El Michels Affair "Duel of the Iron Mics b/w Bring Da Ruckus" 45 (Shaolin Series)

Street date May 17, 2024

After scoring a surprise hit in 2006’s red-hot 7” funk market with their cover of “C.R.E.A.M.,” El Michels Affair quickly turned around another smash 7” double-single of re-imagined takes of the Wu-Tang Clan. “Duel of the Iron Mics” sees the hypnotic piano hook of the “Liquid Swords”-classic elevated to intriguing heights with dramatic strings and Catch the blast of a hype version on the b-side, where “Bring Da Ruckus” is brought to life in imaginative ways not hinted at on the bulletproof original. The raw sample stabs and sub-bass of the stripped-down Wu-Tang stunner are replaced with mind-bending bass notes, and the re-played organ hook turned way up.

Both of these tracks would eventually feature prominently on El Michels Affair’s landmark LP “Enter the 37th Chamber,” celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2024.