Ekundayo Inversions

Description

There has always been a reggae influence in El Michels Affair's music, from the reggae-style cover of Isaac Hayes' "Hung Up On My Baby" to the general approach and sound that permeates Leon Michels' productions. During the recording of Liam Bailey's 2020 album Ekundayo, the band produced tracks in a pure reggae vein as well as tracks leaning more towards modern R&B, which would be more suitable for Frank Ocean than Jacob Miller. It is this same idea that modernity and tradition can coexist that gave birth to Ekundayo Inversions. Traditional dub emerged from reggae in the late 60s, when pioneers like Lee Perry and King Tubby began experimenting with multi-track recordings of songs by adding effects and instrumentation. These recordings, called 'dub' or 'versions', are usually instrumental tracks with rare vocal interventions from the original tracks. El Michels decided to use the discarded sketches and make something of them using contemporary influences. He ended up straying so far from the traditional format that the word 'dub' no longer seemed justified, hence the title Ekundayo Inversions. One of the highlights of the album is undoubtedly the appearance of the legendary Lee 'Scratch' Perry on the version of "Ugly Truth". Perry constantly alternates between singing and rapping, asserting his powers one moment and playing with the track title the next. On "Awkward (take 2)", Leon tackles one of Ekundayo's most experimental songs to straighten it out; the track that seemed to float in space on the original is now anchored by the addition of a rhythm section. "Faded" is a new version of "Paper Tiger", with the addition of a brass section, typical of EMA, laid over a sparse rhythm and sprinkled with Liam's voice bathed in delay and echo. "Conquer & Divide" features a verse with Black Thought of The Roots and, halfway through, El Michels Affair sends the rhythm section fifty years back in time. Ultimately, 'Ekundayo Inversions' mainly testifies to the strength of the original songs: whether they are reggae or R&B style, stripped down or lushly produced, these songs always manage to move.