Additional information
Leftfield: Neil Barnes, Paul Daley. Additional personnel: Earl Sixteen, Papa Dee, Djum Djum, Toni Halliday, Danny Red, John Lydon, Lemn Sissay (vocals); Kevin Haynes (berimbau). Engineers: Joe Gibb, Adam Wren, Ollie J., Simon Duffy. Recorded at Rollover Studios, London, England. Includes bonus CD. Personnel: Danny Red, Earl Sixteen, Djum Djum, Lemn Sissay, John Lydon, Toni Halliday (vocals); Kevin Haynes (berimbau). Audio Mixer: Leftfield. Recording information: Rollover Studios, London, England. Photographers: Phil Knott; Merton Gauster. With Leftism, Leftfield made the crossover of techno into the pop mainstream two years before the likes of the Chemical Brothers. Embarking on a series of high-profile collaborations, they introduced to the charts a musical manifesto that had been popular in the clubs for years - including ambient ('Song Of Life'), pure techno, ragga, African tribal chants ('Afro-Left') and the all-important remix. The pumping, snarling 'Open Up', featuring John Lydon, predated the Prodigy in its blend of punk and dance, and 'Original', with Curve's Toni Halliday, ironically inspired a multitude of imitators. Most of these tracks have become ubiquitous through mainstream television and film, and it is easy to forget that, before Leftfield, techno music had only rarely stepped outside clubland.
Reviews
Q (6/00, p.75) - Ranked #34 in Q's "100 Greatest British Albums" Q (12/99, p.84) - Included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s." Q (2/96, p.65) - Included in Q's 50 Best Albums of 1995 - "...Britain's most comfortably at-home dance record yet..." Alternative Press (5/00, p.120) - Included in AP's "10 Essential Dance Albums That Rock" - "...The mood varies throughout, but the apocalyptic message still burns through." Melody Maker (12/23-30/95, pp.66-67) - Ranked #13 on Melody Maker's list of 1995's 'Albums Of The Year' - "A clean, modernist classic....Future dance at its most visionary and accessible..." Musician (11/95, p.93) - "...Leftfield takes a decidedly eclectic approach to dance music, drawing from a variety of influences instead of relying on a single style. Not only does that keep the groove from becoming predictable, but it allows the band to indulge a wide range of musical moods..." NME (Magazine) (12/23-30/95, pp.22-23) - Ranked #28 in NME's 'Top 50 Albums Of The Year' for 1995 - "...encompasses South American percussion, dub, the icy techno-goth tonsils of Toni Halliday and Lydon's fearsome apocalyptic warbling."
