Cabaret Voltaire | Artist

Cabaret Voltaire is an English Post-Punk band formed 1973 in Sheffield. The three founding members were Stephen Mallinder (vocal, bass), Richard H. Kirk (guitar, synthesizer) and Chris Watson (tapes) pioneered the Industrial sound. The early work of Cabaret Voltaire, which was greatly inspired by Brian Eno's early work with Roxy Music, consisted primarily of experimentation with DIY electronics and tape machines, as well as Dada-influenced performance art, helping to pioneer industrial music in the mid-1970s. Finding an audience during the post-punk era, they integrated their experimental approach with dance and pop styles. The band's first recording was the seminal Extended Play EP from '78 which contained the hit "Do The Mussolini-Headkick". They also appear on the debut Factory Records EP A Factory Sample (1978) with the tunes "Baader Meinhof" and "Sex in Secret." In early live performances the "Cabs" as they were known often shared the bill with Factory Records act Joy Division, but they signed with Rough Trade when that label offered them of a four-track Revox tape machine in lieu of an advance. In 1977, Watson financed the band's own recording studio in the Western Works building on Portobello Street in Sheffield. The "Western Works" served as the band's studio for many years as well as providing a social gathering spot for the local Sheffield scene. Western Works produced some of the earliest recordings of pioneering local bands including Clock DVA, The Human League and New Order. Chris Watson left the group in 1981 and Stephen Mallinder left in 1995, leaving Richard H. Kirk to carry on under the Cabaret Voltaire name. To-date the band has released twenty studio albums plus some excellent archival collections. Outstanding albums include Mix-up, Three Mantras, The Voice of America, Red Mecca, 2x45, The Crackdown, Microphonies, and the excellent Living Legends compilation from 2002. The group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zürich, Switzerland, that served as a centre for the early Dada movement.

Artist Website: brainwashed.com/cv/

Featured Albums: Cabaret Voltaire

Related Artists: Richard H Kirk, Al Jabr, Stephen Mallinder, Creep Show

Video Clips: Sensoria, Just Fascination, 24 24