Leftfield Interview

The British group credited for taking electronic music onto the live stage, Leftfield are back with a new album and tour that will see them play in Australia this February. Now led by original member, Neil Barnes, we had a chat with the main man to talk new influences, the growth of electronic music, and his desire to work on a particular movie soundtrack.

16 years after ‘Rhythm and Stealth’, you release ‘Alternative Light Source’; how did you know it was the right time to bring out a third album?
We’d been doing some touring in 2010 and we really enjoyed coming back with Leftfield, and I was doing quite a lot of DJing and it just felt like a relevant time. It’s an exciting period for electronic music and I thought it would be great to be a part of that.

What do you make of electronic music today?
When we started making electronic music, it was on the periphery of everything. We weren’t the first to make electronic music – bands like Kraftwerk had been doing it generations before us – but it wasn’t as big. Now it’s like the wallpaper of life. It’s the biggest thing in the world and I never thought it would be. That’s a massive difference.

What about your own influences? Have they changed at all?
Yeah, because I’m inspired by the sounds I hear around me and the music that’s made by a lot of brilliant people. Influences that were around when I started, like punk, are still there but they’re not so much of an influence on me. I’m affected by the music that I listen to which is often underground electronica and that’s definitely stimulated the record. It’s a reflection of Leftfield in 2015.

You went on tour in 2010, so while it hasn’t been as long a wait, have you been keen to get back to a live stage?
Yeah, definitely, it’s been really good. It’s more important than it was before and it’s a different side to the studio. It’s good to play the music really loud and see the reaction of the audience. The 2010 tour wasn’t that type of thing; it was old Leftfield brought up to the times, whereas this tour is far more a reflection on the new album than older stuff. It’s more about the new Leftfield.

So what can ticket holders expect from your shows in February?
You’ll get the very live band – the drummer, samples, and a lot of the new record – with a DJ set as well through different tracks and vocalists.

Is Leftfield a solo project?
I work with a guy called Adam Wren, who wrote and engineered a lot of the tracks with me, so even though I’m known as Leftfield, it’s still a collaborative project.

We can’t forget the power of ‘Phat Planet’ on those Guinness adverts. If you were to have Leftfield on any brand, or were you to have created the soundtrack to a film, is there a specific one you would choose?
Blade Runner.

Yes! I’m so glad you said Blade Runner!
[Laughs] Blade Runner would be wonderful to do a new soundtrack to – but it’s already perfect, that’s the problem! I think they’re remaking it this year.

Have you had any calls?
[Laughs] No, not yet. It’s a frightening thing, I think, to remake it. But, no calls yet. Who knows, maybe after this goes to print they might start flooding in!

Leftfield will be headlining Secret Valley on 20th and 21st February at Calais Estate, NSW and Yarra Valley Estate, VIC. For tickets visit www.eventbrite.com.au