work, you probably have an idea what this album could sound like, and you would be right. Sometimes you might long for an artist to defy expectations, but when two artists like these join forces, you want their first album together to combine what you love about each artist. And that’s just what makes Gate 13 so enjoyable. Amp Live brings the big beats with hyphy and dancehall flavor, and Del brings his trademark sing song delivery and sense of humor to the proceedings. However, once you get past that initial enjoyment, the good news is that there’s more layers and nuance to the album to give the album enough depth to warrant repeat listens. Del talks plenty of shit and drops plenty of punchlines, along with some sci-fi raps, but he also finds some special moments like “Humble Pie,” which discusses issues like bullying and child abuse. There’s also a lot of room for Amp Live to stretch his legs, as he folds in everything from ‘70s funk to reggae to electro-boogie to modern R&B. He even finds room to sneak in one of his unexpected influences, opera, and manages to make it bang. On top of all this, we some great guest appearance from Simmi, Adult Karate, Lana Shea, Goapele, Zyme, James Melo, Mr. Micro, and Eligh. That might sound like a lot, but Del and Amp get just the right flavor from each guest, always adding to the bigger picture of the album. The result is an album that both gives you exactly what you want, but also finds room to complicate it and give it all of these twists and turns as well.

Gate 13 is the type of album that you would expect from two veterans like Del and Amp Live. This album is going to sound great at parties and blasting out of your car windows this summer, but it’s also got enough depth to it that you can enjoy it and discover all sorts of nuance on repeat listens.