Leftfield

Leftfield
Leftfield performing live in 2016: L-R: Adam Wren, Neil Barnes, Nick Rice (from the band Hadouken!)
Leftfield performing live in 2016: L-R: Adam Wren, Neil Barnes, Nick Rice (from the band Hadouken!)
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active1989–2002, 2010–present
Labels
MembersNeil Barnes
Adam Wren
Sebastian Beresford
Past membersPaul Daley
Websiteleftfieldmusic.com

Leftfield are a British electronic music group formed in 1989, a duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley (the latter formerly of The Rivals and A Man Called Adam). The duo was influential in the evolution of electronic music in the 1990s, with Mixmag describing them as "the single most influential production team working in British dance music".[1] As with many of their contemporaries, such as The Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim, Leftfield are notable for their use of guest vocalists in their works. Among them are Toni Halliday on "Original", Johnny Rotten on "Open Up", Djum Djum on "Afro-Left", Earl 16 and Cheshire Cat on "Release the Pressure", and Grian Chatten of Fontaines D.C. on "Full Way Round". The term progressive house was coined to define their style, a fusion of house with dub and reggae.[2]

There was a hiatus in recording and live performances between 2002 and 2010. When Barnes revived Leftfield, Daley declined to be involved, to focus on his solo career. After touring for a few years, Barnes finished writing new material for a third Leftfield album, Alternative Light Source, which was released in 2015. In 2022, they released their fourth studio album, This Is What We Do.

  1. ^ a b Frank Tope (February 1995). "Burn Bassbins Burn". Mixmag. 2 (45): 46–50.
  2. ^ "RELEASE THE PRESSURE!". Melody Maker. 5 December 1992.