Track Listing

1. Release The Pressure
2. Afro-Left
3. Melt
4. Song Of Life
5. Original
6. Black flute
7. Space shanty
8. Inspection (Check one)
9. Storm 3000
10. Open up
11. 21st century poem

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3818 in Music
• Released on: 2000-01-10
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Ever since they were credited with inventing progressive house with their first single "Not Forgotten" in 1991, Leftfield have been earmarked as pioneers. Their debut album was a glorious fruition of their talents, delivering on all fronts and sealing their place in dance music history. Effortlessly weaving intoxicating rhythms and sublime melodies around the diverse vocals of former Sex Pistol John Lydon, reggae toaster Earl Sixteen and indie ice maiden Toni Halliday, Leftism is a scintillating journey through all the planes of club culture. From the interstellar dancehall vibes of "Release The Pressure" to the languid splendour of "Melt" and the peerless dancefloor dynamics of "Song Of Life", Paul Daley and Neil Barnes prove themselves jacks of all trades and masters of them all. "Make room for me," screamed Lydon on "Open Up"; the rest of the dance music world duly stepped aside to let the Leftfield juggernaut through. --Ed Potton

CD Description
With Leftism, Leftfield made the crossover of techno into the pop mainstream two years before the likes of the ChemicalBrothers. Embarking on a series of high-profile collaborations, they introduced to the charts a musical manifesto that had been popular in the clubs for years - including ambient ('Song Of Life'), pure techno, ragga, African tribal chants ('Afro-Left') and the all-important remix. The pumping, snarling 'Open Up', featuring John Lydon, predated the Prodigy in its blend of punk and dance, and 'Original', with Curve's Toni Halliday, ironically inspired a multitude of imitators.Most of these tracks have become ubiquitous through mainstream television and film, and it is easy to forget that, before Leftfield, techno music had only rarely stepped outside clubland.

Customer Reviews

Desert island disc
I have around 700 CDs and this is the best of the lot. It's the only album I have which I can play all the way through. There are no fillers, no average tracks. Every single one is a highlight although 'Release the pressure', 'Space shanty' and 'Open up' just have the slightest edge over the rest. 'Leftism' is frequently mentioned as the best ever 'dance' or 'electronica' album. That's not much of a compliment considering the poor quality of 99% of dance music. IMO, the only 'dance' albums that come anywhere close are Orbital's brown album, Underworld's 'Dubnobass..' and Fluke's 'Puppy' and 'Risotto'. Nope. 'Leftism' is frankly the best album I've ever heard and is one of the few that I still play regularly, even almost a decade after its release.

The Best Dance Album ever made - full stop
It takes a lot to impress a man who would rather listen to a four piece guitair band then a couple of talented computer whiz kids make magic on their yamaha synths and drum machines - but it all changed with this unquestionable classic album by Leftfield.

This is not an album made of hit singles and album fillers for it really does take you on a journey, just like any other clasic album should do.

From the opening bars of Release the Pressure followed by Afro Left - both of which have damaged my speakers at some time or other. Right through to the epic closing featuring Mr Pistols himself - an album that deserves to be in any real music fans collection.

Top-notch album for dance music fans
I was recommended Leftfield's second release, Rhythm and Stealth, by a friend who wasn't really a fan of dance music and, having not seen that album in the shops, bought this one instead first. I was impressed from the start, yet this album has grown on me since then. It is an entirely unique record - a seamless blend of high-quality dance and ethereal chillout from a talented outfit.

Several of the tracks (or at least sections of them) will be familiar to many, as they have appeared on TV programs such as Big Brother (Original) and adverts (Release The Pressure etc). However, it is possible to get a full feel for these tracks on the album, many of which sound entirely different away from the context of TV.

I would recommend this album to any fan of dance music, but also to music fans looking to broaden their horizons a little; it is an excellent musical work and demands attention from any truly open-minded lover of music.