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Interview
by SashaS
7-10-2004
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More on: Cabaret Voltaire
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| Cabaret Voltaire: back to the future |
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Taste of time
Cabaret Voltaire revisit 'brave new' futurism…
‘Doublevision Presents Cabaret Voltaire’, released for the first time on DVD on Monday, upon its original issuing 22 years ago was one of the first independent long-form videos ever made, featuring fourteen visual representations of Cabaret Voltaire tracks including 'Nag Nag Nag', 'Obsession', 'Diskono' and 'Photophobia'.
This comm company was founded by Cabaret Voltaire and Paul Smith in 1982, initially as a vehicle for this particular release but also with a view to releasing affordable music based video for a fraction of the price. Further releases included Throbbing Gristle, The Residents, Einstrzende Neubauten, Chris and Cosey (cti), 23 Skidoo, Tuxedomoon, to leave an interesting legacy of experimental visual arts and music.
This clip-collection is refreshingly unaffected by time’s erosion and still appears forward-looking which, unfortunately, only demonstrate that even the current ‘futurism’ is retro. The visual content of ‘DVPCV’ has hardly dated, it again indicates that no great leaps in imagination have been made over the intervening few decades.
This DVD release is purposely true to the quality and sound reproduction of the original release and its grainy texture, due to necessity of the primitive technology, certainly is the look today’s CGI guys are so much into capturing. The imagery is still relevant - bar Prez Ray-gun, CCCP and its Red Army Parades - and although police uniforms are old-cut the brutality toward the protesters is the same. Proof that humans are not only stagnating but de-evolving?
Richard H. Kirk, one of the two principal members, was directly involved with creating these video-clips, or - perhaps - a longform socio-political and cultural commentary conveniently packaged in instalments.
“Most of our videos were done by myself or Stephen [Mallinder],” Kirk explains, “and I think they’ve stood better the test of time then the other pieces, done by Plan 9 people. I don‘t think those stood the test of time as the rest of the material and I feel the most important stuff is the cut-up news-footage that we used to link the tracks together.”
“It is interesting because it has a lot of imagery from Iran and Near/Mid-East,” he points out, “and twenty years later it has become very important in the world politics. It’s kind of… don’t know how to interpret it: is it nothing’s changed in the world or those things have become more prominent in the world events?”
That's electrotainment
Initially a three piece, Richard H. Kirk, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson began by playing around with recorded sounds manipulated by basic reel-to-reel tape recorders in Sheffield in 1973. Not being able to afford [m]any proper instruments [Watson was the only one working as a telephone engineer], “it was a case of using our imagination,” Kirk adds.
In 1975, although way ahead of their time, the trio staged their first performance under the name Cabaret Voltaire. The band created a string of brilliant singles and the seminal triumvirate of albums - ‘Mix Up‘ (1979), ‘Voice of America’ (1980) and [the most prophetic] ‘Red Mecca’ (1981) on Rough Trade. Watson left the group in October ‘81, but Kirk and Mallinder went on recording tunes that would be a huge influence on the developing House and Techno scenes in both America and Europe.
With the world politics being at the crossroads - US, Britain and few other nations are warring while other nations are disapproving it - can it ever affect music appreciation inasmuch that kids would turn their backs on the Yank-generated music?
“I think it is impossible because most of the music business is in the American hands and they control the domestic market even tighter. Also, no one in America is prepared to speak against anything at the present time for fear of losing jobs. Or being accused of being a terrorist or a traitor… Still, music has become so narrow defined and only few stars really get international exposure. I think it has all to do with sponsorship tie-ins, branding, and all to do with big business. It’s all become so different since I started in this business and now it is much more difficult for an underground artist to get exposure. It’s all this corpo-Rock which emanates form America.”
Anticipation on hold
Cabaret Voltaire’s rare but much anticipated live performances, with their innovative use of film and video, were documented on the three live albums, ‘Live at the YMCA’ (1979), ‘Live at the Lyceum’ (‘81) and ‘HAI’ [Live in Japan] (‘82), and the 90 minute ‘Doublevision presents…’ (1982).
“What makes me disappointed is that music has become secondary,” Kirk continues, “just a product to help sell a film or a car. Music to me is a spiritual thing, a big conveyor of emotions and feelings and that’s what makes it universal. Techno music can speak to all people because it is instrumental… Corporate entities are responsible for devaluing music and turning it into the same product as biscuits…”
“Music has been part of rebellion against society and I don’t know where it’s gone. Music will continue but so much music is made of old samples and it is all recycling, adding nothing new. For the past several years they were re-selling the 1980s and for me they were very cruel years… Some people even try to group us with the New Romantics!?”
Cabaret Voltaire were electro-punks, the precursors to cyber-nihilism and Dystopians, a couple of decades before the 'concept' was defined.
“Yeah, that’s a fair description,” Kirk smiles, sadly as it turns out, “and experimental bands like us, or Can or Neu! would never be signed by a major label. Sigur Ros signed to EMI recently and it would probably destroy them. We were with the label and after making one album, without any real interference, it sold well but there were no hits. Then, the pressure started and we were told we’d need to do this’d’that and then we were dropped.”
“The sad thing is that you are expected to gain new audience but you end up losing your original fans!? You are totally nowhere with a major if you are not playing their game. We played the music the only way we could but we created something along the way that lasted.”
Richard H. Kirk continues to work against the pre-set samples and manufactured bands/solo artists who only use music as a stepping stone to the celebrity world of appearing on some inane TV show. How many TV presenters are former pop stars?
“We only made music for entertainment. We did it for ourselves and wasn’t really concerned with its commercial potential.”
Addendum: beyond CV
Alongside CV’s ‘Doublevision’ we get two more discs by one of the ‘architect of Cabs’: ‘Richard H. Kirk Meets The Truck Bombers of Suburbia (Uptown), Featuring Pat Riot - Volume 1’ is the supplant to ‘Loopstatic’ (2000). Bringing harder sonic currency, it is described as “punky-reggae-house-party-meets-bashment-electro-tech-dub” . [Released the same day as ‘DVPCV’.]
Already out on a 7inch single is ‘Who’s Afraid (of the red white and blue)’, as part of the ‘Electronic Bible Project’ (White Label); this track is a mean slice of electro punk, which takes as its theme the violent age of gun culture, American imperialism and macho nuke ‘em philosophy.
A week later (11 Oct.) comes a compilation ‘Intone: Unreleased Projects 3 (1995-97)’, full of chilled beats, ambient funk and low flying dub within 9 previously unreleased cuts, written arranged and produced by RHK behind aliases old and new, including some early Orchestra Terrestrial tracks alongside the more well known Sandoz project.
‘URL3’, recorded between 1995 and ‘97, was recently edited, post produced and sonically overhauled. [Released 11 October 2004.]
SashaS
24-12-2001
Cabaret Voltaire’s DVD ‘Doublevision presents…’ is released 04 October 2004 by The Grey Area/Mute
‘Richard H. Kirk Meets The Truck Bombers of Suburbia (Uptown), Featuring Pat Riot - Volume 1’ is also out on 04 October 2004 via Intone
‘Unreleased Projects 3 (1995-97)’ is issued on 11 October 2004 by Intone
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