The David Holmes-produced original of Primal Scream’s Love Insurrection channels Curtis Mayfield’s socially conscious, politicised soul and funk. Taking some decent shots, while disguised as mainstream pop, Bobby G’s rhymes mix time-honoured phrases – “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” – with contemporary insight. Shocked and appalled the song sort of aims at everybody, not just corrupt governments and bent, biased media, but also society’s, our, apathy. 

“Divided and ruled, taken for fools”… “We punish the poor for being poor and celebrate greed”… “the truth ain’t the truth anymore.” 

These words riding on a suitably strident strum, backed up by forceful flute, dramatic disco strings, and a wicked wah-wah solo. The cut climaxing with Italian shouts for the children of the future to rise up against injustice and cruelty.  

Remixes come from Black Science Orchestra and Terry Farley and Wade Teo, who all take the track in a house / dancefloor direction. Both remixes loop up The Rolling Stones / Sympathy For The Devil-esque congas and bongos, and also make the most of the opulent orchestration, which they send into soaring spirals that recall BSO’s classic, Where Were You? 

BSO gently reprise late `80s rave, by adding Big Shot-esque keys and James Brown’s Funky Drummer break. Farley and Teo’s version feels like a 4 / 4-ed Chic. Their dub is softer, focusing on the tune’s gentle jazz piano ripples. The BSO dub, however, is heavier harder and darker. Filtering and gating the musical elements and introducing bellowing, speaker-blowing, time and space-bending sub bass drops.  

The remixes of Primal Scream’s Love Insurrection are out now on BMG.