Leftfield

When Paul Daley and Neil Barnes founded Leftfield in 1989, they brought a drummer’s sensibility to the world of programmed beats.

Both were percussionists—Barnes had studied samba, while Daley had done sessions with Primal Scream and The Brand New Heavies—and on early singles like 1992’s “Release the Pressure,” the UK duo fleshed out house music’s lean electronic pulse with booming, muscular grooves.

As rave’s early anarchy settled into clearly defined genres, Leftfield kept their music unpredictable: Their 1995 debut album, Leftism, toys with trip-hop, dub, techno, and breakbeats.