Brooklyn drummer and organist Leon Michels is in love with the "rare groove" albums of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. But rather than just sample those irresistible beats, Michels put together the El Michels Affair to create them the old fashioned way, live on stage. The group’s debut Sounding Out The City doesn’t feel "retro," it feels "vintage," like it was actually recorded back when John Lindsay was Mayor. Not that Michels and co. are stuck in the past – they’ve covered songs by hip-hop’s Wu Tang Clan, and worked with Clan rapper Raekwon.