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• Cabaret Voltaire
• Electronic Music

Cabaret Voltaire - 2X45 - 27-May-07 12:44 AM
This is probably the closest Cabaret Voltaire have come to making a rock album. This release comprises two recording sessions, one from October 81 (just before co-founder Chris Watsons departure) and the other from February 82. Theres a definite difference of feel between each record, an example of just how fast the group was moving.

Of the first three tracks on the first record, Yashar is the standout track and to this day it remains one of the groups signature tunes. Theres a strong Middle Eastern influence the winds its way through the track both in melody and percussion elements. Electronics and samples are downplayed somewhat in favour of pulsing hypnotic elements. Breathe Deep has a faster dancier feel and is probably one the smoothest aggro dance tracks ever.

The tracks on the second record are slightly more streamlined musically, as the group are now without Watson. Kirk and Mal are left to run the show. Long-time collaborator Alan Fish takes care of percussion. On T.E.S. War Of Nerves, eerie spoken samples about methods of torture open up the track only to give in to the dark paranoia in Mal’s lyrics. His vocals are menacing and unsettling. It’s easily the centerpiece of the album, at least in my opinion. The two last tracks, ‘Wait & Shuffle’ and ‘Get Out Of My Face’ have a dark, slightly more ambient and melodic feel, showing the Cabs shedding their earlier electro-terrorist noise in favour of actual harmonies, slightly more accessible sound structures and, above all, a strong pounding beat. Clearly, the band were closing one chapter in their musical development and opening another. Their subsequent end with Rough Trade, which had signed them originally, and new arrangement with Some Bizzare also marked a change for the group.

I would definitely file ‘2X45’ under my ‘Recommended/Can’t-Live-Without’ stack.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Dream Ticket - 03-Feb-05 04:33 PM
This little number builds upon the sounds Mal and Kirk introduced on The Crackdown and adds a bit of electro-funk to the mix. Both tracks are similar in style and foreshadow what was to come on Micro-Phonies.

After only being available on 12" vinyl for years since their release, both tracks were finally issued on CD but seperately. The A-side, Dream Ticket can be found on the Cabs recently released Sound Of Sheffield 83-87 compilation while Safety Zone is found on the more extensive Conform To Deform 3CD set. Both were released on Mute.

Cabaret Voltaire - The Voice Of America - 03-Feb-05 01:33 AM
This is the Cabs second full-length release that originally appeared in late 1980.

Its a bit of a disjointed affair - some tracks on the album seem curiously thrown together among the more intense electro-warped items. Sonically, although somewhat similar, it doesnt pack the same punch as the all out assaults on Mix-Up but theres this persistent "creepiness" about how some of tracks snake into your ears and gnaw into your cortex with repeated listening.

Check out the opening track Voice Of America/Damage Is Done where a police seargent is instructing his officers on maintaining order during an upcoming music concert. Obsession is a personal favourite. Its a dark, hypnotic track with vocalist Stephen Mallinder repeating "One Obssession...One Obssession" over and over again like a mantra amid the twisting and pulsing synth drum patterns and processed guitars. Theres a similar but slightly more accessible approach on the appropriately titled closing track This Is Entertainment.

Other less formed tracks like Partially Submerged and Premonition follow more of a dark ambient nature. Eerie tape loops and pitchbending effects nicely compliment the otherwise highly unusual array of sounds. Fans of Throbbing Gristles more compositional stuff may find those tracks already quite familliar to their ears.

Voice Of America was reissued by the Grey Area of Mute Records on CD and Cassette in 1990 and then, more recently, re-mastered and re-released by Mute in 2002. An interesting progression from Mix-Up and a precursor to what came later. Recommended!

Clock DVA - Buried Dreams - 09-Jan-05 08:50 AM
Adi Newman resurrected Clock DVA in 1988 after five years of experimenting with other styles of music under his Anti Group moniker. The new Clock DVA consisted of Adis Advantage-era band members (Newton, Paul Browse, & Dean Dennis) but the music was far different.

The hard funk and dark jazz of previous years has been replaced with all electronic and industrial instrumentation with Newton keeping his trademark coarse and sinister vocal delivery from track to track. As such, this is possibly the darkest album the band has produced to date. Themes of mysticism, occult, sexual perversion, and death permeate track after track, particularly on Hide (my favourite), The Act & The Reign. Theres also some decidedly more accessible stuff here like Sound Mirror and The Hacker which deal with more futurist and technological themes. Newton would pursue this further with subsequent releases in the early-90s.

The music itself is quite dark and tense and a bit scary and varies in volume quite a bit. Many tracks have a loud-soft quality. I found myself turning up a track during a quiet intro only to have my eardrums scathed with sudden stabs of electronoise and Newtons vocals creep in.

I LOVE when that happens.

The only problem I have with the disc is production. The CD version sounds a bit thin, especially after hearing the mastering on Advantage. There seems to be little bottom end here. If youre into sound production, you might need to play around with your stereo equalizer (if on hand) to enjoy this album better.

Fans of Skinny Puppy, Klinik, Converter, and the more experimental aspects of industrial dance music might find this an essential addition to their collection. Reccommended!

Kraftwerk - Kraftwerk 2 - 27-Apr-04 04:43 PM
Kraftwerks third release (if you include the Tone Float release under their previous incarnation Organisation). By this time, the group had shrunk to a duo, consisting only of Ralf and Florian, most of the others forming Neu!. Its a very minimal release that may be disappointing to those who know of the groups later efforts. Most of the tracks dont really go anywhere, some minimal guitar strumming and picking, spare synth and flute; Atem only consists of heavy inhaling and exhaling into the microphone.

The Klingklang track is the highlight of the LP, as well as the longest, clocking in at over 17 minutes. Hints of what was to come are evident in the melodic bubbling synth arrangements held together by simple drum machine patterns. Some improvised treated flute nicely complements the track. It sounds a little like what Kraftwerks offshoot contemporaries in Neu! were doing at the same time: simple looping harmonies and steady mid-tempo percussion. This track is also found in an edited version on their early [i]Exceller8[/i] compilation that compiles previously released material from 1971-1974.

Its too bad this Italian re-issue/bootleg doesnt have the original artwork. The original cover art depicted weird heiroglyphic designs against a tan background with the Kraftwerk font in the upper left corner. This cone thing is functional but boring.

My advice, pick this up if youre a completist or very open-minded. If youre expecting a more electronic sound, then start with the succeeding Ralf & Florian and leave this one for the collectors.

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