El Michels Affair – Return To The 37th Chamber

Vinyl 12"

Return to the 37th Chamber is El Michels Affair’s highly anticipated follow-up to the 2009 cult classic Enter the 37th Chamber. Once again, producer and bandleader Leon Michels reimagines the music of Wu-Tang Clan through the group’s distinctive cinematic soul sound, while paying deeper homage to the murky production and atmosphere that made RZA’s beats so unmistakable.

Recorded entirely using analogue techniques, with some material passing through multiple generations of tape, the album has a deliberately hazy character. Psychedelic flourishes, John Carpenter-inspired synthesisers, heavy guitars, triumphant horns and traditional Chinese instrumentation add further depth to the arrangements.

The album revisits Wu-Tang classics including “4th Chamber” and “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit”, alongside deeper cuts from Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Raekwon. Guests from the Big Crown family include Lee Fields, Shannon Wise of The Shacks and Lady Wray, whose vocals bring new dimensions to tracks including “Snakes”, “Tearz” and “All I Need”.

Original interludes weave the album together, transforming Return to the 37th Chamber from a collection of reinterpretations into a cohesive cinematic journey through hip-hop, soul, psychedelia and funk.