Creation Youth is a new label, launched by 2 very experienced old hands. The “Creation” bit comes from Alan McGee, and the name of his former musical empire, and the “Youth” bit comes from, well, Youth – Killing Joke bassist, turned super producer. The imprint’s first release is a tribute to iconic art activist Jamie Reid and Afro Celt Sound System’s Simon Emmerson, both of whom we sadly lost last year. 

The track Ancestors is a reworking of song originally recorded in the mid-90s by another of Emmerson’s outfits, Stone Grove, explaining its retro “indie dance” vibe. Big and bombastic, with a huge soulful vocal, it’s epic stadium rock meets rave. Channeling the kind of genre crossover that a Shoom-tastic McGee championed some 30 years ago, plus previous loved-up projects of Youth’s, such as Blue Pearl and Zoe.

You could also add into that mix OG Amnesiacs Natural Life, and The KLF’s attacks on the pop charts. Primal Scream with Denise Johnson. Joi’s remix of The Poppies She Is Revolution. There are dulcimer downpours, kalimba cascades, and as well as the diva there are cries that sound like a collision of Native American, Tuvan throat singing and an Arabic muezzin. It’s the sort of sonic, cultural melting pot that Emmerson excelled in, and an echo of the empathy / unity that E enhanced and encouraged.

Youth provides the track’s great, grungy b-line, and also a dub. Setting the bass and chimes to a post-Soul II Soul beat and sending the shouts of “Brothers and sisters” spinning through filters and phase. Slipping in snippets of what sounds like The Mighty Upsetter, Lee Scratch Perry.

Remixes come from Richard Norris, The Grid geezer donning his dubwise Oracle Sound hat. Massively stripping the track back for some streamlined, steady skanking, on his vocal version he peppers the proceedings with righteous Rasta proclamations, and blows a mellow, melodica melody. The bustle and bluster of the original is only a memory. Scratch is still in there though. On his Instrumental, Richard replaces the chorus with extra bass, a bonus buzzing bottom end, and runs signals backwards, to raise darker drones.

This was a top DUBWISE VINYL tip. Thanks Tom!