Leftfield

Neil Barnes and Paul Daley, inspired by house music's many facets formed the production team of Leftfield, working with several artists who were at the cutting edge of dance music. Leftfield were famous in the studio for their remixes of such artists as Adamski and Detroit house legend Kevin Saunderson's Inner City project. In 1991 their first single, "Not Forgotten" was an instant club hit heard around the world, trademarking their production work on a simple, but cutting edge dance track. Barnes and Daley signed to Outer Rhythm Records (a subsidiary of Rhythm King, home to Bomb The Bass, S'Express and Baby Ford), and released another single called "More Than I Know." As the recognition and credibility as producers became apparent, Leftfield received even more remix work from Guerrilla Records band React 2 Rhythm, David Bowie, British pop act D:Ream, and later on remixed Renegade Soundwave, Ultra Nate, Yothu Yindi and Stereo Mcs. Leftfield also took to producing a ragga singer named Djum Djum who released a record on Outer Rhythm with Leftfield called "Difference." At this point in 1992, it was evident that Leftfield had enough of a following to put their money where it would best be used, their own record label to promote other artists with the same ideas as theirs. Taking the name from their production alias, Hard Hands, Leftfield began to sign various acts further promoting the bass-induced, rhythmic and dubby-house Leftfield were growing famous for. Their first release was the first Leftfield record on Hard Hands, a track featuring Earl Sixteen on a ragga-vocal called "Release the Pressure." Personified by deep bass and Leftfield's classic drive, the single unleashed Leftfield to a growing number of fans interested in their unique and rhythmic style, but still very much in the underground of British dance music. After "Release The Pressure" other releases followed without direct Leftfield input by such names as Bushflange, Small World and other close friends of Leftfield interested in releasing singles directed at the dance floor. Leftfield themselves released another single on Hard Hands, the monstrous "Song Of Life." Weaving in and out of scratching samples, huge bass line, and a beat that seemed to have impossible energy. Leftfield and Underworld remixed the track on a series of 12"s and was a major crossover for Leftfield in the commercial market. The single reached the British National Charts as well as being exported to America on a compilation called "Futurhythms". Leftfield's "Not Forgotten" found it's way into American hands as well on "The Best Of House Music 4: Future House". "Song Of life" was also on a dj EP released for "Futurhythms" with an extended version. Recruiting former Sex Pistols and PIL singer, John Lydon, Leftfield and Lydon released "Open Up", a track written by Lydon as a bitter testimony of an audition for a film he had not received a role in. Angry at the entire industry, Lydon replies "You lied, you cheated, you cheated you changed the stakes....Open Up, make room for me". A stomping 9 minute power-house record that lived up to everything Leftfield fans were looking for. A club hit, and a resurrection for Lydon, anyone anywhere in London could hear the rumblings of Lydon as he chanted "Burn Hollywood Burn." But despite the wide acclaim for the track, MTV in London refused to play the video due to it's negative connotations to Hollywood. Despite quite a few protests, the video was banned, and the single got a bad rep for being a bit too over the top, when the single had not even been released in America yet. Leftfield produced and performed the single with Lydon and the 12" featured a 13 minute epic overdrive version which stripped the track down and rebuilt the fundamental beat and rhythm with a new bass line. Leftfield stayed away from the spotlight for awhile as "Open Up" became a club anthem, and Britain's finest export into the US. Columbia Records, London, decided it was too much to let these two monstrous boys go unwatched, and offered Leftfield a deal with Hard Hands to back any Leftfield releases in the future. Leftfield agreed, and Columbia knew they had captured another hit. Still releasing other bands strictly on Hard hands, Leftfield took to working on more of their own material. They had grown tired of remixing, and admitted that they had taken several of their own ideas to do remixes, and would rather save them for their own material. It certainly would take a lot for anything bad to come out of Leftfield, since all the remixes were brilliant anyway. But in early 1995, after a year or so of disappearance, Leftfield were ready for their long-long-awaited debut LP. It had been 5 years since "Not Forgotten" and fans were skeptical at the unleashing of the new Leftfield, even Columbia wondered if their fans were still around. But Leftfield were ready, and in January released Leftism in the UK. Sifting in and out of their old singles and all new material, the album explored all facets of dance music, and many other styles as well. From progressive to trance, to reggae, to ambient, "Leftism" struck home, and critical acclaim followed. Reworking their early single "Song Of Life" into a 1995 version, the track was completely rebuilt with sharper beats and bass. Appearing in massive live arenas like The Block and Glastonbury, the duo showed to its fans that their music was as strong as their sound system. Their infusion has created a splinter group inside the ardent house and dub genre followers. Prior to Leftfield, no one attempted their kind of fusion and after their innovative sounds the world of electronica was compelled to blur the lines further. Their second and final album, Rhythm And Stealth (1999) maintained a similar style but with a harder, bleaker techno edge, and featured such artists as Roots Manuva, Afrika Bambaataa, and MC Cheshire Cat from Birmingham. The album was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize in 2000 but lost-out to Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast. It reached #1 in the UK Albums Chart. The album featured the song "Phat Planet" which featured on Guinness' 1999 advert, Surfer.