Since resurrecting Leftfield in 2010, Neil Barnes has been a busy boy, slowly working his way back to the heights that the legendary, pioneering 90s progressive breaks outfit reached. On the eve of his return to Perth to DJ in the giant Arcadia ‘rave spider’ for the opening night festivities, Barnes talks to ALFRED GORMAN about being back in the game, feeling inspired and making music that lasts.
It’s been a pretty massive year for Leftfield – following on from the release of 2015’s Alternative Light Source, their first album since 1999’s Rhythm & Stealth – they have been on constant tour. Barnes is calling from his hotel room in Melbourne where he’s enjoying a brief respite after playing Strawberry Fields Festival. “Yeah it’s been really good – I’ve spent a lot of time travelling round the world,” says Barnes. “We finished touring the album about 6 weeks ago – the last gig of the tour was at Bestival. So since then I’ve been working on new material, and doing some DJing in LA and San Francisco, then I’ve just been in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and now Perth!”
While he’s played some other big events round the country, Perth is lucky enough to have him here for the Australian exclusive of Arcadia, DJing from the belly of the beast. Barnes has some history with Arcadia, and highly encourages everyone to come witness this monolithic mechanical monstrosity.
“Yeah the spider is amazing! I was just in Perth earlier this year – I did the live show, and then a DJ set as well. And now I’m coming back to do this DJ set in the spider! Which is always a pleasure… always an experience. I DJ’d in it last year down in Bristol, which is where it’s from originally. It’s quite an extraordinary technical thing to watch – we’re housed inside it – you have to clamber up a ramp to get in. It’s quite mad.”
Arcadia is infamous in the UK as one of the dance stages at Glastonbury, kinda like if Cirque Du Soleil put on a massive rave, and funnily enough it’s been setup right next to the PIAF location where Leftfield played earlier this year. When Barnes DJ’s, it’s very different to a Leftfield live set, and sounds like he’s packing a whole new bag of treats.
“Yeah I just played at the Strawberry Fields festival just outside of Melbourne – that was amazing, I had a really amazing night. And I’m really pleased with the set I’m playing at the moment – it’s mostly new stuff, a lot of exclusive records. The point of the DJ set isn’t just to play Leftfield material – I do play some, stuff that I’ve remixed. There’s just so much great music out there that I think is really exciting and I think it’s great to be able to feature it. It inspires me and really makes me want to go and make some music.”
Back in their prime, Leftfield was a pioneering live act featuring musicians and vocalists onstage – but in the studio, they were a core duo – who are often called one of the most influential electronic groups of all time, with their widescreen, genre-bending style, and immaculate production. Paul Daley was the other main producer alongside Barnes, but he chose not to be involved in the reunion. So Barnes carried on without him, enlisting Alan Wren as a co-producer – Wren having been the studio engineer that worked on Stealth & Rhythm. When the play live, the two are joined on stage by an amazing live drummer, Nick Rice, as well as a few guest vocalists.
Alternative Light Source was well received by fans and critics alike as a blazing return, and has proven to be a grower as well – maintaining that Leftfield penchant for quality and timelessness – Barnes does not produce music that is flash-in-the pan or disposable.
“Yeah well that’s really what I’m trying to do – to try and follow on and maintain the quality of the first two album – to make music that has that sort of organic quality – to make music that will last. Because now people seem to produce music that lasts for such a short length of time. But yeah, people have said that to me about the album – that they keep going back to it, and picking up things they hadn’t heard before.”
It’s a challenging thing to make a real, good album in the electronic genre, but Leftfield always excelled at this. “I think there’s some people making some really good records. It’s difficult at the moment full stop to do something that hasn’t been done before – the problem with a lot of music at the moment is it’s pigeonholed and tends to be generic in its nature. Electronic music has become the wallpaper of music really, because it’s just everywhere. So it’s hard for people to keep it fresh. But there are still people out there making some great stuff – especially in the underground.”
“I think pop music particularly is suffering at the moment – I think good pop albums are very few and far between. I think in indie music there’s some really good stuff. So when you hear something really refreshing…like Jagwar Mar,” he says name-checking the Sydney psych-dance band. “I think those guys’ records are brilliant. I think The Avalanches album is great too. It seemed to get a bit of a mixed reception, but I think it’s a really good record.”
Leftfield’s music is so well informed, diverse and rich in its musical depth, you can tell Barnes must listen to a wide range of music. Hearing him talk, it’s obvious he’s a true music lover, it’s his passion, as well as his occupation, and he loves to share it too. “I listen to a massive range of music. I’m planning a radio show actually. That’s what I really wanna do. I’m not satisfied just playing the sort of music I play in a DJ set – that has to have a certain intensity. I also have this other side to me, that you kinda hear on the Leftfield albums, that’s kind of slow, spacious and experimental. I’m particularly into quite unusual African records at the moment. Or things with ethic, or folk influences. There’s a lot of labels that make really good records, and little scenes that I follow, but most of it doesn’t even hit the mainstream. It’s a complete subculture.”
“Making music inspires making music. I’m really lucky, I have a great group of people around me. My touring party are my friends. We’re a little unit, like family. And I get to meet some really great people, fans, and other artists I admire. I got to DJ with Underground Resistance the other day. They were amazing. They were playing everything – it was techno – but just really interesting records.”
Leftfield also pioneered the whole collaborating with guest vocalists thing – along with Massive Attack. “I think we helped make it acceptable, and made people think about what makes an album.” Barnes is being tight-lipped on who may be involved in the new tracks he’s working on, but he does discuss how much he enjoyed working with some contemporary vocalists on the last record. “Working with Ofei [on trippy album closer Leviate For You] and also the Sleaford Mods [on the blinding Head and Shoulders]. Both of those were two magic moments on that record. Ofei is just a wonderful vocalist and a lovely man. Jason from Sleaford Mods also – it was a real journey that track, to get it where it turned up. He created a stir. Some people didn’t get it. That’s the thing with Sleaford Mods – you either love it or hate it. But I feel really proud we did that track – it was ahead of its time really. Kinda like the track we did with Roots Manua just before he became really popular.”
One artist he is a big fan of, but hasn’t managed to line anything up with so far, is British poet, philosopher and spoken word artist Kate Tempest. “I love Kate. I love her new record – there’s a few tracks that are total blinders. I’d love to work with Kate, I really admire her, but these days everyone’s got their own careers and doing their own thing.”
For now though, we can be excited that there is more new Leftfield material on its way! “Yeah I’m working on the new EP now, it’s three tracks and is coming out next year – and then straight on to an album after that.”
After such a long absence, to have Barnes visiting us several times in as many years is really quite something – and not only that, but tonight we get to see him DJing inside a giant, flame-breathing, laser-shooting, mechanical rave spider, on a summery night near the banks of the Swan River. A glorious union that is not to be missed.
