El Michels Affair – Enter the 37th Chamber (Crimson Strike LP Vinyl)
Product Details
Leon Michels had already built his reputation as a session architect behind some of the 2000s' most respected soul recordings before El Michels Affair stepped fully into the spotlight, but Enter the 37th Chamber was the project that crystallized what his ensemble could do. Translating the dusty, kung-fu-shadowed drama of Wu-Tang's Staten Island mythology into live instrumental soul was a genuine conceptual swing, and it landed. This Crimson Strike pressing gives collectors a chance to own one of the more imaginative hip-hop tribute records of its era in a format that does justice to its warm, analog heart.
Originally released in 2009 on Fat Beats Records, Enter the 37th Chamber transformed iconic Wu-Tang Clan songs into gritty, fully live instrumentals inspired by the cinematic production style of RZA. What began as an experimental tribute quickly became a worldwide cult classic embraced by DJs, record collectors, hip-hop fans, and members of Wu-Tang themselves. After hearing the project, RZA famously said: “This is American music right here.”
Led by saxophonist/organist Leon Michels and producer/engineer Jeff Silverman, El Michels Affair blends vintage soundtrack music, early reggae, and raw analog soul into what the group calls “Cinematic Soul.”
Over the years, the album has taken on a life of its own, heard everywhere from independent record shops and radio stations to restaurants, film sets, and even theme parks across multiple continents. Nearly two decades later, Enter the 37th Chamber remains one of the defining releases in the Fat Beats catalog and a landmark recording in instrumental hip-hop and cinematic soul.
The vinyl features an embossed jacket with spot gloss on upgraded weight paper stock and a special color variant.
Tracklist:
- Duel Of The Iron Mics
- C.R.E.A.M.
- Mystery Of Chessboxin'
- Can It All Be So Simple
- Uzi (Pinky Ring)
- Interlude
- Glaciers Of Ice
- Cherchez La Ghost
- Criminology
- Heaven & Hell
- Bring Da Ruckus
- Protect Ya Neck
- Incarcerated Scarfaces
- Shimmy Shimmy Ya
- Outro
UPC: 784085106245
Label: Fat Beats
Release Date: 7.10.26
Format: LP Vinyl