The Big Crown Records Retrospective
a look at the Brooklyn-based record label, 10 years forward
it’s my birthday, so what better way to celebrate than to honor my favorite record label? Big Crown Records was founded in 2016 by Leon Michels and Danny Akalepse. the label is beloved for producing spectacularly soulful music—the kind that echoes vintage quality, uplifts analog recording, and deserves to be experienced in surround sound.
a little backstory: Michels previously co-founded Truth & Soul Records, where Akalepse worked as a label manager. once that company dissolved, the pair joined forces to establish Big Crown. a few artists connected to T&S—like Lady Wray, Lee Fields, and Liam Bailey—continued to release music through the new label.
though much of Big Crown’s music is funky and cinematic, the featured genres run the gamut and the signed artists hail from all over the globe. furthermore, Big Crown specializes in reissuing retro tunes that may have fallen under the radar upon initial release. two of my favorite things about this label are: 1) they distribute singles as 45s and 2) they release instrumental versions of albums in their catalog.
i also enjoy that the label’s visual aesthetics are well-defined and cohesive, down to the header images on the individual artists’ Bandcamp pages (examples pasted below). even without noticing the unique crown logo with its signature blocky lines (designed by J Bonner), it’s easy to distinguish a Big Crown album from other modern music.
read more: The Stories Behind Big Crown Records’ Soulful Singles (Bandcamp)
circling back to the co-owners, Akalepse is a longtime DJ and vinyl collector. he’s also released mixes and beats via cassette tapes, in addition to operating Plane Jane Records. Michels (El Michels Affair) has produced the majority of the albums in Big Crown’s catalog. he is an in-demand collaborator for artists on other labels too. for instance, he worked with Clairo on her outstanding 2024 album, Charm. when i included Charm in tay’s favorite albums of 2024, i waxed poetic, expressing deep appreciation for the producer’s work.
“Michels has been a notable figure of various musical moments throughout my life as he is a founding member of Menahan Street Band and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, as well as the co-founder of my favorite label Big Crown Records. if you look at my previous favorite music lists, they frequently include musicians who are actively signed to Big Crown (Bobby Oroza, Brainstory, Lady Wray) or previously were (79.5).”
in honor of the label’s 10th anniversary, i’ve spotlighted 10 different records from Big Crown, including three in my personal collection. i’m joined by one of my favorite music writers/curators Brandon O'Sullivan to highlight a few of the listed albums. we had a delightful chat earlier this week where we mused about our entry points into Big Crown’s music, the West Coast significance of using the article “thee” instead of “the” in band names1, and more—he’s credited directly for each of his contributions. i’ve also included a selection of tracks spanning the label's decade-long tenure.
RIYL: Daptone Records, Colemine Records, Numero Group, psychedelia, vintage aesthetics for modern people, prominent drum beats, oldies, cinematic soul, analog recording
79.5 — Predictions (2018)
wow, this album was a pleasant discovery when i heard it way back when. i was fond of tracks like “Terrorize My Heart” and “Wavy” in my early twenties, but it wasn’t until years later that i spent more time with the record to realize how phenomenal it was from start to finish. “Fantasy,” “I Stay, You Stay,” and “Facing East” are songs i’ve embraced as of late, whereas the title track is a sleeper hit.
since Predictions was released, 79.5 has undergone a lineup change and no longer releases music on Big Crown (a couple of the members went on to form Say She She!). physical copies of the album are sold out, but i managed to get one of the last few records available a couple of years ago.
favorite tracks: “I Stay, You Stay,” “Wavy,” “Facing East,” “Terrorize My Heart,” “Fantasy,” “Fireman”
Bobby Oroza — Get on the Otherside (2022)
featured in tay’s favorite albums of 2022:
“Get On the Otherside met me where i was [the year it was released]—it abounds with themes of transition, resistance, acceptance, and the collusion of all three. with his signature 60s soul-inspired aesthetic, Oroza has a way of making the most nostalgic aspects of music sound fresh and hopeful.”
i’m never gonna get over this album, and i easily recommend it whenever i’m asked about my favorite music. though i’d previously heard songs from Oroza’s first record This Love, the single “Loving Body” led to my obsession with Get on the Otherside. i like to play the original version of the album, then listen to the instrumentals shortly after. i look forward to more music from Oroza, hopefully sooner rather than later!
“I turn my head and look over yonder
Soon I’ll be gone
I’ll make a run for it
I’ll make my move
I won’t be back again
I set myself on a search for some peace of mind
My place, my time
My dance, my vibe”
— “My Place, My Time” by Bobby Oroza
favorite tracks: “The Otherside,” “Loving Body,” “Sweet Agony,” “My Place, My Time,” “I Got Love,” “Soon Everyone Will Know”
Brainstory — Buck (2019)
i’m not even gonna front or sugarcoat it: i adore Brainstory because their music is for and by stoners.
“Based in L.A. but hailing from the Inland Empire’s own Rialto, CA, two-thirds of Brainstory, Kevin and Tony Martin are brothers by blood, while Eric Hagstrom is a brother through their music and long term friendship.” — from Brainstory’s bio on Big Crown Records
Buck is the kind of debut that invites you in with humor and intrigue, while commanding the rest of your attention through its steady psychedelic grooves and existential inquiries.
“Ages and eons of pain
And oceans of reality
Flow through me
How can anybody stay alive
When you're gonna die
Oh, tell me what I've got to realize
So, I can die”
— “Dead End” by Brainstory
favorite tracks: “Dead End,” “Peter Pan,” “Beautyful Beauti,” “Cover It Up,” “Thank You”
Brainstory — Sounds Good (2024)
featured in tay’s favorite music of 2024:
“when i watched Brainstory’s KEXP performance, they acknowledged Chicano Soul and namely the band War among their inspirations. it was so glaringly obvious, especially considering that i’d recently picked up a War Greatest Hits cassette. understanding some context of Brainstory’s musical trajectory and influences gave me an even greater appreciation for their music.
also, how silly and amazing is the Sounds Good album cover? i recently saw an IG post of how it developed from the original photo of the band to the end result of them as dogs playing pool. overall, this album is an enjoyable ride from start to finish. an initial standout track was “XFaded,” which made my favorite songs list. currently, “Peach Optimo” and the closing instrumental “Rialto Winds”2 are on repeat in my mind.”
favorite tracks: “Peach Optimo,” “Gift Of Life,” “Hanging On,” “XFaded,” “Too Yung”
El Michels Affair — Return To The 37th Chamber (2017)
Leon Michels recorded El Michels Affair’s second Wu-Tang album (a sequel to his beloved 2009 Fat Beats release) fully analog and ran some sessions through six generations of tape. While the first record reinvented Wu’s catalogue as instrumental soul, this one tries to capture RZA the producer with John Carpenter synths, heavy metal guitars, victorious horns, and traditional Chinese instruments filling up the verses’ spaces.
The selection starts from “4th Chamber” and “WuTang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit,” moves further to Ol’ Dirty Bastard (“Snakes”), GZA (“Shadow Boxing”), and Wu-Tang’s St. Ides’ malt liquor campaign (“Shaolin Brew”), and continues with original interludes in between to add a film-like dynamic to the album. Lee Fields does vocals on “Snakes,” as Lady Wray handles the vocals on a cover of Method Man’s “All I Need,” and Shannon Wise of The Shacks (alongside Fields once more) brings “Tearz” back home. — Brandon
El Michels Affair & Black Thought — Glorious Game (2023)
Black Thought had been looking into the current soul music scene at the time and was telling Menahan Street Band, the Brooklyn band Michels helped establish, that it was his favorite soul band. With two of their horn players, Dave Guy and Ian Hendrickson-Smith, already members of The Roots, it’s not surprising that when they began sharing songs, it just flowed. To record Glorious Game, Michels wrote and recorded whole tracks in his studio and chopped and looped his creations until the beats sounded like discoveries from crates and not just from session tapes. — Brandon
Lady Wray — Queen Alone (2016)
Nicole Wray has been in the music industry for decades, first releasing contemporary R&B music in the late ‘90s under her first name, collaborating with both hip-hop and rock musicians throughout the aughties, and later transitioning to a more classic soul sound as one half of the duo Lady. she really found her groove as Lady Wray, presenting as the sophisticated resident songstress of Big Crown. her voice envelops you in warmth on her most empowering tracks and swells with heartbreak when she sings of love that met its unfortunate end.
i got the CD for Queen Alone while working in college radio, plucked from a finders-keepers bin of music to take home. i played the single “Do It Again” on my radio show any opportunity i could. the instrumental version of Queen Alone makes for perfect bump music during commercial breaks. i recently remarked on my IG story that “Guilty” is one of the most brilliant songs i’ve ever heard—the impact of call-and-response during the chorus stands out so vividly.
“We rolled the dice
And we lost in the end
Though our luck has run out, yeah
I would do it again”
— “Do It Again” by Lady Wray
Les Imprimés — Rêverie (2023)
Odderøya is an island off Kristiansand in Norway’s southern part, and the studio that Morten Martens created there was working with the clients’ music during the daytime; only at night could his tapes be turned on. During the process of the creation of Les Imprimés, he spent many years as a professional musician and producer, his Spellemann Award for his 2006 rap production sitting on the shelf and nominations in different genres behind his back. When the lockdown left him with time to devote to his nighttime project, Martens started playing every instrument, arranging and producing tracks, and even singing on them himself, doing falsetto vocals on “Chess” and “It’s Over.” “It’s soul music, but I don’t exactly have the soul voice,” he has once admitted, and it is his voice that prevents Rêverie from pastiche. — Brandon
see also: Fading Forward (2026)
Surprise Chef — Education & Recreation (2022)
heavily steeped in the essence of cinematic soul from down under, Education & Recreation is Surprise Chef’s first record on Big Crown and third in their overall discography. these are easygoing sounds for dreaming, imagining, envisioning, and creating.
see also: Superb (2025)
Thee Marloes — Perak (2024)
Indonesian soul trio Thee Marloes makes bilingual music that’s perfect for holding a lover close and swaying along to the heartfelt melodies (this could be said about much of the music on this list). their debut album Perak weaves passionate love ballads with danceable rhythms to craft a sound that is simultaneously familiar and exciting.
“Thee Marloes are Natassya Sianturi singing and playing keys, Tommy Satwick on drums, and Sinatrya (“Raka”) Dharaka on guitar and handling production. Their sound has the universal appeal of soul, jazz, and pop, but with a distinct approach attributable to their local culture and global influence.” — from Big Crown Records
“Summer, it was summer
Ooh, that was love where we used to be
Cold days without your kiss
But there's more that I won't miss
The love we had slipped away”
— “Summer” by Thee Marloes
favorite tracks: “Summer,” “Midnight Hotline,” “Mungkin Saja,” “Not Today”
see also: Di Hotel Malibu (2026)
selected tracks
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band — “1 Thing”
Bobby Oroza — “Lonely Girl”
Bobby Oroza — “Goddess”
Brainstory — “Seasons”
Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek — “Cool Hand” (live)
El Michels Affair — “Life of Pablo”
El Michels Affair ft. Rogê — “Mágica”
Holy Hive — “Hypnosis”
Homer — “So Get Up!” (instrumental)
Lady Wray — “Through It All”
Lady Wray — “You’re Gonna Win”
Lee Fields & The Expressions — “Special Night”3
Liam Bailey — “Dance With Me”
Liam Bailey — “Dumb”
Lizette & Quevin — “Grow Forever/Now It’s Your Turn To Sing”
Okonkolo — “Oba”
Thee Marloes — “6 Years”
The Shacks — “Left It with the Moon”
for more Big Crown Records, visit their website and look out for their upcoming anniversary showcases in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City.
i’m accepting birthday offerings: a paid subscription or a tip via Ko-fi/Cash App/Venmo would go a long way towards helping me buy some of the featured albums and cross them off my wishlist!
this trend is heavily associated with youth music released during the height of the Chicano Movement, often attributed to a band called Thee Midniters whose music met at the intersection of classic R&B and garage rock.
Brandon said that Special Night, an album from veteran crooner Lee Fields, provides a great introduction to Big Crown. i concur—the record is swanky, mature, and easy listening.
Had NO clue 79.5 was a Big Crown release. Loved this article and Happy Belated!
Happy birthday and thanks for this gift of music. I need to go deeper into big crown. BTW that Lady album is stacked with earworms