Leftfield – This Is What We Do
The term ‘progessive house’ has come a long way since it was first coined in the 90’s to describe a new sound coming out of Britain that fused UK house with touches of techno and trance, being formulated by the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, but most significantly, Leftfield. In fact, the electronic duo’s Not Forgotten is often cited as “the first progressive house record” in history. Since then, the term has evolved in tandem with the sound of progressive house itself, now associated more with the EDM of Mau5trap than the innovations of Guerilla Records. Though the existence of the genre itself is testament to the influence that Leftfield have had on contemporary dance music, with the duo single handedly carving out an entirely new direction in the field. In the midst of the recent 90’s revival, and the return of some of that era’s icons like Orbital, William Orbit, and Röyksopp, it makes sense that Leftfield should emerge to reclaim their spot in the pantheon of electronic music pioneers. This Is What We Do, their latest album, attempts to do just that. And while their contemporaries have put out albums and singles that feel either stuck in the past or rehashes of this point in time, Leftfield seem entirely unconcerned with playing to nostalgia.
This Is What We Do is an album that makes sense in the present moment; it is not so much a product of the past as it is informed by it. This may be due in part to Neil Barnes being the only original member of the duo, joined here by Adam Wren. This fresh perspective makes the body of work a far cry stronger than recent projects from the likes of Orbit and even Röyksopp, whose Achilles heel was often their reliance on the past on their recent albums, so much so that the music felt dated. With This Is What We Do, Leftfield manages to touch on the cornerstones of their innovation, while staying in tune with the zeitgeist. Making A Difference, for instance, ropes in author Lemn Sissay who appeared on Leftfield’s 1995 debut to provide more abrasive verses, here set against a sharply textured house soundscape that’s as current as it gets. Similarly, Accumulator sounds like an updated Not Forgotten; the foundations essentially the same, but the sound sleek and modern. The more propulsive moments are arguably This Is What We Do’s strongest, and the tracklist does feel weighted sometimes by hollower mid-tempo jams like Machines Like Me or Rapture 16. But even in these moments, the quality of the Leftfield’s sounds and synths are masterful, and it’s impossible not to feel engaged by what they create. The Tchaparian-esque Heart and Soul is a fascinating piece of earcandy, while Pulse features a D’n’B bass and 808 wobble so filthy, it feels devious. Credit must be given to the mixing, layering, and composition of Leftfield’s tracks as well. The peaks and valleys they carve out is spellbinding. The title track, a sticky motorik jam, evolves over its near five minutes through layers of percussion and computer sounds into a gummy, kinetic tech masterpiece.
Download and stream This Is What We Do here
This Is What We Do is a breathtaking body of work, one that more successfully melds the Leftfield of the past with the present moment than their 2015 comeback, Alternative Light Source. This Is What We Do bangs with an overall edge and aggression that makes for some of Leftfield’s most hard hitting music in recent memory. That the music here is likely born from Barnes’s recent personal struggles doesn’t hinder it, it allows it to flourish.
Listen to Accumulator from This Is What We Do below.
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