Leftfield

Leftfield encompasses the range of music that doesn't fit neatly into any one genre within electronica; some styles are as out-there as the term implies. Often heard in open-minded chill-out rooms, basements of hip London pubs or in the bedrooms of art students in New York, styles such as Illbient, Bleep and Minimal/Glitch are the most texturally stimulating, self-absorbed styles of electronica. Intelligent (IDM) is a broad classification of post-rave sounds sculpted from the inspired imaginations of such innovators as Aphex Twin, Autechre and DJ Spooky. Startling rhythms incorporating contemplative combinations of unrelated genres react against established dancefloor rules, favoring individualism over conformity.