LEFTFIELD

This Is What We Do (Virgin)

Leftfield’s debut album, 1995’s seminal, speaker-blowing deep dub and futuristic Afrobeat-immersed Leftism, remains a contender for best-ever dance music full-length. Consequently, any subsequent releases are held up in comparison to that weighty debut. This Is What We Do is the closest Leftfield have come to giving Leftism something to fret about: an electro-heavy monster that’s akin to a Bronx block party soaking up the vibes of the Brotherhood Club in Detroit, with an end result that is undeniably a Neil Barnes creation.

Poet Lemn Sissay, who featured on Leftism’s 21st Century Poem, returns to the Leftfield fold for the poignant Making A Difference, while the fine first three tracks to be released from the album – Pulse, Accumulator and Full Way Round, featuring Grian Chatten from Fontaines DC – are not even the best of the dozen that make up This Is What We Do. After three decades, Leftfield still reign supreme.

words DAVID NOBAKHT