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).