One of the first techno crossover acts, Leftfield’s music has been a pop-culture staple since the English duo’s 1995 debut, the apocalyptic Leftism. (Most recently, the trance anthem “Song of Life” was used in the film Tomb Raider.) From the tribal dub of its opening track, “Release the Pressure,” to the ambient “Melt,” Leftism eschews mainstream categorization and manages to reside in the leftfield of almost all the electronic genres it propagates. Leftfield’s happy home, though, is the progressive House of tracks like the epic “Afro-Left,” “Black Flute,” and the tribal “Space Shanty.” The now-disbanded Leftfield’s biggest crossover success came with the punk-techno track “Open Up,” featuring ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon.
Since 2001, we've brought you uncompromising, candid takes on the world of film, music, television, video games, theater, and more. Independently owned and operated publications like Slant have been hit hard in recent years, but we’re committed to keeping our content free and accessible—meaning no paywalls or fees.
If you like what we do, please consider subscribing to our Patreon or making a donation.