Leftism

Leftfield: Neil Barnes, Paul Daley.
Additional personnel: Earl Sixteen, Papa Dee, Djum Djum, Toni Halliday, Danny Red, John Lydon, Lemn Sissay (vocals); Kevin Haynes (berimbau).
Engineers: Joe Gibb, Adam Wren, Ollie J., Simon Duffy.
Recorded at Rollover Studios, London, England.
With Leftism, Leftfield made the crossover of techno into the pop mainstream two years before the likes of the Chemical Brothers. 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.