Leftfield
Considering that Leftfield have only actually released five singles, they have over four years, but largely concentrated into two - Paul Daley and Neil Barnes, and have become a major force on the UK dance scene. Their name is instantly associated with a distinct quality found wanting in any other areas and whilst on his own Paul Daley continues to be in demand for his distinct DJ'ing style, they further widened their range with the amazing Leftfield Livism tour of '95. Leftfields complete discography proudly resides on the Hard Hands record label.
Album: Leftism
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The debut album from Leftfield which hit the #1 slot in the album charts in '95, and was supported by their brilliant 'Livism' Tour. Its been milked for singles over the past two years and is still going strong. This album and its multitude of singles covers all areas of dance music; trance, dub, breakbeat, ambient....probably why Leftfield are currently being so successful - they don't stick to one area of dance music and thus they appeal to many. The album kicks of with the excellent Release the Pressure - this is the best mix in my opinion (the single being a bit of a disappointment). Vocals from Djum Djum support Afro left (released as a not so limited edition single) which brings us upon the dreamy Melt. Turn of the lights and chill out to this trance / ambient beauty. Song of life is another wicked track (excellent single as well). Toni Halliday lends her vocal talents to Original (naff single), leaving Space Shanty and Open Up as the final tracks worth mentioning. Originally demo'ed in 1990 whilst under the Rhythm King roof, Neil Barnes had always planned for Open Up to be recorded with John Lydon. Although radically different from it's original form it was not only one of the most exciting records of 1993, but for some, the last decade and beyond.
An amazing album.....but isn't it about time for
some new material????
Single: Afro Left
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Djum Djum lends vocals to this excellent track. Not sure what they were playing at with Afro Ride, with samples in the intro that really do bend your head.....eventually, the track get going and builds into quite a modest stomp. Afro Sol is a beautifully laid back ambient version of the track. Finally, Afro Central, which will appeal to drum and bass fans, but i'm not so keen on this version.
Single: Original
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Conventional lyrics from Toni Halliday bring Original close to the realms of pop-type dance music. Not my favourite track on the album, and I was disappointed with what this single had to offer. The Live Dub is a dubbed (!) slowed down, more laid back mix of the album version, whilst the Jam mix is a little bit more interesting, again ditching the vocals in favour of a slow funk beat. As for Filter Fish...ummmm....not sure about this track at all!
Single: Release The Pressure
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One of the my favourite tracks from the album, with Earl Sixteen providing mesmerising lyrics. I was surprised that the album mix didn't feature on this single, with an inferior more vocally mix replacing it. Still, this puts a new angle on the track. The mixes Release One through to Release Three are all drum and bass/ hip hop type mixes which i really do not like.....not my kind of thing at all. I'm not going to slate these mixes because I don't appreciate this type of music....lets leave it at that! Finally, Release Four is a laid back dub mix, nothing special though. Again, disappointed with this single, with the album version of RTP coming up tops. But.....go back in time to the now hard-to-find Song Of Life single and there is a wonderful remix of RTP, and also the original '92 12" of RTP contains three wicked remixes - All is not lost!
12": Release The Pressure
[HAND 001T]
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The original '92 12" in its full glory. These three mixes supersede anything found on the '95 single and are of equal quality to the album mix.
Single: Song Of Life
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This single goes back to '92, which shows how old some of Leftfields material is. BUT has it dated???? Not one bit!!! A strong dance beat flows through this uplifting track.....a female chanting aaaa-ahhhhh.....wonderful!
The edit of this track is a little bit severe, fading out rather suspiciously. However, the track is here in its full glory as the Extended mix. Fanfare of Life slows things right down in this ambient dubby version......very nice! Release the Dub is an excellent funky/dub mix of Release the Pressure. Its better than all of the mixes on the RTP single (which isn't that difficult), so the question has got to be asked: why didn't this feature on the recent '95 release?
Single: Open Up
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This is probably the best single released to date from the album Leftism. Originally released in '93 and now only available in the UK on import, so be prepared to fork out for this single - but it's worth it! Both the Full vocal and the Dervish Overdrive mixes are radically different from the album version and far, far better. John Lydon's lyrics are thankfully still intact, but with additional tribal drum rhythms and long flowing introductions to the tracks. Wicked stuff!
Single: Open Up
[HAND009T]
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And this is the alternative cover art.
Album: Rhythm & Stealth
[HANDLP4 / HANDCD4]
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Released 9/99 on Hard Hands. I'm keeping my comments to myself about this one - argue amongst yourselves!
Single: Afrika Shox
[HANDS057CD1 / HANDS057CD2/ HAND057T]
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Released 9/99 on Hard Hands as 2xCD and 1x12".
For further information on Leftfield, see this excellent unofficial web site.
