Overview
“Leftism“ is the first studio album by English electronic music group Leftfield.
Background of the Production
Leftfield was formed as a duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley (a former member of the Rivals and A Man Called Adam) in London in 1989.
They released their debut single “Not Forgotten“ from the Outer Rhythm label of Rhythm King Records in 1990.
In the early 1990s, they became known for their intelligent electronic dance music that was based on the U.S. house music and incorporated the elements of dub and reggae.
British electronic dance and clubbing magazine “Mixmag“ termed their style “progressive house“.
Commentary
The album “Leftism“ was released in 1995 on Columbia Records. It reached number 3 in the UK albums chart.
It consists of five re-recorded versions of singles recorded between 1992 and 1995 and other six new tracks.
The tracks were produced by mixing a variety of styles, such as house, reggae, dub, hip-hop breakbeat, tribal, and trance.
“Release the Pressure“ is a track released as a single in 1992. It is a dubby track featuring reggae singer Earl Sixteen on vocals. The updated version of the song was released as a single in 1996, and reached number 13 in the UK charts.
“Afro-Left” is a song released as a single in 1995. It featured rapper Neil Cole as Djum Djum on vocals. It reached number 22 in the UK charts.
“Song of Life” is a track released as a single in 1992.
“Original” is a track released as a single in 1995. It featured Toni Halliday from English alternative rock band Curve on vocals. It reached number 18 in the UK charts.
“Space Shanty“ is a track in the trance style.
“Inspection (Check One)” is a dubby track featuring reggae musician Danny Red on vocals.
“Storm 3000“ is a track in the Jungle/Drum & Bass style.
“Open Up” is a track released as a single in 1993. It featured John Lydon from Public Image Ltd. on vocals. It reached number 13 in the UK charts.
The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 1995, but lost to Portishead’s “Dummy“.
The album was included in Robert Dimery’s “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die“.
In 2007, “The Guardian“ included the album in their list of “1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die”.
The album was re-released as a double CD in 2000. The second CD contains B-sides and remixes from the original singles.
In 2017, the band released “Leftism 22“, a remastered version with a bonus disc of remixes by artists including Adrian Sherwood.
Track Listing
- Release the Pressure – 7:39
- Afro-Left – 7:33
- Melt – 5:21
- Song of Life – 6:55
- Original – 6:22
- Black Flute – 3:46
- Space Shanty – 7:15
- Inspection (Check One) – 6:30
- Storm 3000 – 5:44
- Open Up – 6:52
- 21st Century Poem – 5:42
Personnel
- Neil Barnes – production, keyboards, guitar, drum programming
- Paul Daley – production, keyboards, mixing
- Stuart Lock – additional keyboards & drums
- Earl Sixteen, Cheshire Cat, Papa Dee, Djum Djum, Toni Halliday, Danny Red, John Lydon, Lemn Sissay – vocals
- Kevin Hayes – berimbau
- Paul Solomons – mastering
- David Hodge – engineering