Hometown: London, England
Year Formed: 1990

Members:
Neil Barnes and Paul Daley -music
Assorted guest vocalists -guest vocalizing

Bands in the family :
Public Image Ltd., Djum Djum, Renegade Soundwave, Curve, Afrika Bambaataa, The Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream, Brand New Heavies, A Man Called Adam

Notes:
Barnes and Daley were essentially session musicians and professional partiers brought together in the late '80s by a shared love of deep house, electronic funk, acid jazz and tribal rhythms. Barnes recorded 1990's debut single "Not Forgotten" on his own, but it was Daley's freewheeling remix that grabbed the attention of clubbers. The two did a number of high-profile remixes, then started their own Hard Hands label and set to work mining the dance underground and developing the Leftfield sound. The slow gestation period of Leftism was filled by Hard Hands' championing of the emerging junglist scene and taster singles like "Song of Life" and "Open Up," which raised expectations to a simmer. Leftism finally arrived in 1995, and met with universal acclaim, but the duo quickly retreated again. Allegedly suffering from self-doubt and poor in-studio communication, Barnes and Daley took four years to make Rhythm and Stealth. Their return was heralded by the use of "Phat Planet" on a spectacular Guinness ad in Britain, which raised demand so high that the group had to release a limited edition vinyl copy for DJs well before the album was due.

A lot of people were eager for the arrival of this album, but few knew how badly the world needed it. Leftism is the first world map of dance, charting worldbeat, jungle, techno, hip-hop and a steel drum full of dub across an ever-fragmenting clubland. Barnes and Daley's hardcore cred (ex-punks, friends with lots of Rasta types, no interviews) and pop touch made them perfect emissaries, and Leftism became the first essential clubber's purchase to crossover to the mainstream.

Part of Leftism's crossover - and Leftfield's retention of club cool -- can be attributed to the savvy use of guest vocalists. "Original" pits Curve's Toni Halliday against moody trip-hop, thereby inventing Garbage two years early, while the artist formerly known as Johnny Rotten's banshee prophecy of a burning Hollywood over the caning house rhythms of "Open Up" still sounds incendiary. Conversely, "Afro-Left," "Space Shanty" and junglist tornado "Storm 3000" deliver punishing dancefloor beats without sacrificing the instant, dynamic impact of top-flight pop.

Think all techno dates in two years? Think again. Leftism distilled the revolutionary sounds of the early '90s into timeless songs, and even as the second Leftfield album approaches, the debut sounds fresher than 1999's flavor-of-the-month junglists and big beaters. Come a new millenium, it'll still be sitting next to the CD player.