Over the past seven years, Leon Michels has quietly become one of the most sought-after producers in music, the man who can craft a sultry slow jam for the Carters, co-write for Lizzo’s Grammy-nominated album Special, and co-produce Kali Uchis’ global hit “Moonlight.” Though there’s been this notion to associate him with the so-called subgenre of “old soul,” such an affiliation doesn’t capture the full breadth of Michels’ musical artistry. Sure, the mix makes the music sound like the 1960s or ‘70s, but there’s a modern lilt to it, a vast sensibility that works in any era.

Michels’ iconoclastic sound comes from simply following his heart. Despite landing some high-profile work over a decade ago, which could’ve meant immediate commercial fame in the mainstream marketplace, Michels turned inward, focusing instead on El Michels Affair, the group he created in 2000. He released this music through Big Crown Records, the record label he co-founded in 2016 with Danny Akalepse. 

“I made a conscious decision to do my own thing and say no to all the quote ‘opportunities’ that were being presented to me,” Michels says. “I thought, ‘I’ll make my own music, the kind that I like. Being able to do that actually created more of a calling card than if I would’ve just made pop music or whatever.” Indeed, Michels has become a go-to composer by trekking the road less traveled; in a landscape of homogenized sound, his blend of melodic drums, lush keys and murky synthetics feel warm and inviting, mixing R&B, reggae, rock and rap influences without landing squarely on one.

For his new solo album, 24 Hr Sports, which features Clairo, Norah Jones, Shintaro Sakamoto, Florence Adooni, Rogê, Dave Guy, and a sample from the late Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Michels was inspired by the look of ‘80s Sports Illustrated magazines, “the graphic design, the look, the pictures, and the way people dressed,” he says. “That kind of super colorful, but very two-dimensional design. I wanted to make music that sounds like that.” Michels started listening to MF DOOM’s Special Herbs instrumental albums and felt inspired by his beats. “I wanted to reference that and his sample source material, which was a lot of ‘70s fusion and Brazilian records, but then with his cool spin on it,” Michels says. He also listened to gospel music, namely Pastor T.L. Barrett, and was floored by how the work sounded. Michels wanted his album to sound uplifting as well. Ultimately, 24 Hr Sports, just like his career overall, is the music he’d want to listen to if he didn’t make it himself. “I think the evolution of my sound is this: It’s coming from old records, so it references the past a lot, but I’m not a purist, I’m a fan of modern technology,” Michels says. “I think what I’m doing is new. It’s a merging of the past and present, not unprecedented, but a good mix of then and now.”