El Michels Affair - Enter the 37th Chamber (Crimson Strike Variant) El Michels Affair

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 analogue 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 catalogue and a landmark recording in instrumental hip-hop and cinematic soul.