Posted on: April 11, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

El Michels Affair cover of Pete Rock track features new lyrics from Wu-Tang Clan member

The Song:

“PJ’s” by El Michels Affair and Raekwon (of Wu-Tang Clan), one of the tracks on Fallin’ Off the Reel Vol. 2, is a cover of a Pete Rock track. The cover incorporates live instrumentation and highlights the distinctive assets of both El Michels Affair and Raekwon. El Michels Affair lays down the track’s laid-back, jazzy beat while Raekwon makes his presence felt with his legendary flow. Lyrically, Raekwon focuses on various issues that have come to be expected from Wu-Tang affiliates, including life in the projects, heavy artillery, and street-life. El Michels Affair prove that they are capable of adapting their refined aesthetic sense to a variety of contexts by injecting their funk/soul/R&B sound into the track’s hip-hop beat. By utilizing a diverse pallet of live instrumentation, including guitars, bass, vibraphones, strings, piano, organ, drums, brass and some sampling as well, El Michels Affair give us their distinctive take on Pete RockÂ’s original.

The Background:

About Truth & Soul: When Soul Fire Records officially retired in 2004, Soul Fire house musicians Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman started their own label, Truth & Soul, which has now become a label and production house based out of Brooklyn, NY that specializes in creating deep funk and soul music. They have released a slew of 7″ and 12″ vinyl releases by bands such as El Michels Affair, Bama & The Family, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Timothy McNealy, Asiko, Bronx River Parkway, and many more. Both Michels and Silverman produce, perform on, engineer, and mix all of the label’s releases and productions.

Fallin’ Off the Reel Vol. 2 follows the success of Truth & Soul’s first edition of the compilation, Fallin’ Off the Reel, released in the fall of 2006. The forthcoming second-edition Truth & Soul compilation boasts a varied roster of current-day and older funk and soul artists, including Timothy McNealy, El Michels Affair, Bronx River Parkway, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Tyrone Ashley’s Funk Music Machine, Black Velvet, Quincy Bright and The Fabulous Three. The compilation comprises a wide selection of contemporary music that has descended from the rhythm and blues, soul, and funk music traditions. Fallin’ Off The Reel Vol. 2 has every Truth & Soul 45 single presented in chronological order from 2006 until now (available for the first time on CD), including one previously unreleased bonus track. The Gatefold Double-LP includes selected tracks from both volumes of the Fallin’ Off the Reel series, plus rare tracks.

Audio Streams:

Raekwon & El Michels Affair- “PJ’s”

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