As most Wu stans are aware, the concept of “chambers” is an important part of the lore. Specifically associated with Shaolin kung fu, each of the “chambers” taught (thirty-five in total, with an additional created by the character played by Gordon Liu in the flick
The 36 Chambers of Shaolin) a particular discipline or trained a young fighter on a special move set, such as the “Eagle Claw” and how to rip out somebody’s spine with their whole-ass head still attached (I’m just speculating). The entire idea of there being thirty-six chambers to learn at the Shaolin temple is so ingrained in kung fu film philosophy that the Wu-Tang Clan, hailing from “Shaolin” (Staten) Island, used them as a loose guide for their brand of hip hop dominance, each “chamber” representing a different skill set or rhyme style coming from the myriad members of the extended family. Hell, the group’s first fucking album is called
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – obviously this was a building block in the Wu-Tang pyramid.
As such, the word itself, “chamber”, appears consistently throughout the shared discography of the various members of the Clan. Usually, a song title featuring the word will be reserved for a posse cut, those beloved bits of Wu camaraderie where rap competition trumps all, typically a highlight of any project these guys release. Which brings me to my point: this week brings episode thirty-six of the ongoing Wu-Wednesdays concern, and given that the number 36 plays a large part in the mythology of the Wu-Tang Clan, it’s only right that we treat this week’s mix with the reverence it deserves.
What this means is this: episode 36 features only songs that have the word “chamber” in their title. More to the point, it features only thirty-six songs that have the word “chamber” in the title. For those of you keeping score, that means this week’s entry into the canon is more than three times as long as any of the preceding episodes. What’s more, the thirty-six “chamber” songs featured are all varying degrees of heat, but all of them are fucking solid in my book. It’s easily the most ridiculous and audacious thing I’ve put together for the RandoMax Radio side project, and even with all of those songs, there’s still room for the usual goofy shit I tend to throw into each episode for funsies. There is no thirty-seventh song, however. There isn’t a thirty-seventh chamber, so why would I go out of my way to include an extra song when there’s already twenty-six more than usual?
Anyway, I hope you take some extra time out of your day to enjoy this one. It was made with the Wu stans in mind, and the songs wherein are a healthy mix of shit you know by heart and stuff that could make you physically scratch your head. I think we have the majority of the known Wu players accounted for today, though.
Well, what are you waiting for? Let the madness begin.
There are thirty-five previous episodes of the Wu-Wednesdays side project, but only a handful of those are still on the Mixcloud site. What happened to the rest of them? Well, they may have been removed from the Mixcloud site due to space limitations, but the songs themselves live on at
the RandoMax Radio Spotify channel, with tracks (the ones “they” want you to hear, anyway) being added to the playlist as they get taken down elsewhere. Give it a look when you get a chance and tell anybody you know who may enjoy something like this – every like and follow helps me out tremendously.
-Max
