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BIO

When Leon Michels name first appeared on a record, he was 16. That release was “Thunder Chicken”, and the group was his high school band, The Mighty Imperials. The record was essentially an homage to The Meters, and at the time, it was near pitch-perfect for the budding retro-soul scene. While that release was an early step for Michels, aspects of it have almost become trademarks of his work: a unique raw-yet-disciplined approach to his sound and songwriting and a soulful genuineness that has a sense of humor one minute and a sense of solace the next.

Right from the jump, his hustling work ethic was evident—he was always involved in a lot at once. While finishing "Thunder Chicken”, Michels began touring and recording with Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings—which he did for the next seven years. During that time, he was also recording songs in a makeshift home studio and preparing for what would be his first full-length record, Sounding Out The City, and the first full-length release under the name El Michels Affair. In 2004, when Sounding Out The City was recorded, Michels’ obsession with Euro Library, American soul, and early rocksteady crept into the songwriting and recording aesthetic. The outcome was something Michels appropriately dubbed “Cinematic Soul.” The album was the first release on Truth & Soul Records, a new label Michels co-founded.

The lo-fi recording aesthetic and bottom-heavy production, alongside the immediate success of El Michels Affair’s debut release, led to playing a show with Raekwon of Wu-Tang fame. That show went over so well that it got El Michels a spot on tour, backing multiple members of the Wu-Tang Clan. These shows laid the groundwork for the 2009 release of El Michels Affair’s second full-length, Enter the 37th Chamber, which eventually introduced them to a worldwide audience. While the band’s fanbase went through the roof, the industry quickly recognized that EMA was a force to be reckoned with. Almost in a domino effect, dozens of hip-hop artists sampled Michels’ songs—from Ghostface Killah, Just Blaze, and Jay-Z to J Dilla, J.Cole, and Travis Scott.

As the EMA sound was gaining global appeal, Michels was simultaneously running a label, playing/touring, and co-producing other artists’ music. And still, all the while, Michels found time and energy to help establish The Menahan Street Band, co-produced Aloe Blacc’s sophomore smash LP, Good Things, and received a writer credit on Adele’s Grammy-nominated album, 19. Shortly after that, Michels was back on tour, this time with The Black Keys, after being cold-called by Dan Auerbach and asked to join them on the road. It turned out that Auerbach was a big fan of the sound and approach of the Lee Fields record My World, which Michels produced. When Auerbach was tapped to make Dr. John’s critically acclaimed album Locked Down and Lana Del Rey’s LP Ultraviolence, Michels was brought along to play and add his signature sound. That led to being included in and touring for Auerbach’s psych-rock project, The Arcs, which features Michels as a musician and co-producer.

In 2016, Michels co-founded Big Crown Records with Danny Akalapse, the second record label Michels has helped build from the ground. Since then, he has produced many of the albums from the label's roster, including Lee Fields, Lady Wray, Brainstory, Paul & The Tall Trees, Liam Bailey, and Thee Lakesiders. Michels has also produced records for Beyonce & Jay-Z’s side project, The Carters, Hanni El Khatib, Chicano Batman, Norah Jones, and Don Toliver.

In 2020, Michels released the second album of original material under the El Michels Affair moniker. The Album, entitled Adult Themes—which Michels calls “the soundtrack to an imaginary movie”—

creates a lush, evocative, complex, and eclectic collection of tunes that keep your ears on edge as you nod your head.

Never one to rest long, Michels then put out the critically-acclaimed Yeti Season in 2021. Created during a COVID year of lockdowns, Yeti Season comes from a different set of influences: Turkish funk and folk, a heady blending of Bollywood and break-beat. But even with this shift in sonic direction, the production quality and high musicianship associated with EMA shines on this record with a kind of boundless control.

And now, in early 2023, Michels is, of course, still at it. Changing hats once again, he's now the producer of a new solo record from one of the best emcees to ever grab a mic and move a crowd: Black Thought of The Roots crew. Titled Glorious Game, it's one of his more demonstrative projects, showing Michel's range and spectrum of technique. There are songs performed live by El Michels Affair, then "traditionally" sampled into hip-hop tracks marked by sped-up vocals or cut-up samples, and then re-manipulations of songs from bands on Big Crown that Michels himself has produced. And each one frames the illest rapper from South Philly's wordplay and lyricism flawlessly.

Having these two GOATs on one record is like getting a gift we didn't know we needed. And who knows what Leon Michels will give us next—but we know we won't have to wait long.

Hometown: New York, NY

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