Cabaret Voltaire 1980
Cabaret Voltaire was an avant-garde, experimental electronic group from Sheffield. Initially composed of Stephen Mallinder, Richard H. Kirk and Chris Watson, the group was named after the Cabaret Voltaire, a nightclub in Zurich, Switzerland that was a centre for the early Dada movement. The band formed in 1973 and experimented widely with sound creation and processing. Their earliest performances were dada-influenced performance art; in one incident, Mallinder was hospitalised after the band had objects thrown at them. However, the arrival of punk brought a more accepting audience for their industrial, electronic sound. The group performed at the Factory on 2 June 1978 during the opening run at the Russell Club, before releasing their debut EP Extended Play on Rough Trade in November.
The fourth side of A Factory Sample, Fac 2, was their second vinyl release and was recorded at their own studio, Western Works, in Sheffield. Stephen Mallinder says: “We had already done Baader Meinhof and wanted to get it out, but it didn’t really fit in on Extended Play, so it was a good opportunity. Sex in Secret was done specially for Fac 2. I think both tracks, and specifically the titles, which were intended to provoke a response, seemed to fit with Factory’s sensibilities. I think Tony wore his Situationist heart on his sleeve.”
Although they had contributed two tracks to A Factory Sample, and would have co-headlined the cancelled American tour with Joy Division in May 1980, Rough Trade were the first to offer to finance an album and the group remained with the label until 1982. With Rough Trade they released several acclaimed musically experimental singles and EPs, including Nag Nag Nag, Silent Command, and Sluggin’ fer Jesus, and albums such as The Voice of America, 1980, and Red Mecca, 1981.
Yashar was among their last recordings with founder member Chris Watson in October 1981, and appeared on the transitional album 2 x 45.
Fac 82 Cabaret Voltaire Yashar 1983
Yashar, Fac 82, was labelled as a ‘(Re)production of John Robie Overdubs/Mix’. Remixer John Robie was a New York-based musician and keyboard programmer whose previous credits – with Arthur Baker – included the seminal electro singles Planet Rock by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force and Play At Your Own Risk by Planet Patrol. He remixed New Order’s Sub-culture, Fac 113, and later co-wrote and co-produced New Order’s Shellshock, Fac 143. The reworked Yashar 12-inch was released by Factory US and Factory Benelux in July 1983. The cover was a generic ‘Factory Records Giant Single’ sleeve which was designed by Anthony Wilson with record labels designed by Mark Holt.
The next Cabaret Voltaire releases apeared on Virgin, and saw the band stripped down to a duo of Kirk and Mallinder who released progressively more commercial music. Yashar, their final release on Factory can be viewed as a transition between the band’s earlier more cut-up experimental sound and their embracing of new technologies and a move towards dancefloor-orientated tracks.
