Dubtember 22 - Hostile Dub

 

Hostile Environment is the first album in over forty years from the legendary Creation Rebel, who were the original On-U Sound house band responsible for classics such as Dub from Creation & Starship Africa. The trio of Crucial Tony, Eskimo Fox, & Magoo are back with producer Adrian Sherwood to create a modern spin on their heavyweight Dubwise rhythms.

It is the seventh album credited to the group, who originally coalesced as a live backing group for the late, great Prince Far I, in the process sharing stages with the likes of The Clash, The Slits, & Don Cherry. Vocals from their former band leader, preserved on archive tapes, feature on the new record, as well as guest contributions from the likes of Cyrus Richards (musical director for Horace Andy & the Dub Asante Band), Italian synth maestro Gaudi, as well as fast chat king Daddy Freddy.

The album title refers to former British Prime Minister Theresa May’s controversial policy towards asylum seekers, & the recent Windrush scandal, all too relevant to a group of musicians of Jamaican origin who have spent their whole lives operating in the darkening shadow of a former colonial power with a staggeringly short memory for historic wrongs.

Here Creation Rebel is: ''Crucial'' Tony - rhythm & lead guitars, bass guitar on tracks 1, 4;
Charlie ''Eskimo'' Fox = drums, vocals on tracks 3, 5, 8, percussion on track 4; & Mr. Magoo
- percussion, vocals on tracks 1, 7, 8 with Kenton ''Fish'' Brown - bass guitar; Cyrus Richards - piano/organ on tracks 1-8, melodica on track 3; Prince Far I - vocals on tracks 1, 6; Daddy Freddy - vocal on track 6; Gaudi - synthesizer on tracks 1, 9; Henry Tenyue - trombone on track 2; Megumi Mesaka - saxophone on track 2; Patrick Tenyue - trumpet on track 2; Mark Bandola - guitar on tracks 4,11; Winston ''Horseman'' Williams - percussion on tracks 4, 8, 11; Dean Fraser - saxophone on tracks 6, 7; Okiel McIntyre - trumpet on tracks 6, 7; Isha Bell - backing vocals on track 7; & Dave Fulwood - trumpet & horn on track 8.

Produced by Adrian Sherwood & Creation Rebel. An On-U Sound Production. Recorded at The On-U Sound Castle, Ramsgate; Stingray Studio, London; & Tad’s International Recording Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. Mixed at On-U Sound. Artwork by Peter Harris. 

 

Creation Rebel - Hostile Environment, On-U Sound ONUCD160, 2023.
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Swiftly (the Right One) featuring Prince Far I
Stonebridge Warrior
Under Pressure
That’s More Like It
Jubilee Clock 
This Thinking Feeling featuring Prince Far I & Daddy Freddy
Whatever it Takes featuring Denise Sherwood
Salutation Gardens
Crown Hill Road 
The Peoples’ Sound (Tribute to Daddy Vego) 
Off the Spectrum

 

 

Enjoy,
NØ