Ronin Arkestra
Sonkei

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 straight forward 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. All the songs are tied together by WhatsApp messages between Leon and Liam that perfectly narrate the story of this record and their working relationship.One of the highlights on Ekundayo Inversions is a guest appearance from the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry on the “Ugly Truth” version. L$P switches between singing and talking, proclaiming his powers one minute and playing with the track’s title the next. On “Awkward take. 2” Leon takes one of the most experimental songs from Ekundayo and actually straightens it out. A track that once seemed to be floating in space has now been anchored by the addition of drums and bass. “Faded”, a version of “Paper Tiger”, is given the full EMA treatment with the addition of emotive horns over an uncomfortably sparse rhythm track peppered with Liam’s voice drenched in delay and echo. “Champions” features a verse from Black Thought of The Roots and halfway through, El Michels sends the rhythm section 50 years back.At the end of the day, Ekundayo Inversions is a testament to how strong the original songs are. Whether they’re in a R&B style, reggae style, stripped down to their bare bones, or loaded with production, the songs will move you.

Words from 2014:Give The People What They Want is certainly an appropriate title for Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings' new release. After more than a decade of near constant touring, recording, and as one of the most formidable live acts performing today, they know what their audience wants from them. Happily, it's what they want too.The appeal of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings just keeps growing. Michael Bublé has duetted with Sharon on "Baby, You've Got What it Takes", after recording "Crazy Love" with the Dap-Kings back in 2009. The Dap-Kings also contributed to several songs on this year's smash album "To Be Loved". They count Beck, John Legend, Lou Reed and Rufus Wainwright among their collaborators, and of course the Dap-Kings were the band behind Amy Winehouse's Back In Black album for which Gabriel Roth, bandleader and co-founder of Daptone Records, won a Grammy for his engineering skills.Yet it's the Augusta, Georgia native Sharon Jones who is the undisputed centre of attention here. A recent Hollywood turn acting alongside Denzel Washington will certainly do her star power no harm, but one listen to Give The People What They Want will tell you Sharon doesn't need the silver screen to set her name in lights. Her fervent, impassioned singing goes straight to your heart; those sweet soul hooks stay in your head for days on end. These are vocal performances that withstand any comparison to the soul greats.Give The People What They Want is the band's fifth album, recorded at home in Bushwick's Daptone House of Soul Studios after two years of touring behind 2010's lauded I Learned The Hard Way. These ten songs are seasoned with the classic Soul sound one might expect - yet there's a freshness in the band's performances and songwriting that gives the group's fifth studio album a feel unlike anything they've done before. From the electrifying stomp of album opener "Retreat!" to the instantly familiar feel-good groove of "We Get Along," via "Stranger To My Happiness", which perfectly captures the Dap-Kings' sound in three-and-a-half joyous minutes, this is a record that has it all.Give the people what they want, indeed.