El Michels Affair and
Liam Bailey

Ekundayo Inversions Instrumentals

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LIMITED EDITION COLORED VINYL IS YELLOW

By popular demand, we are proud to present Ekundayo Inversions Instrumentals. Liam Bailey released his debut album Ekundayo on the label at the end of 2020, then in the summer of 2021 El Michels Affair took the tapes from that and did a dub version of the album in his own style aptly titled Ekundayo Inversions. Both of these releases quickly became cult classics in their own right. The chemistry between Liam and producer Leon Michels is undeniable, each pushing the other to new places in their sounds. Here we take the vocals out of the mix and focus on the production and the players, with instrumental versions from both the Ekundayo and the Ekundayo Inversions albums.

There has always been a reggae influence in the music of El Michels Affair. From their cover of “Hung Up On My Baby” done in a reggae style, to the general sound and approach that permeates Leon’s production style. While recording Bailey’s 2020 Ekundayo album, they did some straightforward reggae tunes inspired by different eras alongside some modern R&B tracks that would fit more comfortably next to Frank Ocean than Jacob Miller. It is this same notion that old and new can live so comfortably together that birthed the idea of Ekundayo Inversions.

Traditional dub came out of reggae in the late 60s and early 70s when pioneers like King Tubby and Lee Perry started taking the multi-track recordings of songs and running them back through the board adding effects and additional instrumentation. These recordings are called “dubs” or “versions” and are typically instrumentals with flourishes of vocals from the original tracks. 

El Michels decided to use the blueprints left behind and make something using the influences of today. He wound up straying so far from the traditional format that it didn’t seem right to use the word dub, hence Ekundayo Inversions. 

 

Track List:

1. Conquer & Divide (Instrumental)

2. She Hates This Life (Instrumental)

3. Angel Dust (Instrumental)

4. Don’t Blame NY (Instrumental)

5. Cold & Clear (Instrumental)

6. White Light (Instrumental)

7. Ugly Truth (Instrumental)

8. Angel Face (Instrumental)

9. Walk With Me (Instrumental)

10. King (Instrumental)

11. Where Do I Start? (Instrumental)

12. Faded (Instrumental)

13. Awkward (Take 2) (Instrumental)