El Michels Affair

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About El Michels Affair

Led by multi-instrumentalist, writer, and producer Leon Michels, El Michels Affair are an R&B-rooted band synthesizing vintage groove-oriented jazz, soul, funk, rocksteady, Afrobeat, and hip-hop, among other styles. The ensemble has been active since the early 2000s with singles and full-lengths for labels such as Daptone and Fat Beats, and more commonly for Michels' ventures Truth & Soul and Big Crown. The Affair's output -- including Sounding Out the City (2005), the Wu-Tang Clan tributes Enter the 37th Chamber (2009) and Return to the 37th Chamber (2017), followed by Adult Themes (2020) and Yeti Season (2021) -- has been interspersed with numerous associated projects. These include Antibalas, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, and Menahan Street Band. Michels and company have been involved with high-profile sessions for the likes of Mark Ronson, Dr. John, and Lana Del Rey, and have teamed with the Roots' Black Thought for Glorious Game (2023).

ORIGIN
Brooklyn, NY, United States
FORMED
2001
GENRE
R&B/Soul
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