Cabaret Voltaire’s Vinyl Virus Returns
Mute Records are re-issuing a series of classic Cabaret Voltaire albums on vinyl over the next few months, kicking off with their 1981 post punk epic Red Mecca.
The album precedes a box set in the autumn featuring the second more dance-music orientated output of the seminal electronic music pioneers (#8385 Collected Works 1983 – 1985) followed by a career spanning even larger set in 2014 (#7885 (Electro Punk to Techno Pop 1978 – 1985)
Richard H Kirk chatted to Skrufff in 2003 when Virgin released an earlier box set and admitted still feeling happy about the belated recognition the Sheffield trio of Richard, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson received.
“We were never part of any movement, instead we were just three guys in Sheffield, who couldn’t really play music, getting together to see what we could do,” he recalled.
“When it was done, the music was quite shocking to lots of people because they weren’t used to hearing electronics and drum machines in music at that time. It’s great for me the way things have developed because I’m an artist and I still release lots of music, every year. You also get the recognition for what you’ve done in the past which has helped shape what’s going on today- which is always nice,” he added.
He also chatted candidly about failing to earn the fortunes many others earned from developing the Cabs’ ideas further.
“I guess people would say we were ahead of our time and unfortunately those who do things first don’t always benefit financially. It’s usually people coming along later who refine the original ideas who do well commercially,” he mused.
“The Cabs sold respectably though we never got rich, or had top 40 singles; radio never supported us much either. It would be great to have been set up for life but it didn’t happen, so you forget about it and keep on going,” he said.
“Cabaret Voltaire was never just about entertainment, it was about, I wouldn’t say education, because that would sound pompous, but it was more about an attitude,” he said.
http://shop.cabaret-voltaire.net (Cabaret Voltaire #8385 Collected Works: Includes remastered versions of The Crackdown, Micro-Phonies, Drinking Gasoline, The Covenant, The Sword And The Arm Of The Lord . . .’)
Jonty Skrufff: https://twitter.com/djjontyskrufff