El Michels Affair
(Fat Beats)
The most striking-not to say strangest- thing about the latest project from El Michels Affair may be the notion of doing an album of instrumental versions of songs from the catalog of the Wu Tang Clan-that is, from practitioners of a form rooted, more heavily than any other in modern popular music, in words. But this turns out to be a pretty interesting exercise, that particular oddity notwithstanding.
The roster here is several songs from Wu-Tang classic Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)-"C.R.E.A.M.," "Da Mystery of Chessboxin'," "Can It All Be So Simple," "Bring Da Ruckus," and "Protect Ya Neck"-along with favorites from other Wu-Tang and related projects. The band describes the results as "instrumental reinterpretations," and that seems close enough; in a couple of instances ("C.R.E.A.M." and "Da Mystery" most notably), the original version is apparent, musically speaking, in the El Michels Affair rendering, and there's plenty of kung fu movie dialogue snippets scattered throughout. Elsewhere, just as you'd expect, the band pushes things in a vintage soul or funk direction-"Can It All Be So Simple," which features a particular nice mix of horns and vibes, and an "Uzi (Pinky Ring)" propelled by a shuffling beat are a couple of particularly striking examples.
Everything is anchored by a steady, mid-tempo, almost narcotized pace and prominent, relentless beats, and what results gives testament to the suggestion of band principal Leon Michels that the EMA sound itself turns out to be a fitting basis for this Wu-Tang reworking/homage and thereby moves beyond the perimeter of standard-issue retro soul and funk.
Standout Tracks: "Can It All Be So Simple," "Criminology" STUART MUNRO
