Before the Human League and Heaven 17 put Sheffield on the synth-pop map, Cabaret Voltaire were in a loft there, cutting up tape and building rhythms out of noise. They’re one of the reasons electronic music sounds the way it does.
Sheffield’s experimenters
Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson formed Cabaret Voltaire in Sheffield in 1973, taking their name from the Zurich nightclub where Dada began. They used tape loops, effects and early drum machines. “Nag Nag Nag” (1979) became an early industrial classic, and by The Crackdown (1983) and Micro-Phonies (1984) they were making dark, funky electronic dance music.
Is Cabaret Voltaire new wave?
Cabaret Voltaire belong to the experimental edge of the new wave and post-punk era. They’re best known as industrial and electronic pioneers, but their mid-’80s dance records, like “Sensoria”, sit comfortably next to synth-pop and new wave.
The essential Cabaret Voltaire
- “Nag Nag Nag” (1979)
- “Yashar” (1982)
- “Just Fascination” (1983)
- “Sensoria” (1984)
Remembering Richard H. Kirk
Kirk died in 2021.
Hear Cabaret Voltaire on New Wave Radio
They’re a deep cut. Ask for them on Rare & Deep 80s Tracks.
Related: The Human League · Heaven 17 · Ministry
