Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Musician, writer and sometime member of Kraftwerk Karl Bartos wrote The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari as a tribute to the iconic 1920 silent horror film whose original music score had long been lost. Through electronic compositions, Bartos skilfully captures the eerie atmosphere and psychological depth of the movie, enhancing its haunting narrative with his sonic reinterpretation. The album immerses listeners in a world of suspense and mystery, blending ominous synth melodies with pulsating rhythms and cinematic soundscapes. Bartos' masterful fusion of retro-futuristic aesthetics and contemporary electronic music was made after he dug deep into his own archives to recreate epics he wrote as a young classical musician and offers an all-new perspective on the original soundtrack.

Review: While Fritz Lang's Metropolis has enjoyed reams of revisionist soundtracks in the near-century since it was released, Robert Weine's The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari has remained a more cult concern of Weimar-era cinema. Karl Bartos, one of the early members of Kraftwerk, has indulged his passion for the art of this unique period between world wars, when technology and art was changing as rapidly as the world around them. Employing his considerable experience and well-appointed studio to the task of re-soundtracking, Bartos has created this vibrant new score for Weine's film, pressed up here on double vinyl with an accompanying 16-page booklet.

Review: Talk about creating a universe for yourself. Die Welttraumforscher, or World Dream Explorer, is an imagined musical trio with cosmic tendencies conjured by the mind of Swiss electronic composer Christian Pfluger. Active since 1981, 41 years in and the project is still going very strong and admired by a cult legion of international fans alongside some of the most influential contemporary synth doyens.

Liederbuch is the first new material in some time, an event that will be celebrated by many. Largely rooted in psychedelic indie-tronica, downbeat lounge-worthy beats, and blissful acoustic alt-balladry, it's a beautiful collection showcasing the ingenuity inherent in the music of a truly enigmatic artist who, despite focusing largely on the same endeavour for four decades now, has never remained still for long.

Review: German band Kreidler reach the rather significant milestone of a fifteenth studio album here with Spells And Daubs. By now they are masters of their form, which is a mix of electronica and krautrock but with hints of influence from British pop music. The rhythms are bendy and dubby, ever evolving and alluring from the off with well defined lines and lots of little details all fleshing out the grooves. Dark melodies never grow too foreboding as clicks, whirrs and hits swing to and fro over the top. It is a trance including record that demands close listening on a good system for maximum effect.

Review: Kreidler return to Bureau B and not without good reason. Their seventh outing on the highly respected label follows suit on previous exploits, exploring some outer limits of cosmic-leaning, guitar-led, electronically augmented stuff. Tracks that feel made for the hidden dancefloors of weird basements as much as the soundtracks to avant garde science fiction. And if that's too much of a stretch, let's just say 'mesmerising' and have done with it. Comparing and contrasting the warm bleeps and filtered hooks of 'Diver', for example, with 'Tanger Telex' and its strange, smoky brass trip into downtempo smoky heaven serves as a quick example of just how broad yet coherent Twists is. As does 'Arthmetique', a strange, patient thing of rhythmic licks and spoken word, when considered next to the fuzzy, dub-tech-meets-math rock of 'Mount Mason'.

Review: 40 years on, the work of German electronic pioneers is ripe for reflection. Dieter Mobius in particular was in full flight following his breakthrough years in Cluster, working prolifically with Conny Plank for a fruitful collaborative mission as well as his own solo works, of which Tonspuren is one of the finest. As well as creating innovative sonic forms through his exploration of synthesis, Moebius was equally fascinating for the playful spirit of his music. It's as humorous and delightfully odd as it is compelling, whether dealing in abrasive, motorik sequences or revelling in dislocated cascades of textural ambient expression.

Review: Influential Hamburg band Palais Schaumburg's self-titled 1981 album takes some beating. It is one of German alternative music's most accomplished and critically acclaimed works, with hardcore prasie from those who know. Fusing rock, new wave and experimental across 10 timeless track, it mixes tight post punk rhythms with dubbed out vibes and avant-garde ideas. This deluxe reissue of Holger Hiller, Thomas Fehlmann, Ralf Hertwig and Timo Blunck's best record includes all tracks from the original album on a nice red slab of wax with a new insert

Review: RECOMMENDED
Every once in a while you get hold of an album with a title that couldn't be more fitting. Pioff? is one of those moments. Quite what this music is, or where it comes from, is anyone's guess on first impressions, making for perhaps the best use of a question mark we have seen in some time. As jaunty and upbeat as it is robotic and regimented, here's proof that German funk is all about that mechanical strut.

Whether it's 'Pass Auf!', a track that boasts one of the most infectious stepping beats you could ask for, the sublime e-funk pop of 'In Der Nacht', or the woozy guitar and synth odyssey 'Schau Dich Doch An', the fact of the matter is Pioff make tunes that could have been made at any time in human history - past or future. Kraut-slo-mo-chug-electro-groove might be one way to put it.

Review: Club scene doyen, dance music veteran, and rave culture hero Johannes Auvinen opts to depart from the dance floor, at least for the time being, and deliver Arles - an ode to the other side of the electronic-acid scene, those sounds that make most sense after the chaos and carnage of a party have subsided and you're safely home on the couch with you and yours and all dearest.
And it works as well as it should, with the experience both of living in that world and making anthems for it clearly evident in the overall production quality and ideas. Arles is a warm blanket, that friendly therapist, an album that understands where you've been because it was there too. Remarkably, despite what that may suggest, this is not ambient or particularly leftfield stuff. Instead, it's rhythmic, pop-infused electronica goodness, for want of a more succinct, less awkward turn of phrase.

Review: Detlef Weinrich is back with his fifth full-length album under the Tolouse Low Trax moniker. Now based in Paris after leaving Dussledorf, he heads in something of a new direction and brings heavy yet velvet sounds which replace the rawness of his earlier work. Tracks on Leave Me Alone bring razor-sharp rhythms to drifting cosmic melodies, there are slow and industrial drones and haunting pads, a signature sense of drum funk and much more besides. This is a great new sound for an artist always on the move.

Review: It has been two years since the first 'Sowas Von Egal' compilation arrived courtesy of Hamburg label Bureau B and Hamburg party series Damaged Goods. The world is unrecognisable compared to then, but diving headfirst into a bunch of obscure tracks from one of Europe's countercultural epicentres, recorded during one of the country's most troubled but fascinating and creative periods, is still a wonderful experience. While tracks here veer from having one foot in indie punk to full blown electronic assaults, the energy levels are consistent throughout - in short, they all pack a punch, whether it's the runaway juggernaut of Vono's 'Fred Der Ritter' or the frenzied looped bleeps on 'Steig Den Luis Trenker' by 4712. Similarly, with distortions, fizzes, crackles and all manner of other audible DIY tells, it's hard to argue with the fact that everything here puts artistry first and foremost, giving commerciality short shrift.

Review: Richard von der Schulenburg is the much loved resident DJ at the Golden Pudel club in Hamburg and he has been since 2005. He makes disco, house and techno but is also an ambient craftsman with a new age disposition. Bureau B snap him up here for nine tracks of lush and melodic electronic music that is detailed and engaging. There are gentle xylophone sounds on the opener, while 'Caravan Of The Pentamatics' gets more mystic and otherworldly with its curious leads. 'DX7s Broken Hearts' is the sound of a machine in love and 'Planet Dragon' pairs edgy synth sounds with gypsy beats.