Posted: 9 Aug 2009, 12:54pmrecoveredSubject: Re: Hip Hop!
Looking forward to checking this out... a New York funk ensemble covering classic Wu joints with blessings from the Clan...
01. Duel of the Iron Mics
02. C.R.E.A.M.
03. Mystery of Chessboxinâ
04. Can it All Be So Simple
05. Uzi (Pinky Ring)
06. Interlude
07. Glaciers of Ice
08. Cherchez La Ghost
09. Criminology
10. Heaven and Hell
11. Bring Da Ruckus
12. Protect Ya Neck
13. Incarcerated Scarface
14. Shimmy Shimmy Ya
15. Outro
Quote
El Michels Affair - "Enter The 37th Chamber" - @@@@1/2
Ever wander through a record store, and all of a sudden a mysterious ânew releaseâ from your favorite artist catches your eye? Then, upon closer examination, you realize itâs not a new release from said artist, but something along the lines of A Bluegrass Jazz Tribute to Redman, with the word âRedmanâ in huge letters. Chances are, some of youâve even been fooled into accidentally buying something like this, and getting home only to find pure disappointment, with the artist having nothing to do with the project, and most likely not even having any idea it exists. Fortunately, El Michelâs Affair Enter The 37th Chamber might seem like something along those lines at first glance, but in fact is completely the opposite.
Produced with the blessing of the Wu-Tang Clan, New York City funk outfit, El Michelâs Affair, has covered a handful of Wu classics, instrumental style. It all started in the underground funk 45 circuit, as the crew released big-hole 7inch singles featuring their renditions of songs like âDuel Of The Iron Micâ and âC.R.E.A.M.â, which did so well with the crate diggers that this full-length project was born. Later, El Michels Affair would come full circle, recording a âlive remixâ of Pete Rockâs âThe PJâsâ with Raekwon himself, as well as backing up the Wu-Tang Clan during live performances.
So a crappy cover album this ainât. To lend more credibility to Leon Michels and his crew, it was he who produced the original horn section that Jay-Z sampled for âRoc Boysâ, and they were commissioned for a remix of Amy Winehouseâs âLove Is A Losing Gameâ. The rest of the El Michels Affair is made up of members of todayâs current funk revivalist scene, including muscians from The Dap Kings, Budos Band, and Antibalas. So yes, this is the real deal.
Authenticity checks have cleared, but what makes this album so good? First and foremost, like Breakestraâs The Live Mix before it, El Michels Affair has reproduced a handful of dusty groove gems with todayâs clean, studio sound. Make no mistake, itâs still raw â by no means did they try to make it sound âmodernâ â but instead, the sound is full and rich. Unlike Breakestra, however, the group isnât looking to replay the original breaks, but instead the songs themselves. So âDuel Of The Iron Micâ for instance is exactly that â not a cover of David Porter âIâm Afraid The Masquerade Is Overâ. Replayed pianos, moody violins, and of course the actual samples from Shogun Assassin playing over the top of it, making a beautiful new composition. âC.R.E.A.M.â is another lush production, expanding on the original, with reinterpreted Charmell snares and looming RZA basslines, not to mention that infectious piano loop â here played live, of course.
Listening to the original instrumentals by themselves might seem a little bare without the Wuâs colorful cast of characters on top of them, but itâs not the case with El Michelâs cover versions. âCan It Be So Simpleâ for instance, is executed so beautifully, that it evokes the emotional response of the original version and at the same time sounds completely original. In further brilliance, âGlaciers Of Iceâ â one of RZAâs most off kilter, hardest-to-grab-onto-ever tracks is amazingly executed, as the crewâs new live rendition sounds less like a strangely chopped sample, but instead a fully realized deep funk song, with rolling guitar licks and that sneaky horn section. Itâs original b-side, âCriminologyâ is another gush-worthy rendition, as its celebratory horns are played almost identical to the original, leading into an orgasmic xylophone driven breakdown. Yes, itâs that good.
The album hops around different eras of the Wu-Tang Clanâs career, much of it spent on covering Enter The 36 Chambers. However, it also leaps forward into the future with more recent (well, not that recent) hits like âChez Chez La Ghostâ and âPinky Ringâ. Longtime fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, or anyone who was present during the first five albums of the Wu-Tang Saga will fall in love with this record. While El Michels Affair will probably venture into creating an LP of original songs next time around, we can still wish for a song-for-song re-imagining of Only Built For Cuban Links.
Ever wander through a record store, and all of a sudden a mysterious ânew releaseâ from your favorite artist catches your eye? Then, upon closer examination, you realize itâs not a new release from said artist, but something along the lines of A Bluegrass Jazz Tribute to Redman, with the word âRedmanâ in huge letters. Chances are, some of youâve even been fooled into accidentally buying something like this, and getting home only to find pure disappointment, with the artist having nothing to do with the project, and most likely not even having any idea it exists. Fortunately, El Michelâs Affair Enter The 37th Chamber might seem like something along those lines at first glance, but in fact is completely the opposite.
Produced with the blessing of the Wu-Tang Clan, New York City funk outfit, El Michelâs Affair, has covered a handful of Wu classics, instrumental style. It all started in the underground funk 45 circuit, as the crew released big-hole 7inch singles featuring their renditions of songs like âDuel Of The Iron Micâ and âC.R.E.A.M.â, which did so well with the crate diggers that this full-length project was born. Later, El Michels Affair would come full circle, recording a âlive remixâ of Pete Rockâs âThe PJâsâ with Raekwon himself, as well as backing up the Wu-Tang Clan during live performances.
So a crappy cover album this ainât. To lend more credibility to Leon Michels and his crew, it was he who produced the original horn section that Jay-Z sampled for âRoc Boysâ, and they were commissioned for a remix of Amy Winehouseâs âLove Is A Losing Gameâ. The rest of the El Michels Affair is made up of members of todayâs current funk revivalist scene, including muscians from The Dap Kings, Budos Band, and Antibalas. So yes, this is the real deal.
Authenticity checks have cleared, but what makes this album so good? First and foremost, like Breakestraâs The Live Mix before it, El Michels Affair has reproduced a handful of dusty groove gems with todayâs clean, studio sound. Make no mistake, itâs still raw â by no means did they try to make it sound âmodernâ â but instead, the sound is full and rich. Unlike Breakestra, however, the group isnât looking to replay the original breaks, but instead the songs themselves. So âDuel Of The Iron Micâ for instance is exactly that â not a cover of David Porter âIâm Afraid The Masquerade Is Overâ. Replayed pianos, moody violins, and of course the actual samples from Shogun Assassin playing over the top of it, making a beautiful new composition. âC.R.E.A.M.â is another lush production, expanding on the original, with reinterpreted Charmell snares and looming RZA basslines, not to mention that infectious piano loop â here played live, of course.
Listening to the original instrumentals by themselves might seem a little bare without the Wuâs colorful cast of characters on top of them, but itâs not the case with El Michelâs cover versions. âCan It Be So Simpleâ for instance, is executed so beautifully, that it evokes the emotional response of the original version and at the same time sounds completely original. In further brilliance, âGlaciers Of Iceâ â one of RZAâs most off kilter, hardest-to-grab-onto-ever tracks is amazingly executed, as the crewâs new live rendition sounds less like a strangely chopped sample, but instead a fully realized deep funk song, with rolling guitar licks and that sneaky horn section. Itâs original b-side, âCriminologyâ is another gush-worthy rendition, as its celebratory horns are played almost identical to the original, leading into an orgasmic xylophone driven breakdown. Yes, itâs that good.
The album hops around different eras of the Wu-Tang Clanâs career, much of it spent on covering Enter The 36 Chambers. However, it also leaps forward into the future with more recent (well, not that recent) hits like âChez Chez La Ghostâ and âPinky Ringâ. Longtime fans of the Wu-Tang Clan, or anyone who was present during the first five albums of the Wu-Tang Saga will fall in love with this record. While El Michels Affair will probably venture into creating an LP of original songs next time around, we can still wish for a song-for-song re-imagining of Only Built For Cuban Links.
01. Duel of the Iron Mics
02. C.R.E.A.M.
03. Mystery of Chessboxinâ
04. Can it All Be So Simple
05. Uzi (Pinky Ring)
06. Interlude
07. Glaciers of Ice
08. Cherchez La Ghost
09. Criminology
10. Heaven and Hell
11. Bring Da Ruckus
12. Protect Ya Neck
13. Incarcerated Scarface
14. Shimmy Shimmy Ya
15. Outro
). Beats are real different too, even for Jay. I'll give it a few listens, but will probably completely forget about it after that.
should have it for tomorrow morning. Will probably be that excited I will headbutt someone on the bus. 
