Cabaret Voltaire - Micro-Phonies

Regarding breaking into the mainstream, a subway poster for Micro-phonies is in "Ferris Beuler's Day Off" (John Hughes film, 1986) in Ferris' bedroom. I don't recall any Cabaret Voltaire music on the soundtrack, but the simple fact they were viewed as hip and cool enough to be a prop at that point while not having any mainstream visibility in the US I thought was interesting. Or, did Virgin simply pay to place it there? Then again, it seems it would have been The Covenant, The Sword, The Arm Of The Lord instead.

The Cabs' follow up to 'The Crackdown' is a bit grittier and sparser sounding, concentrating more on the beat/rhythm for the dancefloor. It was also the first release that received some recognition from the mainstream. The CD features both the original and 12" versions of 'Sensoria' (their 'big hit'-- you can even find it on Rhino's 'Just Can't Get Enough' series) and 'Blue Heat'. Other highlights range from the post-punk funk of 'The Operative', the dubby 'Digital Rasta' (which samples...Geraldo?!), and the creepy-crawling 'Spies In The Wires'. Altogether, one of their best releases.

An album that solidifies their move into electro-funk. Worth it alone for "Sensoria", but "James Brown" and "Digital Rasta" are good listens as well.