Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: Lost in Music: Post Industrial Dreamscape is a powerful film made by British artist Jermaine Francis. This is its soundtrack and it is a collaboration between Tony Bontana and Francis himself. The soundscape mirrors the film's moody and smoky dissonance as it delves into Post-Industrial Britain's social and political landscape through Francis's life. After being inspired by seeing the film, Full Circle saw potential in the track and remixed it into a loose yet mechanical sound with trippy synths and churning bass, while Ukrainian artist Shjva added her own interpretation that is a much more heady and dee bit of techno with cosmic synth overtones and an otherworldly feel.

Review: Heart Dance Recordings is a genuinely unique proposition: a new age, ambient and spiritual music label run by, and for, women, offering up decidedly calming music from an ever-growing roster of artists. The Phoenix-based imprint's latest full-length excursion was created by a trio of musicians: flautist Sherry Finzer, percussionist and vocalist Karasvana (real name Ella Hunt) and synthesizer enthusiast-come-guitarist City of Dawn (Damian Duque). There's much to admire about The Journeying Sun, from the daybreak beauty of 'Memory of Awakening' and the immersive, enveloping bliss of 'On Seashores of Endless Worlds', with its haunting chimes and drifting vocal refrains, to wide-eyed aural wonder of 'Resident Wandering' and the simultaneously pastoral and ethereal 'Indefiniteness'.

Review: FKA twigs delivers Eusexua, her latest and hotly anticipated new album, and the latest to follow 2022's Caprisongs. A strong and determined directional shift away from Caprisongs' cutesy sensibility (we see it as no surprise that her last album was released under Atlantis, while Eusexua comes via home slices on her home turf, Young), Eusexua hears the artist formerly known as twigs take up a futuristic grey, suited, officiated and incorporated style, informed by a roundabout notion of "eusexua", her own coinage: "a feeling of momentary transcendence often evoked by art, music, sex, and unity." Themes of disconnected embodiment run rampant throughout the album, showing no signs of ambivalence where others might flinch in the face of greyness or techno-uniformity. Twigs' vision reclaims abundant but still currently dubious themes of hard work, grist and prosthesis, and as ever resounds in palates of glistening, glossy mecha-r&b, inheriting Bjorkish chameleonics and contrasting said spikiness with no less impassioned tales of her enjoying the underground techno scene in Prague, among other sources of inspiration.

Review: As a former member of Kraftwerk, Wolfgang Flur is never short of offers to collaborate. On Time, his first solo album for three years, he's once again taken up many of these offers. So alongside regular collaborators Peter Duggal, U96 and Miriam Suarez, you'll also find contributions from New Order bassist Peter Hook, Thomas Bangalter (aka Vangarde, taking his disco-making father's moniker surname here) Detroit electro and techno pioneer Juan Atkins (who appears on opener 'Posh'), and long-serving techno producers Anthony Rother and Fabrice Lig. As a result, Time is rooted in sharp electro, synth-pop and revivalist new wave, but also offers nods to techno, electroclash, acid house and proto-trance, with Suarez and Flur take it in turns to add their own atmospheric vocals. If you enjoyed Flur's previous album, Magazine, you'll lap this one up - it's an even stronger proposition.

Review: Hypnotism I is a new album from Foundation that the artist himself says has been a cherished part of his work since shortly after his previous work Mountain Ambient IV. We're told that its creation was a slow, immersive process that unfolded over months, with each layer evolving patiently. By composing intuitively, the album emerged naturally to reflect a glacial depth and subconscious growth. Its four pieces are all richly layered soundscapes with wispy melodies and dusty drones that sink you in deep and free your mind of all woes.

Review: Wherever You Are is the sonic result, expressed through solo piano, of a bright burst of introspection experienced at home by John Foxx of Ultravox fame. Made up of compositions he created in the quiet hours following a rare performance at Kings Place, London, during the BBC Radio 3 Night Tracks event in October 2023, the majority of Wherever You Are was recorded at home, with Foxx noting that the matutinal hours are the best for minimising self-criticism, and letting creative freedom flow. Morning, on Foxx's watch, is the ideal time to play: and in stark contrast to his oblique solo LP Metamatic, Foxx's latest is a mono-instrumental monument to personal tranquility and contentment. It reiterates the importance of quietude and temperance as crucial start-points for navigating the complex world we face today.

Review: Past Inside the Present label head and ambient powerhouse zake aka Zach Frizzell has collaborated with several of his renowned peers over the years, not least From Overseas aka Kevin Sery and James Bernard. Their collaborative album Flint showcases them all their peak with an immersive blend of their own sounds making for a rich soundscape full of subtle depth and warmth. Beginning with 'Conifer,' the record evokes autumn's crisp air with understated drones and field recordings while the title track layers electronics, bass and guitar into a lush, Fripp & Eno-inspired sound. Together with other widescreen standouts like 'Fir' and 'Thistle' they create a beautifully cohesive and reflective ambient trip.

Review: German guitarist and bandleader JJ Whitefield, known for his authentic, timeless sound, delves into 'spiritual jazz' on his latest album, The Infinity Of Nothingness. With a career spanning over three decades, Whitefield's journey began in the early 90s with Poets Of Rhythm, pioneers of the Deep Funk scene. Since then, he has explored various musical styles, including funk with Karl Hector and Ethiopian Jazz, West African highlife, Kraut-rock, and ambient music under his Rodinia moniker. The Infinity Of Nothingness is a set of mature, meditative orchestrations, drawing inspiration from Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders without becoming mere tributes. The album weaves subtle elements of hip-hop, library music, and avant-garde into its sound, creating a unified, trance-like feel. From the sparse opener 'Nothingness' to the three-part 'Infinity Suite' - 'Time', 'Space' and 'Energy' - the album reflects Whitefield's exceptional ability to craft music that resonates deeply with its influences while standing the test of time. As with his early work, Whitefield's latest project continues to set a high standard in musical exploration.

Review: Certain Path is a serene, piano-driven album by collaborators zake (aka label head Zach Frizzell), From Overseas which is Kevin Sery and City of Dawn aka Damien Duque. This reflective collection of seven pieces invites deep contemplation with tender piano motifs and subtle drones creating a meditative atmosphere. Opening with 'Where Time Slows Down,' the album blends delicate melodies with layered guitar textures. Inspired by Frizzell's wife, the title track offers heartfelt emotion, while 'Avec l'aide de Vincent' honours a close mentor. Throughout, the artists employ nocturnal recording sessions, field recordings and analogue treatments to craft an introspective, evocative listening experience.

Notes: Synthesizer Evolution: From Analogue to Digital (and Back) author Oli Freke returns with a new volume in his Synthesizer Evolution A6 zine series. The modular resurgence of the past 25 years has been a wonder to behold. Where musicians were once chained to their DAWs, we are now liberated once again to wire, patch, and modulate in the real world, choosing from a mind-boggling array of options.

Modular Greats celebrates the fusion of art, logic, science, and serendipity in modular synthesis, highlighting some of the best-selling, most creative, and most impactful modules of the 21st century. Featured manufacturers include Make Noise, Mutable Instruments, TipTop Audio, Intellijel, Rossum Electro-Music, Doepferiand many more!