18. Leftism - Leftfield 1995
Among people not into the genre, House Music is a pretty dirty word. Not really taken seriously and written off as being for drug-addled dance floor zombies, but this record, blew those preconceptions out of the water. A truly unifying album that doesn't dip into other genres, in order to crossover in the same way that say, Primal Scream or The Prodigy did. This, although had influence from a few different styles of music, is an out an out Progressive House album. Now and again, a release will come along that is just so good, that it cannot be ignored, even by those that aren't into the scene that belongs to. This kind of lightning-in-a-bottle event usually happens when the stars align perfectly. It is to do with timing, quality and most importantly, being very accessible, without sacrificing its responsibility to the genre it represents. Metallica's 'Black Album' is the Heavy Metal version. The Stone Roses' debut album is the Indie-Rock example and for further illustration of this point, Public Enemy's 'Fear of a Black Planet', would be Hip-Hop's contribution. Leftfield is made up of two gentlemen, Neil Barnes and Paul Daley, who were two record producers and recording artists, in their own right. They came together in London at the tail end of the 80's. In 1995, the Electronic music magazine, Mixmag, that serves as the bible for all things Dance Music based, called Barnes and Daley, 'the single most influential production duo working in British Dance Music. This was even taking into account the likes of The Chemical Brothers and Underworld,who are both hugely respected outfits within this particular field. The track, 'Open Up', was released shortly before 'Leftism' appeared, and featured John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) from the Sex Pistols, on vocals. It became a hit, even reaching number 13 in the UK charts. That this song is, by far the weakest, is testament to the level of quality on display. The album dropped soon after and was nominated for the illustrious, Mercury Music Award, narrowly losing out to 'Dummy', by Portishead (along with 'Maxinquaye', by Tricky). Often, House Music, was described as only really being understood by those who enjoy using amphetamines and hallucinogenic drugs. This isn't really an unfair conclusion, in most cases. The remarkable thing about 'Leftism', is that it is hugely enjoyable, without any form of chemical enhancement. A high number of cannabis users, stay away from any other form of controlled substance, and have commented, that often House Music is unsuitable and irritating when under the effects of marijuana use, but cite these 11 tracks as perfect accompaniment to it. That includes quite a number of the tracks that use the "4-to-the-floor" dance beat, which is more likely to be used in a club, than a low-lit living room. The album, which features some dub and reggae embellishments, is a real journey that just demands to be listened to and have full attention paid to it. Definitely not background music, tracks such as, 'Release the Pressure', 'Original' and 'Inspection (Check One)', truly come alive when listened to on headphones, or at least,
very loud. The band, when making live appearances, certainly liked things loud with many appearances resulting in members of the public receiving refunds due to the performance being unbearably high in decibels. So loud, was one show, at Brixton Academy, that plaster fell from the venues roof. The album is cited as one the most influential Dance Music releases ever and spawned thousands of fans to create home studios in an attempt to recreate their own, Electronic Music masterpiece.